P-38 Lightning – Why Not Merlin Engines?

Why didn’t the USAAF ask for Merlin powered P-38s when the Merlin upgrade worked so well on the P-51s?

Why did the P-38 soldier on without paddle props and limited to 60 inches of manifold pressure throughout the war when both the 47 and 51 got paddle props and manifold pressure values of 72″ and 75″ respectively?

Source: YouTube

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