Lockheed designed the P-38 in response to the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) Circular Proposal X-608 request for a high-altitude interceptor, having “the tactical mission of intercepting and engaging hostile aircraft at high altitudes.” ”. The specifications called for a top speed of at least 580 km/h (360 mph) at altitude and climb to 6,100 m (20,000 ft) in less than 6 minutes, the most stringent set of specifications ever devised by the Air Corps up to that time. date. The Bell P-39 Airacobra and Curtiss-Wright P-40 Warhawk (using the same Allison V-1710 engine as the P-38 ) were designed for the same purpose, as was the failedTurn around XP-1015 .

The Lockheed design team, under the direction of Hall Hibbard and Clarence "Kelly" Johnson, considered numerous alternatives, always featuring a twin-engine configuration, as a single-engine was judged to be insufficiently powerful for its intended purposes ( however, engine development during World War II made it possible for other single-engine fighters to easily exceed 400 mph (640 km/h) thanks to powerplants twice the power of those first available during the war.)

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