What was the top speed of a p-38 lightning?
What was the top speed of a p-38 lightning?
443 mph
Lockheed P-38 Lightning/Top speed
How good is P-38 Lightning?
The P-38 Lightning had a very busy time in both the European and Pacific theaters. It made over 130,000 sorties, with an overall loss of only 1.3%. Over 1,800 Japanese aircraft were destroyed by P-38 Lightnings, with over 100 aviators becoming aces in the sleek fighter.
Was the p38 used in Italy?
The P-38s were finally phased-out in Italy in 1956. Today, no Italian P-38s survive, nor even a single component from one, as these aircraft, because of the high value of their light alloys, were quickly recycled for their metal content.
What does the P in P-38 stand for?
One is that soldiers called it the P-38 because it could open a can faster than the P-38 Lightning fighter plane could fly. A more likely explanation is that the “38” comes from the length of the can opener, which is 38 millimeters (or 1 1/2 inches).
What was the P-38 Lightning used for?
Updated September 03, 2019 The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was an American fighter used during World War II. Possessing an iconic design that placed the engines in twin booms and the cockpit in a central nacelle, the P-38 saw use all theaters of the conflict and was feared by German and Japanese pilots.
How many guns does a P-38 have?
P-38J specs: 420 MPH, four 50 caliber machine guns, one 20 mm cannon. With the engines of the era, this was quite a challenge, and the innovative P-38 design resulted. After lengthy production delays, the Lockheed appeared in force in the Southwest Pacific in mid-1943, and proved a devastating fighter.
Who invented the P-38?
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.
Where did the P-38 fly in WW2?
The next month, P-38s were sent to the Aleutian Islands where the aircraft’s long range made it ideal for dealing with Japanese activities in the area. On August 9, the P-38 scored its first kills of the war when the 343rd Fighter Group downed a pair of Japanese Kawanishi H6K flying boats.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qo9SELpVM4
