Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia


A P-61A of 419th Night Fighter Squadron
Role	Night fighter
National origin	United States
Manufacturer	Northrop
First flight	26 May 1942
Introduction	1944
Retired	1954
Primary users	United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force
Number built	706
Variants	Northrop F-15 Reporter

The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. It was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter. Named for the North American spider Latrodectus mactans, it was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design armed with four forward-firing 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano M2 autocannon in the lower fuselage, and four .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in a dorsal gun turret. Developed during the war, the first test flight was made on 26 May 1942, with the first production aircraft rolling off the assembly line in October 1943.

On the night of 14 August 1945, a P-61B of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron named Lady in the Dark was unofficially credited with the last Allied air victory before VJ Day. The P-61 was also modified to create the F-15 Reporter photo-reconnaissance aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces and subsequently the United States Air Force

Early stages

Following the USAAC acceptance, Northrop began comprehensive design work on what would become the first dedicated night fighter. The result was the largest pursuit-class aircraft flown by the U.S. during the war.

Jack Northrop's first proposal was a long fuselage gondola between two engine nacelles and tail booms. Engines were Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10 Double Wasp 18-cylinder radials, producing 2,000 hp (1,500 kW) each. The fuselage housed the three-man crew, the radar, and two four-gun turrets. The .50 in (12.7 mm) AN/M2 Browning machine guns were fitted with 36 in (910 mm) long, lightweight "aircraft" barrels with perforated sleeves. The turrets were located in the nose and rear of the fuselage. It stood on tricycle landing gear, and featured full-span retractable flaps, or "Zap flaps" (named after aircraft engineer Edward Zaparka), in the wings.

The aircraft was huge, as Northrop had anticipated. While far larger and heavier multi-engine bombers existed, its 45.5 ft (14 m) length, 66 ft (20 m) wingspan, and projected 22,600 lb (10,251 kg) full-load weight were unheard of for a fighter, making the P-61 difficult for many to accept as a feasible fighter aircraft

Northrop aircraft

McDonnell Douglas aircraft
Northrop Aerospace P-61 Black Widow

General Info

Crew: 2–3 (pilot, radar operator, optional gunner) Length: 49 ft 7 in (15.11 m) Wingspan: 66 ft 0 in (20.12 m) Height: 14 ft 8 in (4.47 m) Wing area: (61.535 m²) Empty weight: (10,637 kg) Gross weight: (13,472 kg) Max takeoff weight: 36,200 lb (16,420 kg)

Powerplant

- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65W Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) each
- Propellers: 4-bladed Curtiss Electric constant-speed feathering propellers, 12 ft 2 in (3.72 m) diameter

Performance

Maximum speed:589 km/h, at 6,100 m
Range: 1,350 mi (2,170 km, 1,170 nmi)
Ferry range: 1,900 mi (3,100 km, 1,700 nmi) with four external fuel tanks
Service ceiling: (10,100 m)

Armament

Guns: 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano AN/M2 cannon in ventral fuselage, 200 rounds per gun
4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in remotely operated, full-traverse upper turret, 560 rpg
Bombs: for ground attack, four bombs of up to 1,600 lb (726 kg) each or six 5-in (127 mm) HVAR unguided rockets could be carried under the wings. Some aircraft could also carry one 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb under the fuselage.

Special Links Northrop Aerospace P-61 Black Widow

Links to Youtube & Others

Following the USAAC acceptance, Northrop began comprehensive design work on what would become the first dedicated night fighter.[citation needed] The result was the largest pursuit-class aircraft flown by the U.S. during the war.

Northrop
P-61 Black Widow

The P-61 featured a crew of three: pilot, gunner, and radar operator. It was armed with four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano M2 forward-firing cannon mounted in the lower fuselage, and four .50 in.

Youtube Link

The main fuselage, or gondola, was centered on the aircraft's centerline. It was, from the tip of the nose to the end of the Plexiglas tail-cone, approximately five-sixths the length of one wing (root to tip).

Northrop Aerospace
P-61 Black Widow