Republic P-43 Lancer

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P-43 Lancer
A USAAF P-43 in 1942
General information
Type	Fighter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Republic Aviation
Status	Retired
Primary users	United States Army Air Corps United States Army Air Forces Republic of China Air Force Royal Australian Air Force
Number built	272
History
Manufactured	1940–1941
Introduction date	1941
First flight	March 1940
Retired	1944 (China)
Developed from	Seversky P-35

The Republic P-43 Lancer was a single-engine, all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter aircraft built by Republic, first delivered to the United States Army Air Corps in 1940.^[1] A proposed development was the P-44 Rocket. While not a particularly outstanding fighter, the P-43A had a very good high-altitude performance coupled with an effective oxygen system. Fast and well-armed with excellent long-range capabilities, until the arrival of the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, the Lancer was the only American fighter capable of catching a Japanese Mitsubishi Ki-46 "Dinah" reconnaissance plane at the speeds and heights at which they flew. In addition, the P-43 flew many long-range, high-altitude photo recon missions until replaced by F-4/F-5 Lightnings (P-38 variants) in both the USAAF and RAAF.