P38G and P38J and a reworked P38l

[Kweassa]

Looks like the La-La will have a match on or near the deck.

  Actually, Slap, at 5k our P-38L already does about 362mph. The La-7 at 5k, does over 400mph.

 At least in terms of speed, whatever P-38 it is, it can't match the Lala until the alt reaches 12k or so.

[GRUNHERZ]

Isnt this J model basically indestingusable from our L?  Same speed, dive flaps, powered controls?

Whats the point?

[Kaz]

BTW Thanks for the update HTC

[Kaz]

Guess it'll depend on which J model they do if they do it at all. From the excellent info Slapshot presented, earlier J models didn't have dive flaps or powered controls.

[Octavius]

By 'powered' you mean hydraulics?

Think stiff... very stiff  high speed rolls anyway.

Are the L's dive flaps effective at all?  I've never really seen any difference.

[rshubert]

Originally posted by Shane
nice,   but with the G being added, would we really need the J since they're pretty close to the L's performance wise?

in any case, glad it's being done.

Getting the J puts the P38 in scenarios that otherwise have excluded it due to time of service issues.



shubie

[eilif]

cant wait to see these in ct! need a re-match with those germans.

[SlapShot]

The P-38L was the final production version of the Lightning and was numerically the most important of all the Lightning versions. Lockheed built 3810 P-38Ls and Consolidated-Vultee at Nashville built 113 more. The P-38L was powered by 1475 hp Allison V-1710-111/113 engines with a war emergency rating of 1600 hp at 28,700 feet and a military rating of 1475 hp at 30,000 feet. Except for the more powerful engines, the P-38L was generally quite similar to the previous P-38J.

The P-38L was produced in two blocks. The 1290 P-38L-1-LOs were similar to the P-38J-25-LOs except for the new engines. Some were modified by the USAAF as TP-38L-1-LO two-seat familiarization trainers. The 2520 P-38L-5-LOs had submerged fuel pumps and, after the unsatisfactory testing fourteen five-inch HVAR on zero-length launchers beneath the wing outer panel, underwing rocket "trees" for ten five-inch rockets were mounted. The racks underneath the wing center sections were strengthened to enable either 2000-lb bombs or 300-US gallon drop tanks to be carried.

Like the P-38J, the P-38L could be fitted with either a glazed bombardier station or bombing radar in the nose.

P-38L-1-LO Ser No 44-23601 was fitted with three 0.60-inch machine guns in a postwar experiment. However, tests at Elgin AFB in 1946 were not successful. The guns themselves betrayed structural deficiencies, and the shell links failed whenever the aircraft underwent either positive or negative acceleration.

P-38L-1-LO Serial No 44-24649 was modified as a specialized ground strafing version with eight 0.50-inch guns in the nose and two underwing pods each carrying two more 0.50-in machine guns

P-38L-5-LO Ser No 44-25605 was rebuilt by Hindustan Aircraft in India as a special VIP aircraft for a General Stratemeyer. The plane had a transparent nose, which made it look a lot like the "Droop Snoot" pathfinder Lightnings used in the European theatre. The General sat in a special seat inside the nose, and the inside walls of his "office" were lined with leather. There were even provisions for a built-in Thermos jug (I won't even ask what was IN the jug :-)). Sort of reminds me of General Dreedle in the movie *Catch 22*. Nowadays, if *Sixty Minutes* were to get wind of such an extravagance on the part of the military, heads would roll.

Specification of the P-38L:

14,100 lbs empty, 17,500 lbs combat loaded. Maximum speed was 360 mph at 5000 feet, 390 mph at 15,000 feet, 414 mph at 25,000 feet. An altitude of 20,000 feet could be reached in 7 minutes. Service ceiling was 40,000 feet. Maximum range at sea level was 900 miles. At 30,000 feet, maximum range was 2260 miles (with drop tanks). Dimensions were wingspan 52 feet 0 inches, length 37 feet 10 inches, height 12 feet 10 inches, and wing area 328 square feet Armed with one 20-mm Hispano AN-M2C cannon with 150 rounds and four 0.50-inch Browning machine guns with 500 rounds per gun.

There were two photographic reconnaissance versions of the P-38L, designated F-5F and F-5G. All F-5F and F-5G photo-reconnaissance planes were modified from existing P-38L airframes at Lockheed's modification center in Dallas. The photographic-reconnaissance version of the P-38L-5-LO was designated F-5F-3-LO. It combined the P-38L-5-LO airframe and engines with the revised camera installation of the F-5F-LO. The last photographic-reconnaissance version of the Lightning was the F-5G-6-LO. It was modified in Dallas from P-38L-5-LO airframes. It differed from the F-5F-3-LO in having revised nose contours to provide more space for photographic equipment and a wider selection of cameras. No record seems to survive of the serial numbers of the P-38Ls that were converted to F-5F and F-5G photo-reconnaissance aircraft.

In June 1944, the USAAF had supplemented Lockheed's production capacity with a order from the Consolidated-Vultee Aircraft Corporation plant at Nashville, Tennessee for 2000 P-38L-5-VN fighters. These planes were similar to the Lockheed-built P-38L-5-LO. Delays in getting the new production line started resulted in only 113 P-38L-5-VNs being delivered to the USAAF by the end of the war in August of 1945. Shortly after V-J Day, the remaining 1887 aircraft of the order were cancelled. A similar fate befell 1380 P-38L-5-LO fighters then on order from Lockheed.

After the war was over, large numbers of P-38Ls were scrapped or sold off as surplus. The small number of P-38Ls still remaining in USAF service in 1948 were redesignated F-38L.

There is a P-38L currently on display at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio. However, it is painted as a P-38J-10-LO with a serial number of 42-67855.

[SlapShot]

I would pay perks for this loadout ...

P-38L-1-LO Serial No 44-24649 was modified as a specialized ground strafing version with eight 0.50-inch guns in the nose and two underwing pods each carrying two more 0.50-in machine guns

Count 'em ... 12 x .50cal ...

[daddog]

I am jazzed!
------------------------

CO CM daddog
Squad Operations
332nd Flying Mongrels
332nd Roster
Special Events
Noses in the wind since 1997.
daddog@hitechcreations.com

The Ta152 still doesn't match the chart I made myself in the office with my photocopier!! – gman

[Raider179]

This is great. I love the big target that p38s present in the sky.

[SlapShot]

Specification of P-38G-1-LO

Maximum speed: 345 mph at 5000 feet, 360 mph at 10,000 feet, 400 mph at 25,000 feet.
850 miles range on internal fuel at cruising speed of 219 mph at 10,000 feet. 1750 miles range at 211 mph at 10,000 feet with two 125 Imp. gall. drop tanks.
Climb to 10,000 feet in 3.7 minutes, climb to 20,000 feet in 8.5 minutes. Service ceiling of 39,000 feet.
Weights were 12,200 lbs empty, 15,800 lbs normal loaded, 19,800 lbs maximum loaded.
Dimensions were wingspan 52 feet 0 inches, length 37 feet 10 inches, height 9 feet 10 inches, wing area 327.5 square feet.
Armed with one 20-mm Hispano M1 cannon with 150 rounds and four 0.50-in Colt-Browning MG 53-2 machine guns with 500 rounds per gun. Could carry two 325, 500, or 1000-lb bombs.


Specification of the P-38J:

Maximum speed at 5000 feet was 369 mph, 390 mph at 15,000 feet, 420 mph at 26,500 feet.
Range was 475 miles at 339 mph at 25,000 feet, 800 miles at 285 mph at 10,000 feet, and 1175 miles at 195 mph at 10,000 feet.
Maximum range was 2260 miles at 186 mph at 10,000 feet with two 250 Imp gall drop tanks.
An altitude of 5000 feet could be attained in 2 minutes, 15,000 feet in 5 minutes, 10,000 feet in 7 minutes. Service ceiling was 44,000 feet.
Weights were 12,780 lbs empty, 17,500 lbs normal loaded, 21,600 lbs maximum.
Wingspan was 52 feet 0 inches, length was 37 feet 10 inches, and height was 9 feet 10 inches. Wing area was 327.5 square feet.
Armament consisted of one 20-mm Hispano M2(C) cannon with 150 rounds plus four 0.50-inch Colt-Browning MG 53-2 machine guns with 500 rounds per gun.
In addition two 500, 1000, or 1600-lb bombs or ten five-inch rockets could be carried on underwing racks.

Specification of the P-38L:

Maximum speed was 360 mph at 5000 feet, 390 mph at 15,000 feet, 414 mph at 25,000 feet.
Maximum range at sea level was 900 miles. At 30,000 feet, maximum range was 2260 miles (with drop tanks).
An altitude of 20,000 feet could be reached in 7 minutes. Service ceiling was 40,000 feet.
14,100 lbs empty, 17,500 lbs combat loaded.
Dimensions were wingspan 52 feet 0 inches, length 37 feet 10 inches, height 12 feet 10 inches, and wing area 328 square feet
Armed with one 20-mm Hispano AN-M2C cannon with 150 rounds and four 0.50-inch Browning machine guns with 500 rounds per gun.
The racks underneath the wing center sections were strengthened to enable either 2000-lb bombs or 300-US gallon drop tanks to be carried.

[Furball]

YAY! more america planeS!!!!!

[Mitsu]

Remodel N1K2 and plan to release N1K1 please?
or Ki-100...Ugrhhhh....

[killnu]

Mitsu, this is 38 thread....niki thread is 2 doors down on your left.