 |
|
|
|
|
| Lightning Strikes Twice | Jul '08 |
|
|
| By Hayman Tam |
| |
A rare aeronautical event took place at the Lockheed Martin fighter plant in Fort Worth, Texas, when both Lockheed aircraft bearing the name "Lightning" spent some time together.
The International Society of Aviation Photography negotiated this photo opportunity as one of the highlight activities of its annual symposium. Famed P-38 driver Steve Hinton took time from his busy schedule to travel from Chino, Calif. to Kentucky to fly the P-38F, Glacier Girl, to Fort Worth for the day.
Glacier Girl gained celebrity for being the P-38 Lightning recovered from Greenland in 1992. It had lain buried under 268 feet of ice, along with five other P-38s and two B-17s that had crash-landed together during a ferry trip curtailed by bad weather in July 1942.
The first of seven expeditions began in 1981, but the planes weren't located until 1988. Ten long years of restoration activity and $7 million of funding passed before the P-38 took to the sky again in 2002 with Hinton at the controls. Fast forward to 2008, and here is the new F-35A Lightning II next to its namesake, Glacier Girl.
The U.S. Air Force officially named the F-35 "Lightning II" in 2006 in honor of both the World War II P-38 Lightning and the RAF's English Electric Lightning.
The F-35 is the newest aircraft in development for the U.S. and United Kingdom, refined from the X-35 that won the Joint Strike Fighter competition in 2001. It bears much similarity to it's larger sibling, the F-22 Raptor, currently entering service.
The first F-35 Lightning II took off on its initial test flight on Dec. 15, 2006, piloted by the program's chief pilot, Jon Beesley. Incorporating stealth design features, the F-35 has the ability to conduct air-to-air and air-to-ground combat missions simultaneously.
With more than 3,000 aircraft on order, the F-35 Lightning II will replace the majority of F-16s, A-10s and Harriers currently in service. Three versions of the F-35 are planned: a conventional takeoff and landing variant for the U.S. Air Force, a short-takeoff and vertical-landing variant for the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.K. Royal Air Force and Navy, and a carrier-based variant for the U.S. Navy. The F-35 will also see service in the air forces and navies of several European countries.
Those partner nations include the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Turkey, Australia, Norway, Denmark and Canada. Additionally, both Israel and Singapore have come aboard as security cooperative participants. Lockheed Martin expects deliveries to the U.S. Air Force to start in 2009, with planned production continuing beyond 2025.
The F-35 is one of the world's two fifth-generation fighter aircraft; the other is the F-22 Raptor. First-generation fighters are defined as the early jets in use from 1944-1953, such as the Me-262, MIG-15/17, P-80, F-86 and F-89. The second generation spans 1953-1960, with missile armed fighters like the MIG-21, Hawker Hunter, F-100 and F-104.
The third generation saw fighters from 1960-1970, such as the Mirage III, SAAB Viggen, MIG-25 and F-4, making the transition to multiple roles. Fourth-generation aircraft (1970-1990) made the full move to multirole fighters, but preserved full dogfighting abilities. Top performers include the Mirage 2000, MIG-31, Tornado, and the U.S. F-14/15/16/18 aircraft.
The F-35A displayed with the P-38 is a preproduction CTOL version currently in flight test.
Of more than 10,000 P-38s produced during the war, approximately 24 survive and only a handful flies today. First developed in 1937 and serving some countries as late as 1956, the P-38 has the distinction of being the only American fighter in continuous production for the entire duration of WWII.
The P-38 was the plane wielded by America's top two fighter aces, Richard Bong (40 victories) and Thomas McGuire (38 victories), and served in all theaters of combat.
Originally designed as a high-altitude interceptor, the P-38 found use in a variety of roles, including long-range escort, photoreconnaissance, fighter/interceptor, ground attack and night patrol. After the war, many P-38s were sold as surplus to the public for $1200 each. Postwar roles included air racing and aerial surveying.
The Lockheed Martin Fort Worth plant is also the home for production of the F-16 Fighting Falcon, which has been in production since 1978. An example of the latest Block 60 version F-16 was also available for the ISAP event.
The Lockheed Martin facility in Fort Worth, officially known as Air Force Plant 4, opened in 1941 and was operated by Consolidated Aircraft for assembly of the B-24 bomber. The first two years of operation saw the construction of more than 3,000 B-24s.. In 1992, Lockheed Inc. took over operation of the mile-long facility to produce the F-16. AFP4 employs approximately 15,000 people and is located adjacent to Naval Air Station Fort Worth (formerly Carswell Air Force Base).
Since 2001, the International Society of Aviation Photography has grown to more than 500 members representing more than 20 countries. It serves as the premier organization for aviation photography, providing a valuable learning environment for members of all skill levels.
For more information, visit the ISAP website: www.aviationphotographers.org.
|
P-38 Lightning |
F-35 Lightning II |
Crew |
one |
one |
Powerplant |
2 x Allison V-1710 |
1 x F-135 turbofan |
Horsepower |
2950 HP total |
40,000 lbs thrust |
Length |
37 ft - 10 in |
51 ft - 6 in |
Wingspan |
52 ft |
35 ft |
Height |
12 ft - 10 in |
14 ft - 1 in |
Gross Weight |
17,500 lbs |
70,000 lbs |
Speed |
414 miles per hour |
1,200 miles per hour |
Range |
1,100 miles |
1,200+ miles |
Armament |
4 x .50 cal machine guns |
1 x 25 mm cannon |
Armament |
1 x 20mm cannon |
18,000 lbs ordnance |
Armament |
2,000 lbs ordnance |
|
Back to Page 1
|
|
|
|
|
