Lockheed P-38 LightningWith its unique twin-engine arrangement
It didn't had the range to escort the bombers all the way to Berlin, so the P-51 Mustang was built especially for that role
Photo by Stefano Caporelli, 1997
Sorin®Classics
Even tough my passions usually include latest fighters and all kind of "On The Edge" stuff, the Classics always bring back pleasent memories of what I read or heard about them and from World War II veterans and their planes
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Lockheed P-38 Lightning With its unique twin-engine arrangement It didn't had the range to escort the bombers all the way to Berlin, so the P-51 Mustang was built especially for that role Photo by Stefano Caporelli, 1997 |
The P-38 Lightning was massively used in WWII, until the arrival of the P51B Mustang.
Its ruggage airframe, among with its twin proppeler engines maked it a perfect ground-attack fighter, but unfortunately it didn't had the range to escort B17 Flying Fortresses, among with B-24 Liberators flying above Berlin, so the P51B Mustang was made for the job.
| Contractor | Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, USA |
| Type | fighter |
| Crew | 1 pilot |
| Wing span | 15.85 m |
| Length | 11.53 m |
| Height | 2.99 m |
| Height | 2.99 m |
| Powerplant | 2x Allison V-1710-111 each rated at 1475 HP |
| Maximum take-off weight | 9.798 kg |
| Armament | 4x 12.7 mm machine-guns, 1x 20mm cannon and up to 1450 kg of ordnance |
| Maximum speed | 666 km/h at 7.620 m |
| Service ceiling | 13.400 m |
| Range with maximum load | 724 km |