First conceived in 1937 by Lockheed chief engineer Hall L. Hibbard and his then assistant, Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, the twin-boomed P-38 was the most innovative plane of its day, combining speed with unheard-of advances: two supercharged engines and a potent mix of four 50-caliber machine guns and a 20-mm cannon. The name "Lightning" was believed bestowed on the aircraft by the British who, for a short time, considered the fighter for their own inventory. Equipped with droppable fuel tanks under its wings, the P-38 was used extensively as a long-range escort fighter and saw action in practically every major combat area of the world, particularly in the air battles over the Pacific, and become one of America's classic and highly recognizable warbirds. A very versatile aircraft, the Lightning was also used for dive bombing, level bombing, ground strafing and photo reconnaissance missions. Some 10,038 P-38 Lightnings were ultimately produced with nearly 4,000 of these being the P-38L model.
P38D[]
Lockheed P-38D "Lightning" | |
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General Historical Information | |
Place of origin | USA |
Manufacturer | Lockheed |
Produced In | 1941 |
Speed | 531 km/h |
Category | Fighter Ground-attack aircraft |
General Ingame Information | |
Used by | USA |
Crew in‑game | 1 |
Guns | 6x 12.7 mm M2HB machineguns (2000 I + APT rounds) 1x 37 mm M4 autocannon (15 HE+APT rounds) |
Historical Picture | |
The first production order was 35 P-38Ds, featuring a low-pressure oxygen system, self-sealing fuel tanks, and some aerodynamic changes to resolve tail buffeting in dives. None of these aircraft ever saw combat. Their main role in the story of the P-38 was to work out bugs and give the USAAF experience with handling the type.
P38G[]
Lockheed P-38G "Lightning" | |
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File:P-38G.jpg | |
General Historical Information | |
Place of origin | USA |
Manufacturer | Lockheed |
Produced In | 1941 |
Speed | 531 km/h |
Category | Fighter Ground-attack aircraft |
General Ingame Information | |
Used by | USA |
Crew in‑game | 1 |
Guns | 1x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon (150 HE rounds) 4x 12.7 mm M2HB machineguns (2000 I + APT rounds) |
Historical Picture | |
The G variant was created at the end of 1942 and was based on the E and F variants. The G had a more powerful turbocharged Allison V-1710-51/55 engine. Engine management was significantly more automated than before. The P-38G had a reinforced fuselage and could carry two extra 300-gallon (1136-liter) fuel tanks. Although it wasn't equipped to carry rockets and bombs, it was often modified on the field to carry 250-lb or even 500-lb bombs as well as unguided rockets.
P38J[]
In the progression of the development of the P-38 Lightning, the J model likely marked the most improvements to the Lightning. Lessons learned from previous version, prompted a number of design changes that were rapidly and progressively implemented during the production run of the P-38J, including reworked intercooler system, additional fuel tanks. Because of this changes, the P-38J was the fastest Lightning, capable of 675 km/h at 8000 m, about 30 km/h faster than the -G version.
Weapon layouts | Guns | Bombs | Rockets |
Variant 1 | 1x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon (150 HE rounds) 4x 12.7 mm M2HB machineguns (2000 I + APT rounds) |
10x 127mm HVAR "Holy Moses" Rockets | |
Variant 2 | 1x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon (150 HE rounds) 4x 12.7 mm M2HB machineguns (2000 I + APT rounds) |
2x 500 kg | |
Variant 3 | 1x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon (150 HE rounds) 4x 12.7 mm M2HB machineguns (2000 I + APT rounds) |
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Variant 4 | 1x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon (150 HE rounds) 4x 12.7 mm M2HB machineguns (3600 I + APT rounds) |
10x 127mm HVAR "Holy Moses" Rockets | |
Variant 5 | 1x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon (150 HE rounds) 4x 12.7 mm M2HB machineguns (3600 I + APT rounds) |
2x 500 kg | |
Variant 6 | 1x 20 mm AN/M2 cannon (150 HE rounds) 4x 12.7 mm M2HB machineguns (3600 I + APT rounds) |
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