Summary and Key Points: The Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the first aircraft produced by Skunk Works under Clarence “Kelly” Johnson, played a pivotal role in World War II. Some experts declare it the best ...

Built with flaws that nearly doomed it, the P-38 Lightning found its true purpose in the Pacific, excelling in long-range combat, relentless interception, and one of the war’s most daring missions.

The Lockheed P-38 Lightning, an icon of American innovation and air dominance in World War II, is still one of the most recognizable fighters of all time. First flying in 1939, the P-38 Lightning was ...

In the time between World War I and World War II, fighter planes underwent rapid changes. During the first World War, the Sopwith F.1 Camel was known as one of the best combat planes around. It had a ...

The jubilation the search team felt when it discovered "Ace of Aces" Richard Bong's downed P-38 Lightning fighter plane in a South Pacific jungle reverberated more than 8,000 miles away in northern ...

Before the arrival of the vaunted North American P-51D Mustang, towards the end of World War II, U.S. forces relied on other, less superlative aircraft for long-range bomber escorts—primarily the ...