P-38 Lightning
Hunting

A USAF P-38 in flight.
description
Type / Mission Airplane hunting heavy interceptor fighter / escort for bombers and air support, piston engines, twin-engine monoplane
Country of origin United States
Manufacturer Lockheed
Production period 1941 - 45
Quantity produced 10,037
Unit cost $ 97,147 in 1944
(equivalent to $ 1,301,476 in 2015 )
Developed in Lockheed XP-49
Lockheed XP-58
First flight in Of January 27 of 1939 (81 years)
Introduced on July of 1941
Retired in 1965 of the Honduran Air Force
Crew 1
Specifications (Model: P-38L)
Dimensions
Length 11.53 m (37.8 ft )
Wingspan 15.85 m (52.0 ft )
Height 3.91 m (12.8 ft )
Wing area 30.43 m² (328 ft² )
Stretching 8.3
Weight (s)
Empty weight 5,800 kg (12.8 lb )
Loaded weight 7 940 kg (17,500 lb )
Max. takeoff 9,798 kg (21,600 lb )
Propulsion
Engine (s) 2 x Allison V-1710-111 / 113 V12 piston engines
Power (per engine) 1,600 hp (1.19 kW )
Performance
Maximum speed 667 km / h (360 kn )
Cruising speed 443 km / h (239 kn )
War range 2 100 km (1,300 mi )
Reach ( MTOW ) 3,640 km (2,260 mi )
Maximum ceiling 13 400 m (44,000 ft )
Ascent rate 24.1 m / s
Weapons
Machine guns / Cannons 1 x Hispano M2 (C) 20 mm (0.787 in ) cannon
4 x .50 M2 Browning machine guns , 12.7 mm (0.500 in )
Rockets 4 x M10 launchers with three 112 mm (4.41 in ) tubes or
10 x 127 mm (5.00 in ) HVAR rockets in external pylons
Pumps Internal pylons: 2 x free fall pumps or ejection tanks of 907 kg (2,000 lb ) or
2 x pumps or tanks of 454 kg (1 000 lb ) plus 4 x pumps of 227 kg (500 lb ) or 4 x 113 kg (249 lb ) or
6 x 227 kg (500 lb )
pumps or 6 x 113 kg (249 lb ) pumps
External pylons: 2 x 227 kg (500 lb ) pumps or
2 x 113 kg (249 lb )