Lockheed P-38D Lightning - A Baseline for Future Lightnings

[Nostalgistic]

Would you like to see this in-game?

• Yes
• No

This suggestion was originally posted on the legacy forum and has been imported over here following its permanent shutdown.

Lockheed P-38D Lightning

   Hello everybody. I’d like to introduce and suggest the Lockheed P-38D Lightning for War Thunder. It received minor improvements and is slightly different from the YP-38 in the game. Please pardon my short writeup story since there is not much information about this variant due to a short-lived history of service in the US Army Air Corps / US Army Air Forces and due to the lack of historical documents.

Key Characteristics

• Heavy fighter and interceptor
• First modified production variant derived from a YP-38 prototype with minor changes
• Turbo-supercharged Allison V-1710-27/-29 (1,150 hp each) powerplants
• 37-mm M4 Cannon and 4 x HMGs
• Improved tailplane incidence and robust self-sealing fuel tanks

History

After the successful prototype tests with YP-38, the US Army Air Corps placed an order for 66 initial-production P-38 Lightnings from 1939 to 1941. New war reports were delivered to the USAAC from the war in Europe, and, following the new requirements, the remaining 36 in the batch were ordered to be upgraded with minor changes and designated P-38D. The purpose of the P-38D was to allow the USAAC to experiment with a new type of fighter. Tests were conducted using the D variants to iron out the defects and incorporate improvements on later variants.

The P-38D was much different than the initial production variant. It had new low-pressure oxygen, self-sealing fuel tanks, a retractable landing light, and provision for flares. It also had a modified tailplane incidence with a redistribution of elevator mass balances, provided an advantage of elevator control, and eliminated air disturbances during the dive recovery. The P-38D was installed with an armored windshield. Those features became standard on all subsequent production variants. Only guns on the P-38D’s nose were arranged symmetrically, and this was changed to staggered in the P-38E and later variants.

The first P-38Ds began to reach the air service in August 1941. The P-38 series was considered to be named Atlanta or Atalanta. Instead, the P-38D and later variants were officially given Lightning by the USAAF. The P-38D was one of several Lightnings used during Army-Navy joint maneuvers in Louisiana in September 1941. By December 1941, there were only 69 P-38 and P-38D fighters available for combat duties; however, more new requirements for the P-38 were declared so earlier that the changes already introduced on the P-38D were rendered obsolete. Consequently, the P-38Ds were restricted to non-combat roles and redesignated RP-38Ds as the R prefix stood for non-combat roles. They were used strictly as combat trainers for the remainder of the war.

Specifications

Lockheed P-38D Lightning

General Characteristics

• Crew: 1 (Pilot)
• Dimensions:
  • Length: 37 ft 9.8125 in (11.53 m)
  • Height: 9 ft 9.75 in (2.99 m)
  • Span: 52 ft (15.85 m)
  • Wing area: 327.5 sq ft (30.42 sq m)
• Propellers: 2 x 3-bladed constant-speed propellers
• Powerplants: 2 x turbo-supercharged piston engines, Allison V-1710-27(Right)/-29(Left)
  • Output: 2,300 hp (2,331.90 ps)
• Fuel/Oil:
  • Internal Fuel: 300 US gal. (1,135 L)
  • Oil Tankage: 26 US gal. (98.4 L)
• Weights:
  • Empty: 11,700 lb (5,307 kg)
  • Gross: 14,900 lb (6,758 kg)

Engine Ratings

• Take-Off (Sea Level):
  • 1,150 hp @ 3,000 rpm @ 40.3” hg
• Emergency Maximum (S.L. - 25,000 ft):
  • 1,150 hp @ 3,000 rpm @ 40.3” hg
• Maximum Continuous (S.L. - 28,000 ft):
  • 1,000 hp @ 2,600 rpm @ 37.0” hg

Performance

• Power-to-Weight Ratio: 0.15 hp/lb (0.35 ps/kg)
• Wing Loading: 45.5 lb/sq ft (222.1 kg/sq m)
• Airspeeds:
  • Low Altitude Speed: 322 mph @ 5,000 ft (518 km/h @ 1,524 m)
  • Critical Altitude Speed: 375 mph @ 20,100 ft (604 km/h @ 6,126 m)
• Time to Altitude: 8 minutes to 20,000 ft (6,096 m)
• Service Ceiling: 39,000 ft (11,887 m)
• Max. Range: 970 miles (1,561 km)

Armament

• 1 x 37-mm M4 cannon (15 Rounds)
• 4 x .50-cal. M2 Browning machine guns (200 rpg; 800 Rounds)

Supplemental Data

Diagrams

Images

Conclusion | Why it should be in the game

   I made this suggestion to request more World War II-era vehicles for War Thunder. This P-38D would make a welcoming addition to the P-38 Lightning family in War Thunder. The P-38D, as a regular tech tree aircraft, could be a great opportunity for us to utilize its 37-mm cannon, given that the YP-38 with a 37-mm cannon is a premium.

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Sources

• Pilot’s Flight Operating Instructions for Army Models P-38D Through P-38G Series F-4, F-4A, and F-5A Series Airplanes (1 October 1942)
• MEMORANDUM REPORT ON Pursuit Twin-Engine P-38D, A.C No. 40-774 (24 December 1941)
• P-38 Lightning in Action Aircraft In Action 1109 (1990)
• P-38 Lightning in detail & scale: XP-38 through P-38H Part 1 (1998)
• P-38 Lightning - History, Photos, and Specs of Lockheed's Great Fighter
• Lockheed P-38D Lightning
• Lockheed P-38D Lightning
• P-38 Performance Tests
• Lockheed P-38 Lightning - Wikipedia

Thank you for taking the time to read my suggestion! 😃

[BillyBobDa3rd]

Nice BP vehicle!

[jon_man1199]

You have my +1, I would definitely love to see more of the earlier variants for various aircraft in the US tree

[Nostalgistic]

Updated P-38D Specifications with Engine Ratings; added Supplemental Data and Diagrams sections.

[AstralTitan]

i want one +1