Page "Fighter aircraft" Paragraph 70

By 1943, the Allies began to gain the upper hand in the Pacific Campaign's air campaigns.

Several factors contributed to this shift.

First, second-generation Allied fighters such as the Hellcat and the P-38, and later the Corsair, the P-47 and the P-51, began arriving in numbers.

These fighters outperformed Japanese fighters in all respects except maneuverability.

Other problems with Japan's fighter aircraft also became apparent as the war progressed, such as their lack of armor and light armament, which made them inadequate as bomber interceptors or ground-attack planes — roles Allied fighters excelled at.

Additionally, Japan's training program failed to provide enough well-trained pilots to replace losses.

In contrast, the Allies improved both the quantity and quality of pilots graduating from their training programs.