Originally Posted by
sycamore
lb, 3 were tested at B-D and rejected,returned to USA...no turbochargers fitted....
Originally Posted by
Lono
Evaluated, ordered, then cancelled. A couple were delivered to the UK, but were ultimately transferred to the USAAF.
Slight diversion into history! The original Lightning I was rejected at least a year before any of them reached the UK, by an un-named RAF pilot in the US. The reasons are murky, it's given as 'not up to performance' but the suspicion at Lokheed was that (a) the UK didn't need it post BoB and (b) we had run out of money and couldn't afford to pay for them.We knew the supercharger- equipped mk II was coming soon, so the performance thing does sound like a red herring. Potential legal action was stopped when the USAAF took over the contract.
However the P-38 did see active service with the RAF - a P-38J was loaned from the USAAF and used in the master bomber role, later being updated to 'Droop Snoot' two seat configuration.