The Lockheed P-38 Lightning

Introduced in July of 1941, the Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a twin-boomed American fighter aircraft, developed for the US Army Air Corps. It was employed in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater, as well as the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations during World War Two from 1941 to 1945, proving to be very influential and successful for the Allies. It saw use as the primary long-range fighter of the United States Army Air Forces, only to be surpassed by the P-51D Mustangs proceeding the war's end. Throughout the entirety of the war, the P-38 was one of the only American fighters to see large-scale production, in the U.S. involvement within the war, with over 10,000 P-38s being produced throughout the course of the war. Even at the end of the war, orders for 1,887 more units were canceled.


The aircraft was piston-engined, being aspirated by turbo-superchargers, which muffled much of the engine noises, making it oddly quiet. Each engine generated 1,425 horsepower, which powered three-bladed propeller units. It also was capable of reaching 3300 feet in a minute, with a top speed of 443 mph, outclassing any other fighter aircraft at the time. In addition, it boasted an extensive range of 1,150 miles, and a payload to exceed that of some early B-17s. Each P-38 was equipped with four 50-caliber machine guns alongside a 20mm cannon. In 1944, each unit cost around 97,147 dollars to produce, which in today's money, adjusted for inflation is about 1,400,000 dollars. The P-38 proved to be very versatile, able to engage on both aerial and ground based-combatants, including naval targets such as ships.



The use of the P-38 Lightning proved to be influential in the war for the Allies, boosting morale and helping to set the stage for the Allied victory in the Pacific.

Sources:
https://www.boldmethod.com/blog/lists/2014/08/17-little-known-facts-about-the-p-38-lightning/
https://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=74
https://www.lockheedmartin.com/en-us/news/features/history/p-38.html