A Super Lightning?

The XP-58 was an odd duck in many ways. It was "back burnered" by Lockheed over urgent production projects and was an aircraft looking for an engine. It was designed around advanced engines that weren't developed at the time of the planes design, and which never "proved out". It was redesigned several times around different engines. IIRC Kelly Johnson referred to it as the first 10-engined fighter.

GregP said:

*SNIP*

I still want to find some good Polish food here ...

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Well, if you ever make it to Florida, swing by Clearwater and look me up, there's a great place on Gulf to Bay I hit once a week or so, they do their own kielbasa and the pierogi are excellent!

Most airforces found they had a real need for a big, long range, well armed, twin engined fighter.

RAF = Beaufighter, Mosquito
Luftwaffe = Me110, Ju88G, He 219
Japanese = Nakajima J1N, Kawasaki Ki-45

USAF = ? A-20??

The tragedy of the Chain Lightning is that if Lockheed had gone for the Allison V-3420 right at the start, they might have got an aircraft that was early enough to have been a contender. After all, AFAIK, it was designed before the P-61 and the Allison was the exception to the rule that "all double engines are dogs".

They could've used R-2800s + turbo from the start - less of a hassle, actualy in volume production, much lighter, no drag penalty vs. turboed V-3420.
But then, I don't think such a big fighter was needed for any air force.