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From: Scott.Johnson@p0.f7.n391.z1.fidonet.org (Scott Johnson)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: Us Fighter Designations
Message-ID: <1990Aug10.010748.29824@cbnews.att.com>
Date: 10 Aug 90 01:07:48 GMT
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From: Scott.Johnson@p0.f7.n391.z1.fidonet.org (Scott Johnson)


 SP>   HEAVILY compared to what? The P38 had 4 50's and one 20mm.
 SP>  The P47 had 8 50's!  The P38 may be considered heavily armed
 SP>  when compared to some early Jap fighters  but not to later
 SP>  Axis and Allied fighters. :

      Yes, but those 8 50's were spread out along the wings, with the "lethal
zone" (the point where all 8 guns converge) at one specific distance in front
of the airplane. The P-38's, on the other hand, were concentrated in the
nose, and the "lethal zone" extended as far out as the ammo would reach. I
have seen pictures of nighttime boresighting of both types of aircraft, and
the P-38 is much more impressive with all that lead concentrated in a cone
not much more than 3' in diameter!