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Summary: Lockheed P-38 Lightning aircraft Airplane blueprint for the Lockheed, P-38, Lightning ... Aviation history and aircraft blueprints/plans. Lockheed P-38
Lightning - This American fighter shot down more Japanese planes than any
other. And in April, 1943, a Lightning shot down the plane carrying Admiral
Yamamoto, the man who had planned the Pearl Harbor attack. Called by the Germans
Der Gabelschwanz Teutel ("The Devil with the Cleft Tail"), the Lightning was a
controversial plane, loved and hated at the same time by the men who flew it.
The P-38 was in production from 1940 to 1945, and a total of 9,923 P-38s
were built in several versions. The P-38 Lightning was employed on all fronts
and in several roles that had not been anticipated in the original design,
including photographic reconnaissance missions as well as duty as a
fighter-bomber and as a night fighter.
The unconventional
layout resulted from the high-demand specifications for a high-altitude,
high-performance aircraft capable of heavy armament roles, good climbing rate
and exceptional range. These requirements thusly eliminated the possibility that
any single engine aircraft would be the solution. The design team (led by
Clarence 'Kelly' Johnson of Lockheed) opted for a twin-engine design centered
around a central cockpit 'tub', or nacelle, sided by two 'booms' on either side
housing the engine components. The wide design also added stability in the extra
surface features and provided the aircraft with two vertical rudders instead of
a traditional single one.
Because of its unorthodox design, the aircraft evolved for several years before
becoming the fighter destined to see combat in all theaters of World War II. The
P-38 Lightning introduced a new dimension to American fighters - a second
engine. The multi-engine configuration reduced the Lightning loss-rate to
anti-aircraft gunfire during ground attack missions.
Rugged, fast and versatile, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a potent combat
aircraft and a superb fighter bomber, also flying as a night fighter,
reconnaissance aircraft and torpedo-bomber. Known for its exceptional range and
the dependability of its two Allison engines, this legendary aircraft made up
for any shortcomings with its exceptional set of guns and cannons in its nose,
giving it more concentrated firepower than other US fighters, which usually had
their guns mounted in their wings.
Equipped with droppable fuel tanks under its wings, the P-38 was used
extensively as a long-range escort fighter. A very versatile aircraft, the
Lightning was also used for dive bombing, level bombing, ground strafing and
photo reconnaissance missions. The P-38 Lightning also holds the distinction as
being the first American-designed 400mph piston-engine aircraft. The first one
built for the U.S. Army Air Corps, the XP-38, made its public debut on Feb. 11,
1939 by flying from California to New York in seven hours.
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