The P-38F soon arrived and introduced underwing pylon hardpoints for the carrying of external munitions to augment the cannon/machine gun armament. The F-model was specifically developed for the humid, at-sea nature of the Pacific Theater and fitted with V-1710 49/53 series engines. The P-38G and its V-1710-89/91 engines was next in line with production commencing in August of 1942. Bombload was increased and 2,970 examples were produced. Naturally, this was superseded by the improved P-38H mark fitting 2 x Allison V-1710 series inline piston engines in May of 1943 to which 601 examples were delivered. By August of that year, The P-38J was brought online with a bulletproof windscreen for when engaging enemy aircraft head on, a standard cockpit heating element useful when operating at icy-cold high altitudes, improved flight controls, increased fuel stores under the wing surface area and improved engine cooling. The engine improvements allowed for better climbing and higher overall speeds while the increase in internal fuel, as well as use of drop tanks, allowed P-38J pilots to take-off from bases on UK soil, fight German pilots over Europe, and return home under their own power. A specially-devised two-seat "lead Lightning" was developed from the P-38J to act as a lead plane in formation during a bombing run. This type was fitted with the fabled Norden bombsight and signaled the following aircraft when to drop their bombs during level bombing sorties. The P-38L began deliveries in June of 1944 and went on into August of 1945 with some 3,923 examples produced. these featuring provision for underwing rockets and V-1710-111/113 engines. The P-38M existed as a two-seat nightfighter based on the P-38L- production models with radar systems installed.
The long-range, high-speed nature naturally made the P-38 airframe suitable for aerial reconnaissance work and this produced the unarmed F-4 and F-5 designations, their armament replaced by photographic cameras.The F-4-1-LO was fitted with 4 x K-17 series cameras and V-1710-21-29 engines while the RF-4-1-LO was used to redesignate these mounts at a later date. F-5 signified the "light" reconnaissance form.
The British brought about their own designations for the evaluation models they received. This included the Lightning Mk.I (P-38E sans turbochargers) and the Lightning Mk.II (P-38G) models. The latter were subsequently overtaken on the production lines by the Americans upon declaration of war with the Empire of Japan.
The P-38's distinct design could work both for and against the pilot in a given dogfight. Many-a-Japanese-pilot in post-war accounts told of how the P-38 was difficult to spot when viewed from the front or behind thanks to its slim front and rear profiles. However, the aircraft yielded a much noticeable and larger profile when viewed from above or below, making the aircraft instantly recognizable even from great distances - dogfighting at even the most fundamental level was all about spotting the enemy first to help gain the advantage. As such, spotting the P-38 twin boom design before it came upon the enemy with guns 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 introduction 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. While an inherently fast aircraft in straight-line flight, the P-38 airframe could be pushed to 550 miles per hour in steep dives as a defensive maneuver against pursuing foes. The addition of assisted flight controls made the P-38 one of the first documented production instances of its use in aircraft to be found anywhere in the world and in many ways mirrored the importance of advancements such as "fly-by-fire" controls found most common in modern fighters.
The P-38s dominance in Europe and the Pacific began to take second place with the arrival of more capable air mounts arriving in ever growing numbers, particularly in Europe. The P-38 was, therefore, relegated more and more to undergo strike sorties and less and less needed for the bomber escort or air dominance roles. In the Pacific, it was a different matter when the endless surface of ocean required a long range fighter like the P-38 from established air bases. No fewer than 27 squadrons were fielded in this theater and seven of the top eight aces in the Pacific all flew P-38s.
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 in the decades following, showcasing its war-winning design with distinct performance and acrobatic capabilities. Several other unique attempts designed at "benefitting" the existing system failed to advance beyond the prototype stage. Among those were the XP-49 "Super Lightning" and the XP-58 "Chain Lightning" - both detailed elsewhere on this site.
Perhaps the most notable single mission involving a P-38 in World War 2 came about on April 18th, 1943, which saw a P-38 take down a seemingly average Japanese G4M "Betty" transport aircraft - and with it - Japanese Commander-in-Chief Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, surely an irreplaceable blow to the Japanese war effort. Lt Thomas Lanphier, credited with the downing of Admiral Yamamoto's aircraft, went on to become a Lockheed test pilot. The legend of the Lightning would live on in the Lockheed annals as the company later bestowed the designation of "Lightning II" to their new F-35 multirole fighter platform, ensuring the excellent legacy continues for future aviation generations.
American ace, Richard Bong, earned his legacy while flying the P-38. His 40 air kills (all gained while flying the Lightning in the Pacific Theater) were tops among all American airmen in the war. He survived the war and later died on August 6th, 1945, when flying a P-80A Shooting Star jet-powered fighter as a test pilot under employ with Lockheed. The aircrafts primary fuel pump had failed and Bong did not have the appropriate altitude to make a safe parachute landing.
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