|
General Specifications
Wingspan: 52 ft. (15.9 m.) Length: 37.72 ft. (11.5 m.) Height: 9.84 ft. (3.0 m.) Weight: 12,780 lb. (5,797 kg.) Engines: Two Allison V-1710-111 Horsepower: 1,600 hp. each Guns: Four .5 in. Browning machine guns and one 20 mm cannon ________________________________________________________
With its twin counter-rotating engines that eliminated torque effect and added an extra margin of safety, its tricycle landing gear, and its record-breaking speed, the advent of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning represented a radical leap in fighter design. First flown in 1939, the Lightning was the USAAF's fastest and best-armed fighter at the beginning of the war. Four .50 caliber Browning machine guns and a 20 mm cannon mounted in the plane's propless nose needed no propeller synchronizer; this meant that a Lightning's guns could fire in parallel, downing an enemy plane with just a short burst. The P-38 saw most of its action in the Pacific Theater and was a major player in Europe as well.
A 1944 upgrade to the P-38-J, the P-38-L was produced in greater quantity than any other Lightning. It boasted a higher war emergency power rating, improved flaps and trim, and was frequently fitted with a bombardier nose.
|
