Ted Brindle sent me the following links on Merlin-powered P-38s:
He is what I have thus far found regarding a Merlin powered P-38 and/or the P-47 paddle props:
This is a great article which includes the proposed Merlin powered P-38, but read the last five paragraphs about a switch from the Curtis electric props to the Hamilton Standard hydraulic propellers. The improvement in performance, of the P-38K, was exceptional; However no K's were ever produced.
http://home.att.net/~C.C.Jordan/P-38K.htmlHere is an excerpt from another site:
"Interestingly, the performance problems could have been fixed by fitting Merlins, Lockheed engineers considered this seriously enough to do a paper study in 1941 which indicated that Merlin XX power plants would provide superior performance, while improving reliability. The US Army however rejected the idea (it has been stated as under the influence of US commercial interests) and thus sentenced the P-38 to engine problems which were not solved until mid 1943."
Find the entire article here -- great reading for us P-38 buffs:
http://home.att.net/~ww2aviation/P-38.html
