BERNHARD C.F. KLEIN MEMORIAL COLLECTION
No. 10625. Lockheed 422-87-23 F-5G Lightning (44-25953 c/n 422-6957) French Air Force
Photographed at Dijon-Longvic, France, ca. 1945, source unknown via Jean M. Cuny

Lockheed 422-87-23 F-5G Lightning

05/31/2011. Produced by Lockheed at Burbank as a Model 422-87-23, under the USAAF designation P-38L-5-LO and serial 44-25953, this aircraft became one of the 63 converted at Lockheed's Dallas Modification Center in Texas to an F-5G-6-LO, the last photographic-reconnaissance version of the Lightning. It featured an enlarged nose compartment with four vertical photo cameras plus a single oblique camera at the front.

It was transferred to the French AF and arrived at Colmar, France on May 1, 1945, and before ending of the hostilities, May 8, it performed two missions. It was assigned to GR 1/33 (Groupe Reconnaissance) "Belfort", and was subsequently coded W4-G and used call sign F-UHBG. Eventually it was returned to the USA, presently the nose-section is on display at the Planes of Fame Air Museum at Chino, California.

Created May 31, 2011