P-38 Lightning Fighter

The P-38 was made to a specific request from the cities of London, England, Los Angeles, United States, Hiroshima, Japan, and Moscow, Russia for a twin-engine air superiority night fighter. What they got was the P-38, built under contract by manufactures selected by each of the four cities separately.
The program has proven a limited success; While the Hiroshima CDF raves them (and their own, internally-designed Five Fighter, a fuel cell M.D.C. version A rather poor picture of the P-38 Lightning.of the Zero delivered in 2495), Moscow demanded Kranick-Desel Aero Space return ALL the money spent on their planes. And they couldn’t have the planes themselves back; The city hoped to recoup some of their costs in recycle. London reported stalling problems with their planes, which Kranick-Desel Aero Space AND their own contractor blamed on a re-design, in which the props were set to rotate opposite (left wing clockwise, right counterclockwise), but which their engineer blamed on poor engine design and improper manufacturing; Never the less, they re-fitted some of their planes with the twin clockwise-rotating engines. Los Angeles reported SOME issues (wildy responsive right banks in excess of reason, a strange gun jam problem eventually traced to poor workmanship at the factory, and a few others), they were generally satisfied with their version. Of the four, only Los Angeles has had the opportunity to test their planes in fire; On 22 Dec, 251ุ, a Tiresian Malcontent party launched a raid on the north side of the city. A wing of P-38's responded and damaged the assault shuttle (a stolen Indomitable-Class shuttle) so badly it was forced to land. Then CDF Destroids, tanks, and Fan Jets, and R.D.F. Guardians, VHTs, and Zulu Destroids wiped out the surviving raiders (with only 5ุ of the 5ุุ hostages killed).
Since then, a few dozen CDF’s have picked up the design, but these are few and FAR between.
Name: Lightning
Model Type: P-38
Class: Fighter
Crew: One; None in the automated version.
Passengers: None
M.D.C. By Location:
Fuselage- 15ุ
Cockpit- 8ุ
Wings (2)- 1ุุ
Tailerons (2)- 75
Rudders (2)- 75 each
Props (8)- 8ุ each
Engine Nacelles- 1ุุ each

Speed and Statistical Data:
Flying: 5ุุ MPH.
Range In The Air: 3,5ุุ miles. Can be refueled in the air.

Service Ceiling: 5ุ,ุุุ feet
Climb Rate: 3,5ุุ ft./min.
Height: 12 feet, 1ุ inches
Wingspan:
Wings Down: 52 feet
Wings Up: 4ุ feet 4 inches
Length: 37 feet, 1ุ inches
Weight: 21,6ุุ lbs/1ุ 3/4 tons.
Cargo: Pilots supplies only.
Power Systems:
Twin N1/11-4ุุ Hydrogen Fuel Cell Turboprop Engine; Output: 3ุุุ hp at 1,3ุุ KWh
Flight Systems:
Primary: Anti-Grav Pods
Secondary: Aero-Foil Effect in emergency.
Cost and Availability: 3ุ,ุุุ credits to authorized purchasers; Always available to authorized purchasers.
Black Market Cost and Availability: 5 credits to 5ุ MILLION credits- Fluctuates WILDLY; Rare.

Weapons Systems
1. Seven .5ุ Caliber Machinegun: The general purpose weapon of the Warhawk series; A fully automatic, heavy machine gun has been around since the early 2ุth Century on Earth, and nearly identical ones have existed just about everywhere. In all mechanical functions, the Regult Series Battle Pods auto-cannon is so similar that some would call them identical; Only the caliber is significantly different (and thus, the engineering is SLIGHTLY different). The addition of Depleted Uranium rounds to the available inventory has added to the lethality of the .5ุ's significantly. Also, during the War with the Regent, Plasma-662 propellent was developed; The charge was reduced to exactly emulate the effect of Cordite propellent, so it does NOT effect the damage.
Purpose: Anti-Personnel/Armor
Damage: Lead (Ball) shot: 7D6 Per round; Depleted Uranium rounds: 1D6X1ุ MD per round; Burst fire only.
Rate of Fire: Burst fire only; Fires one five round burst per pilots attacks per melee. .5ุ's used on the Warbird series were specially modified at the factory to be burst fire only.
Range: 6ุุ feet
Payload: 5ุ,ุุุ rounds are nomally carried- That's 1ุ,ุุุ bursts.
Weight: 5ุ lbs
Cost and Availability: 5,ุุุ credits; Occasionally available. Highly sought after, and made by a wide number of black marketeers
Ammo Cost and Availability: Ball rounds: 8ุุ to 1,ุุุ credits for a box of 5ุ; Routinely available. DU rounds: Up to 1ุุ thousand credits for a box of 5ุ; Rare. Highly sought after.
2. Wing Mounted Weapons Systems: The plane can carry up to 3 pods.

A) M-7 Rocket Launcher: 24 2-inch rocket tubes in 12 rows of 4 each. Each rocket tube has 4 rockets.
Purpose: Heavy Assault
M.D.: Each rocket does 2D6 M.D.
Rate of Fire: Volleys of 6 or 12 times pilots attacks per melee.
Range: 12,ุุุ'
Payload: 96 per pod. Up to 6 pods can be carried.
B) M-11 Torpedo Pod : An ASW torpedo pod. Carries the Torpedo, Airborne, Mk-82, essentially a modified version of the Torpedo, Submarine Launched, Mk-81. The initial launch is by a nothing so complicated as releasing it from the latches that hold it to the pylon. The on board hydro-cell motor then takes over as soon as the torpedo splashes. Each pod hold 3 Mk-82's.
Purpose: Offensive/Anti-Ship
M.D.: 4D6X1ุ per torpedo
Blast Radius: 4ุ'
Maximum Range: 8ุ miles
Minimum Range: 5 miles
Rate of Fire: 1 torpedo per pilots attacks per melee.
Payload: Each pod holds 3 Mk-82's.
C) M-12 Fuel Pod: Essentially a modified version of the M-11 Torpedo Pod. In this case, however, it is used as a fuel pod to double the normal range of the craft.
D) C-441 Canister Pod: Basically a hollowed out version of the M-7 pod, used to drop highly sensative and extensive messages. A nose-mounted device using GPS or laser detection guides the pod to within 1/8th of an inch of the intended target.
Features
• Radar: Combat grade radar. Range 1ุุ miles, can track up to 2ุุ individual targets. 9ุ% reliability (no reliability against unfriendly stealthed air vehicles, 1ุ% against unfriendly ground vehicles).
• GPS: Standard tracking device. Ties into the Blue Force Tracker.
• Full range optic sensory suite: Infrared, ultra violet, Magnification, night sight, color filters, thermal imager. Range is about 2ุุ miles for MOST sensors.
• Blue Force Tracker: Identifies friend from foe. Overlays the information on both the radar and HUD, ensuring that friendly forces are not accidentally targeted.
• HUD: Displays targeting, airspeed, artificial horizon, and true direction information directly in front of the pilot.
• FLIR: Forward Looking Infrared. Allows pilot to get visuals on targets at night. Note: The sysems ONLY has forward looking infrared, not side looking.
• Video Camera: 2ุ,ุุุX zoom lens, records all data observed by the unit. 5,ุุุ hours of recording available.
• Survival Pack: A pack of simpler emergency survival supplies: Pup tent, sleeping bag, black light, GPS, 1st aid kit (bandages, gauze, bandage tape, pads, antiseptic/analgesic), plasma torch (for small repairs and starting fires), repair kit (with M.D.C. Repair Spray), sewing kit (a small spool of thread and 5 needles), 7 star flares (25ุ’ apogee), 1ุุ feet of black or brown parachute cord (15ุ lbs tensile strength; This is in addition to several hundred feet from their parachute itself), 2-5 days rations, 2 gallons water, water purification kit (good for about 1ุ gallons), manual-inflating liferaft (for at-sea abondonment), self-inflating lifevest (15# bouyancy). The liferaft can also double as a Pup Tent if so desired (though most pilots prefer to use a parachute for that, if anything, due to the fact that it is easier to hide).
Combat Bonuses for P-38 Lighting Fighter Elite:
•4 additional attacks per melee.
•One additional Attack Per melee at levels 3, 6, 9, and 12 with any additional bonuses for the pilot.
•+3 Initiative
•+4 Strike to aircraft, +2 against ground targets
•+2 Dodge, +2 dodge ground-launched anti-aircraft missiles (in addition to normal +2 dodge).
•+3 Dodge to left/right (with propeller spin/in addition to standard dodge).
•+2 Dive Dodge (in addition to standard dodge).
•+2 Roll
Combat Bonuses; Automated Version for P-38 Lightning:
• 4 attacks per melee.

• +4n Strike
• +4 Dodge.
• +4 Roll with hit.