#p-43 lancer

The P-43 Lancer was started as a private venture by the Seversky Aircraft Company (later known as Republic) which sought to improve upon its earlier fighter design the P-35. Several design changes turned this fighter into a good platform of which made the leap to the younger sibling, the P-47. However, despite a short production run in 1941, the USAAC considered the P-43 to be obsolete from its introduction, only using them for training purposes. Also Seversky Aircraft Company (SAC) looked like it might go bankrupt and dissolve. The USAAC, recognizing that factor, placed the order as well to stabilize the company and allow it to keep its design teams and production workforce intact.

P-43 Lancer fighters were first delivered to the United States Army Air Corps in 1940. Although initially favored, rapid fighter development of the late 1930s and early 1940s led to these fighters becoming obsolete within a year. Despite the US Army's disinterest in the P-43 Lancer design, China, which had been at war since 1937, ordered enough to keep the production line open until 1942. Some of these China-bound fighters were assigned to the American Volunteer Group, also known as the "Flying Tigers".

Between 1940 and 1942, a total of 272 P-43 Lancer fighters were built. In the fall of 1942, they were officially redesignated RP-43, which indicated their obsolete status. In American and Australian service, they were largely relegated to training and photographic reconnaissance roles until about 1943. The Chinese Air Force retired its P-43 fighters in 1944.