Lockheed P-38 Lightning

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning (often called the "Fork-Tailed Devil" from the German perspective) was the brainchild of aviation engineer Kelly Johnson. The name "Lightning" itself is believed to be derived from the designation the British had applied to the aircraft when they were interested in purchasing batch production models. The system would go on to serve the United States well, particularly in the battle over the Pacific and become one of America's classic and highly recognizeable warbirds.

The twin-boom design was a major departure from most anything in the military skies at the time, with most aircraft deciding to go the more traditional fighter design route. A US Army Air Corps specification searched for an high-level, high-speed interceptor capable of maintaining said level and speed for upwards of 60 minutes or more. As such, the unique design was utilized to provide the power of, not one, but two operating engines, each in their own slender boom with turbocharger support. Engines were also counter-rotating, meaning that each engine counter effected one another's torque, negating the "pull" that was often apparent with single engine designs. The wing element connected the booms and pod-shaped cockpit forward and a broad elevator panel joined the booms at rear. Part of the specification also called for the fighter to be substantially armed and the P-38 in no way disappointed with a standard array of 1 x 20mm cannon and a battery of 4 x 12.7mm machine guns, all mounted in the nose.

Overall vision out of the cockpit was good though the twin-boom design necessitated a large wing element. The cockpit sat directly between either engine nacelle and made vision to the lower right or left difficult without banking the entire aircraft. The installation of all armament in the nose, however, provided the pilot with a more accurate attack cone when compared to wing-mounted armament common to traditional fighters of the time. The armament was also quite formidable against anything unfortunate to come within the range of the attack cone.

When British interest had peaked on the development of the P-38, several test variants were shipped across the Atlantic for testing, sans the superchargers though as there was a ban on exported superchargers at the time. Thusly the exported P-38 systems woefully under-performed for the British test pilots and interest there began to dissipate. Nevertheless, the United States military planners themselves liked what they saw in the P-38 and would soon be utilizing them in every theater of war across the globe. The forgiving airframe allowed for drop tanks to be issued for longer bombing or bomber escort runs and rail "trees" could be added for the carrying of up to 10 high explosive air-to-surface rockets (5 per side).

The P-38's distinct design worked for and against the pilot in a dogfight. Many a Japanese pilot in the post-war world recounted how the P-38 was difficult to spot from the front or behind, thanks to its slim appearance from those angles. On the flip side, however, the aircraft yeilded a much larger profile from above and below, making the system instantly recognizeable from great distances. Dogfighting at even the most fundamental level all about spotting your enemy first to gain the advantage. As such, spotting the P-38 twin boom design before it came upon oneself with guns and cannon blazing offered many advantages to Axis pilots.

P-38 Lightning’s would be credited with more enemy kills in the Pacific Theater than any other aircraft type, which is impressive considering the amount of carrier-based battles occurring throughout the war. Early combat action forced the intorduction of hydraulic control systems to aid pilots coming out of steep dives whereas before they were left to their own strength and knowledge of the systems to accomplish this feat. This addition became one of the first documented and production instances of assisted controlling in aircraft to be found anywhere in the world and in many ways mirrors the importance of advancements like "fly-by-fire" control most common in modern fighters.

In the end, the P-38 Lightning would become the symbolic trademark of Lockheed's first and hugely successful foray into the world of military aviation design (and production for that matter). The P-38 would also become a much beloved classic warfighter at air shows around the globe, showcasing its war-winning design with distinct performance and acrobatic capabilities. The success of the system developed a myriad of variants that included a high-speed, high-altitude reconnaissance model - to which the P-38 airframe was ideally suited for. Several other unique attempts designed at "benefitting" the existing system failed to advance beyond the prototype stage. Among those the XP-49 "Super Lightning" and the XP-58 "Chain Lightning" - both detailed elsewhere on this site.

The most notable mission involving a P-38 in World War 2 came about in April of 1943, which saw a P-38 take down a Japanese G4M "Betty" transport aircraft - and with it - Japanese Commander-in-Chief Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, surely an irreplaceable blow against the Japanese war effort. On a more recent note regarding the Lightning, the Lockheed aviation firm recently bestowed their next generation F-35 fighter design with the official designation name of "Lightning II".

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Last Revision: 7/31/2009