Australia's association with the Lockheed Lightning had its beginnings in August 1942 when two batches of F-4 photographic reconnaissance variants of the P-38E arrived in Melbourne by sea. As will be seen from the following table, nine F-4s were received at the Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation (CAC) factory at Fishermens Bend. Whilst the majority of these aircraft were for the USAAF's 8th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron (8PRS), certainly one and probably another of the aircraft were allocated to the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF).
