It is interesting to wonder why it did not use the more powerful Pratt & Whitney R2800 engine.
The R 2800 could generate 2400 horsepowers but the P 38 already had 2 allison engines, which alone was 3200 horsepower. This ensured that the P38 was one of the fastest planes in its time due to this high speed.
The R2800 radial engine concept would have also altered the shape of P38. The fuselage of the P38 was designed in such a way so that it can minimize the drag and maximize the speed. Putting the larger radial engine would have increased the drag and made it slower.
Another reason why R2800 was not used is because it was in high demand. The Navy used it for planes such as the Corsair and Hellcat and Air Force used it for P47 Thunderbolt thus there was not enough of it for p38.
Although the Allison engines had encountered problems during the cold high altitude missions over Europe, Lockheed solved them. They equipped the P38s with increased fuel tanks that rendered the P38 range the same as the P51 Mustang.
After all the R2800 did not turn out to be the best option for the P38. The P38 design, coupled with its fixes of issues, made it a good and successful fighter.
In order for a pre-war fighter plane to be effective, it needed to be shallow. This could be between 4 and 6 ft. There was no math in that fact but the misconception that there needed to be a math to it and that it was a standard number, 6 ft pass. Today this has gone through the system for several years and does not seem to trucks (heavy and scowling appearance) to be related to any of the factors involved around a stocky upholstered rig. The bulk itself sounds more emphatic than it is but the sensation of bulk being all for the mote. That character has the stamp
Gabby Gabreski was the top American fighter pilot in Europe during World War 2. He was one of the most strange fliers of his times because he was flying low at the ground… (Read Full)
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