Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Lockheed P-38 Lightning
Land	Usa
Role	Zware vechter
Eerste vlieg	27 januari 1939
Gebouwd	10037

De Lockheed P-38 Bliksem Is een Amerikaanse zuigermotorvliegtuig uit de Tweede Wereldoorlog. Ontwikkeld naar een eis van het United States Army Air Corps, had de P-38 kenmerkende dubbele gieken en een centrale gondel met de cockpit en bewapening. Geallieerde propaganda beweerde dat het de bijnaam had gekregen van de vorkstaartduivel (Duits: der Gabelschwanz-Teufel) door de Luftwaffe en "twee vliegtuigen, één piloot" (2飛行機,1ーーーッー Ni hikōki, ippairotto) door de Japanners. De P-38 werd gebruikt voor onderschepping, duikbombardementen, niveaubombardementen, grondaanvallen, nachtgevechten, fotoverkenning, radar en visuele pathfinding voor bommenwerpers en evacuatiemissies, en uitgebreid als langeafstands escortejager wanneer uitgerust met valtanks onder zijn vleugels.

Bron: Lockheed P-38 Lightning op Wikipedia

Lockheed P-38 Bliksem
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Foto 's	20

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Lockheed P-38 Lightning (Volledige versie)
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Lockheed P-38 Bliksem

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Lockheed P-38L Lightning Walk Around
Fotograaf	Cees Hendriks
Lokalisatie	Onbewust
Foto 's	25

Lockheed P-38L Lightning 01

Lockheed P-38L Lightning 02

Lockheed P-38L Lightning 03

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Lockheed P-38L Lightning 08

Lockheed P-38L Lightning 09

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Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning Walk Around
Fotograaf	Cees Hendriks
Lokalisatie	Onbewust
Foto 's	65

Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning 01

Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning 02

Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning 03

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Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning 05

Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning 06

Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning 07

Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning 08

Lockheed P-38J-10-LO Lightning 09

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A Radical Departure in Aviation Design

De Lockheed P-38 Bliksem was one of the most innovative and recognizable fighters of World War II. Designed by the legendary **Kelly Johnson**, it featured a unique twin-boom tail and a central nacelle for the pilot and armament. It was the only American fighter in large-scale production from the start of the war at Pearl Harbor until V-J Day. While it struggled with the freezing high altitudes of Europe early on, it became the undisputed king of the Pacific, where its long range and twin-engine reliability were literal lifesavers for American pilots flying over thousands of miles of ocean.

Attribute	Technical Specification (P-38L)
Role	Heavy Fighter / Interceptor / Fighter-Bomber
Bemanning	1 (Pilot)
Engines	2 × Allison V-1710 V12 liquid-cooled (1,475 hp each)
Maximum Speed	666 km/h (414 mph) at 7,600 m
Combat Range	2,100 km (1,300 miles) with external tanks
Main Armament	1 × 20 mm M2 cannon + 4 × .50 cal M2 Browning MGs
Climb Rate	1,448 meters per minute (4,750 ft/min)
Spanwijdte	15.85 meters (52 feet)

Design Engineering: The “Nose-Punch” Accuracy

Concentrated Firepower: Unlike most fighters (like the P-51 or Spitfire) which had guns in the wings that required “convergence” to hit a target, the P-38 had all five guns in the nose. This meant the pilot could fire straight ahead like a sniper, with no drop-off in accuracy at different distances.
The Compressibility Crisis: The P-38 was so fast that in high-speed dives, it was the first aircraft to encounter “compressibility”—where air moved over the wings at the speed of sound, causing the controls to lock up. Engineers solved this in later models by adding small dive flaps under the wings to restore lift and control.
Turbo-Superchargers: The P-38 used massive General Electric turbo-superchargers tucked into the rear of the tail booms. These allowed the engines to maintain sea-level power even at 30,000 feet, making it a formidable high-altitude interceptor.
Counter-Rotating Props: To eliminate engine torque (which makes a plane want to pull to one side), the P-38’s propellers rotated in opposite directions. This made the Lightning an exceptionally stable and easy-to-fly gun platform.

Operational History: The Ace Maker of the Pacific

Operation Vengeance: The P-38’s long range was put to its ultimate test in 1943, when a flight of Lightnings flew a 1,000-mile round trip to intercept and shoot down the transport carrying Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, the architect of the Pearl Harbor attack.
The Top Aces: America’s two highest-scoring aces of all time, Richard Bong (40 kills) and Thomas McGuire (38 kills), both flew the P-38 Lightning exclusively in the Pacific Theater.
The “Fork-Tailed Devil”: German pilots (the Luftwaffe) allegedly nicknamed the P-38 the Der Gabelschwanz-Teufel. While it was lethal in the Pacific, in Europe it faced challenges with cockpit heating and engine cooling in the frigid European winters until the “J” and “L” models arrived.
Versatile Variants: The P-38 airframe was so stable it was modified into the F-4 and F-5 photo-reconnaissance planes (which carried no guns and relied on speed), and even a “Droop Snoot” version with a clear nose for a bombardier.