Lockheed P-38G Lightning

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Quick Link 2 Fighter Ace Screenshots 3 Fighter Ace Ratings 4 Fighter Ace Performance 5 Historical Statistics 6 Strengths 7 Weaknesses 8 History 9 Sources 10 See Also 11 Quick Link

Quick Link

• Fighter Ace Flight Museum: WWII US / GB / SU / GE / JP / Jets and Post WWII // Planes Inventory (text list)
• Fighter Ace Plane Physics: Speeds / Accelerations / Climb Speeds / Star Ratings
• Fighter Ace Weapons: Guns / Rockets / Bombs / Torpedoes

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 5

Speed: 7

Maneuverability: 4

Firepower: 6

Climb Rate: 7

Ground Attack: 4

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	320	339	354	383	397@ 24934'	177 mph	1:13	3:05	6:05
mph WEP	326	344	360	387	400@ 24934'
kph	515	545	570	616	639@ 7600m	285 kph
kph WEP	525	554	579	623	644@ 7600m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: August 1942

Primary Guns: 4x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 500 rpg in nose

Secondary Guns: 1x Bendix M1 20mm (licensed Hispano II) cannon with 150 rpg in nose

Ordnance: 2x 250 lb (113 kg) or 2x 500 lb (227 kg) or 2x 1,000 lb (454 kg) bombs or 2x 1,927 lb Mk.13 torpedoes or 2x 990 lb (449 kg) drop tanks on underwing pylons

Engine(s): 2x Allison V-1710-51/55 in-lines rated at 1,350 hp each (1,410 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 2,042 lbs (926 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 1,980 lbs (898 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 400 mph (644 kph) at 25,000 ft (7,620 m)

Ceiling: 39,000 ft (11,887 m)

Loaded Weight: 15,800 lbs (7,167 kg)

Wing Area: 327.5 sq ft (30.5 sq m)

Wing Loading: 48.2 lbs/sq ft (235.0 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Speed: The Lightning, which was all about power and speed, was capable of exceeding 400 mph at altitude.

Guns: The armament of one 20mm cannon and four .50 caliber machine guns is in the same class as that of the standard US six machine gun configuration with the added advantage of no convergence issues becuase all the guns are in the nose.

Ordnance: Capable of carrying up to 2,000 lbs. of bombs, the P-38 is a deadly close support plane.

Weaknesses

Maneuverability: The P-38 is a large plane and thus can't compete effectively in a turn fight.

History

Known to the Germans as Der Gabelschwanz Teufel (The Fork-Tailed Devil) and to the Japanese as "Whispering Death", the Lockheed P-38 Lightning was one of the most unique and distinctive aircraft to see service in World War II. The brainchild of Lockheed's brilliant Chief Engineer Clarence L. "Kelly" Johnson, the Lightning was designed to meet the US Army's difficult X-608 Interceptor specification. The spec called for a fighter capable of 360 mph at 20,000 feet, the ability to fly at full throttle for over an hour, and the ability to take off and land over a 50-foot obstacle within 2,200 feet.

Johnson realized that with the current state of power plant technology, no single-engine aircraft could meet these specifications. So he set about working on a series of twin-engine designs, finally submitting the Lightning design to the Army on April 13, 1937 as the "Model 22 Pursuit Plane". Based on this proposal, the Army awarded Lockheed a contract for a single prototype, to be designated the XP-38.

Besides the obviously unique twin-boom configuration, the Lightning featured several design innovations that allowed it to serve as one of the few really successful twin-engine fighters of WWII. The effect of engine torque, doubly problematic than on single engine planes, was eliminated by using engines that allowed the propellers to rotate in opposite directions. P-38 pilots learned that they could turn tighter than normal by decreasing throttle on one side, thereby allowing engine torque to help roll the plane in the desired direction.

Another innovation was the use of "Fowler flaps" that extended out of the wing instead of simply dropping down into the air stream. These effectively increased the wing area, which lowered the stall speed. At the same time, they created a slot between the wing and flap, which allowed the wing to fly at a much greater angle of attack without stalling.

Originally intended to carry a 23mm cannon and four .50 caliber machine guns in the nose, the first production Lightnings were armed with a single 37mm cannon and four .50 caliber machine guns. The 37mm cannon was eventually replaced with a single 20mm Hispano type cannon in the P-38E.

The center wing section of the P-38F was stressed for two ordnance pylons, each capable of carrying either a 165-gallon drop tank or a 1,000 lb. bomb. The P-38G further stressed the center wing pylons to allow them to each carry a 300-gallon drop tank, which increased the Lightning's range to over 2,000 miles.

One problem associated with the Lightning was poor cockpit heating at high altitude, which made combat missions in the Northern European Theater particularly unpleasant. However, the P-38 saw extensive service in the Mediterranean and South Pacific theaters, and was the mount in which Major Dick Bong scored 40 aerial victories, more than any other American ace in any war.

Sources

Green, William; War Planes Of The Second World War: Fighters Volume Four; Macdonald & Co., London; 1961.

Davis, Larry; P-38 Lightning In Action, Aircraft Number 109; Squadron/Signal Publications, Carrollton, Texas; 1990.

See Also

The Lockheed Aircraft Corporation

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II

Quick Link

• Fighter Ace Flight Museum: WWII US / GB / SU / GE / JP / Jets and Post WWII // Planes Inventory (text list)
• Fighter Ace Plane Physics: Speeds / Accelerations / Climb Speeds / Star Ratings
• Fighter Ace Weapons: Guns / Rockets / Bombs / Torpedoes