United States Fighter Aircraft 1930-1939

Download or read book United States Fighter Aircraft 1930-1939 written by Source Wikipedia and published by University-Press.org. This book was released on 2013-09 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 94. Chapters: Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Bell P-39 Airacobra, Brewster F2A Buffalo, Grumman F4F Wildcat, Curtiss P-36 Hawk, List of surviving Curtiss P-40s, List of surviving P-47 Thunderbolts, Bell YFM-1 Airacuda, Seversky P-35, Boeing P-26 Peashooter, List of surviving Lockheed P-38 Lightnings, Republic P-43 Lancer, Curtiss P-40 variants, Curtiss-Wright CW-21, Curtiss F11C Goshawk, Grumman F3F, Grumman FF, Boeing P-29, Vultee P-66 Vanguard, Curtiss BF2C Goshawk, Consolidated P-30, Northrop XFT, Curtiss F9C Sparrowhawk, Douglas XP-48, Curtiss XP-31 Swift, Lockheed YP-24, Boeing XP-9, Grumman F2F, Curtiss XF14C, Wedell-Williams XP-34, Boeing XP-15, Boeing XF6B, Berliner-Joyce XFJ, General Aviation XFA, Douglas XFD, Vought XF3U, Curtiss XF13C, Berliner-Joyce XF3J, Loening XFL, Seversky XP-41. Excerpt: The Lockheed P-38 Lightning was a World War II American fighter aircraft built by Lockheed. Developed to a United States Army Air Corps requirement, the P-38 had distinctive twin booms and a single, central nacelle containing the cockpit and armament. Named "fork-tailed devil" by the Luftwaffe and "two planes, one pilot" by the Japanese, the P-38 was used in a number of roles, including dive bombing, level bombing, ground-attack, photo reconnaissance missions, and extensively as a long-range escort fighter when equipped with drop tanks under its wings. The P-38 was used most successfully in the Pacific Theater of Operations and the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations as the mount of America's top aces, Richard Bong (40 victories) and Thomas McGuire (38 victories). In the South West Pacific theater, the P-38 was the primary long-range fighter of United States Army Air Forces until the appearance of large numbers of P-51D Mustangs toward the end of the war. The P-38 was unusually quiet for a fighter, the...