Northrop P-61 Black Widow

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northrop_P-61_Black_Widow

The Northrop P-61 Black Widow, named for the American spider, was the first
operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft
designed to use radar. The P-61 had a crew of three: pilot, gunner, and radar
operator. It was armed with four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano M2 forward-firing
cannons mounted in the lower fuselage, and four .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning
machine guns mounted in a remote-controlled dorsal gun turret.

It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War
II. The first test flight was made on 26 May 1942, with the first production
aircraft rolling off the assembly line in October 1943. The last aircraft was
retired from government service in 1954.

Although not produced in the large numbers of its contemporaries, the Black
Widow was effectively operated as a night-fighter by United States Army Air
Forces squadrons in the European Theater, the Pacific Theater, the China Burma
India Theater and the Mediterranean Theater during World War II. It replaced
earlier British-designed night-fighter aircraft that had been updated to
incorporate radar when it became available. After the war, the P-61—redesignated
the F-61—served in the United States Air Force as a long-range, all weather,
day/night interceptor for Air Defense Command until 1948, and Fifth Air Force
until 1950.

On the night of 14 August 1945, a P-61B of the 548th Night Fight 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 used by the United States Air Force

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
Unit cost US$190,000[1]
Variants Northrop F-15 Reporter

Though the P-61 proved itself very capable against the majority of German
aircraft it encountered, it was clearly outclassed by the new aircraft arriving
in the last months of World War II. It also lacked external fuel tanks until the
last months of the war,[19] an addition that would have extended its range and
saved many doomed crews looking for a landing site in darkness and bad weather.
External bomb loads would also have made the type more suitable for the ground
attack role it soon took on in Europe. These problems were all addressed
eventually, but too late to have the impact they might have had earlier in the
war. The P-61 proved very capable against all Japanese aircraft it encountered,
but saw too few of them to make a significant difference in the Pacific war
effort.

Specifications (P-61B-20-NO)

General characteristics
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: 662.36 ft2 (61.53 m2)
Empty weight: 23,450 lb (10,637 kg)
Loaded weight: 29,700 lb (13,471 kg)
Max. takeoff weight: 36,200 lb (16,420 kg)
Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65W Double Wasp radial engines, 2,250 hp
(1,680 kW) each
Propellers: four-bladed Curtiss Electric propeller, 1 per engine
Propeller diameter: 146 in (3.72 m)
Fuel capacity:
Internal: 640 gal (2,423 L) of AN-F-48 100/130-octane rating gasoline
External: Up to four 165 gal (625 L) or 310 gal (1,173 L) tanks under the wings

Performance
Maximum speed: 366 mph (318 kn, 589 km/h) at 20,000 ft (6,095 m)
Combat range: 610 mi (520 nmi, 982 km)
Ferry range: 1,900 mi (1,650 nmi, 3,060 km) with four external fuel tanks
Service ceiling: 33,100 ft (10,600 m)
Rate of climb: 2,540 ft/min (12.9 m/s)
Wing loading: 45 lb/ft2 (219 kg/m2)
Power/mass: 0.15 hp/lb (250 W/kg)
Time to altitude: 12 min to 20,000 ft (6,100 m) (1,667 ft/min)

Armament
Guns:
4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano 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.

Avionics
SCR-720 (AI Mk.X) search radar
SCR-695 tail warning radar




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