Cactus Air Force

[pampa14]

An island, an airfield, many aircraft and a mission: to preserve and expand the Allied air power in the Pacific. This was the Cactus Air Force. To see a full report and lots of photos, please visit the link below:


http://aviacaoemfloripa.blogspot.com.br/2011/02/forca-aerea-cactus.html


I hope you enjoy and I count on your visit!

 

[MontyB]

For the life of me I can not place this aircraft, anyone know what it is.

 

[Kesse81]

Bell P-39 Airacobra

 

[MontyB]

Of course it is, about the only thing I didn't think about.

 

[LeEnfield]

The plane is a P38 Air Cobra, it had a 30 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub

 

[George]

The plane is a P38 Air Cobra, it had a 30 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub

P-39 had a 37mm, Soviets loved it for ground attack & made good use of the plane vs fighters at low level.

 

[Kesse81]

A P-39 was equipped with a 20 mm or 37 mm nose cannon, depending on the version.
The one in the picture has the long gun barrel, which indicates that it is equipped with a Hispano 20mm cannon. It also seems as if it has 12-stub exhausts and .303 wing guns.
I would say that this plane is a P-400. This was the designation given to the RAF Airacobra I. RAF found this aircraft useless as a fighter and the remaining aircraft were sent to U.S.forces in the Pacific after the attack on Pearl Harbor.

 

[Kesse81]

The plane is a P38 Air Cobra, it had a 30 mm cannon firing through the propeller hub

P-38 is the Lockheed Lightning.