The Lockheed P-38 Lightning is an American single seated, piston-engined fighter aircraft that was used during World War II. Developed for the United States Army Air Corps, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Allied propaganda claimed it had been nicknamed the fork-tailed devil (German: der Gabelschwanz-Teufel) by the Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot" by the Japanese.[5] Along with its use as a general fighter, the P-38 was utilized in various aerial combat roles including as a highly effective fighter-bomber,[6] a night fighter,[7] and as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks.[8] The P-38 was also used as a bomber-pathfinder, guiding streams of medium and heavy bombers; or even other P-38s, equipped with bombs, to their targets.[9][10] Used in the aerial reconnaissance role, the P-38 accounted for 90 percent of the aerial film captured over Europe.[11][12] From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Additional propulsion system: VTOL = air brake