United States' Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter

Photos

Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:
Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:
Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:
Northrop P-61A Black Widow night fighter:
Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter over Japan in 1949:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter's radar:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter testing a Ramjet engine:	Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter chasing a Northrop XB-35 flying wing:
Northrop F-15A Black Widow photo reconnaissance:	Northrop F-15A Black Widow photo reconnaissance:	Northrop F-15A Black Widow photo reconnaissance:
Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter:

Design

From the very beginning the Northrop P-61 Black Widow was designed to be a night fighter.^1,2,3,5 It was designed by Jack Northrop.¹ Reports from Britain stated the usefulness of night fighters and in November 1940 Northrop submitted plans to the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) for a heavy night fighter.⁵

Northrop's design was accepted in early 1941 and two prototypes were ordered on January 11, 1941.^3,5 Thirteen more were ordered straight from the drawing board on March 10.^3,5

Radar

The SCR-720 search radar used by the P-61 took 172,000 man hours to develop.¹ It was also based on a British design that was modified by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.⁵ It was mounted in the nose.¹

Propellers

The propellers were made by Curtis Electric.¹

Cockpit

In the cockpit of the P-61 the radar man and gunner were above and behind the pilot.¹

Landing Gear

The P-61 used a tricycle style landing gear.⁵

Prototype

The Northrop XP-61 Black Widow was first flown on May 21, 1942^2,5 / May 26, 1942^1,3 by Vance Breese.¹

Production

On September 1, 1941, 150 P-61s were ordered.⁵ Another 450 were ordered on February 12, 1942.⁵

• Northrop XP-61: 2³
• Northrop YP-61: 13^2,3
  • Completed by September 1943³
• Northrop P-61A: 200^2,3,5
  • First flew in late 1943³
• Northrop P-61B: 400², 450^3,5
• Northrop P-61C: 41^2,3,5
• Northrop F-15A: 36⁵
• Total: >700⁵, 706^1,3
  • Manufacturer: Northrop Corporation⁵

Variants

• Northrop XP-61: Prototype.^1,2
• Northrop XP-61D: Prototype.³
• Northrop XP-61E: Prototype.³
• Northrop YP-61: Preproduction.²
• Northrop P-61A: In first 37 aircraft had four 20 mm cannons under nose, and four 12.7 mm machine guns in dorsal turret.^2,3 Later aircraft had dorsal turret removed.² First 44 aircraft were produced with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-45 (2,000 HP) engine.³
• Northrop P-61B: Carried four drop tanks with 340 gallons.^1,5 Entered service in July 1944.^2,3 The last 200 had the dorsal turret installed.² Could carry four 1,600 lb bombs under the wings.⁵
• Northrop P-61C:
• Northrop P-61G: 16 converted to weather reconnaissance.³
• Northrop XF-15A: Converted P-61C to a photo reconnaissance aircraft.¹ Six cameras were in the nose.¹ 175 were ordered, but only 36 F-15As were constructed.¹
• Northrop F-15A: Later renamed to RF-61C.³ Photo reconaissance.³ Fuselage was slimmer.³ Built in 1946.³

Usage

First Uses

The P-61s were first sent to the Pacific in the summer of 1944.⁵ In August 1944 they were first used in Europe.⁵

First Victory

A Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bomber was shot down by a P-61 on July 6, 1944 / July 7, 1944² with the 18th Fighter Group.¹

Against the V-1

P-61 Black Widows shot down nine German V-1 buzz bombs.¹

Aces

One P-61 pilot became an ace by using the P-61, and two other pilots became aces by using the P-61 and other aircraft.¹

The 1950s

P-61s were withdrawn from active service in 1952.⁵

Pilot	Radar Operator	Unit	Number
Major C. C. Smith4	1st Lt. P.B. Porter4	418th NFS4	7 kills (2 while flying P-38) and 2 probables4
1st Lt. H. E. Ernst4	1st Lt. E. H. Kopsel4	422nd NFS4	5 kills, 2 damaged and 1 V1 kill4
1st Lt. E. D. Axtell4	1st Lt. B. Orzel4 1st Lt. J. U. Morris4 1st Lt. C. H. Morrison4 1st Lt. J. F. Crew4	422nd NFS4	5 kills, 2 probables4
1st Lt. P. A. Smith4	1st Lt. R. E. Tierney4	422nd NFS4	5 kills, 1 probable, 1 V1 kill4
1st R. F. Graham4	1st Lt. R. G. Bolinder4 Capt. R. A. Anderson4	422nd NFS4	5 kills, 1 probable4
Lt. R. O. Elmore4	1st Lt. L. F. Mapes4	422nd NFS4	4 kills, 1 V1 kill4

Pacific Squadrons

A total of ten squadrons in the Central Pacific were outfitted with the P-61.¹

Specifications

	Northrop P-61A Black Widow3	Northrop P-61B Black Widow1,2,3,5	Northrop P-61C Black Widow3
Type	Night fighter3	Night fighter1,2,5	Night fighter3
Crew	33	31,2,5, Pilot5, Radar operator5, Gunner/Observer5	33
Engine (Type)	2: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65 Double Wasp3	2: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65 Double Wasp1,2,3,5	2: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-732,3
Cylinders	Radial 183	Radial2, Radial 181,3,5
Cooling		Air5
HP	2,000 each3	2,000 each1,2,3,5
Emergency HP power			2,800 each2,3,5
Propeller blades	4 each3	4 each1,3,5	4 each3
Fuel capacity
Fuel capacity - drop tanks		1,110 gallons1 4,692 liters1
Dimensions
Span	66'3 20.11 m3	66'1,2,5 20.11 m1, 20.12 m2
Length	48' 11"3 14.91 m3	49' 7"2.3,5, 50'1 15.11 m1,2,3	49' 7"3 15.11 m3
Height	14' 8"3 4.47 m3	14' 8"2,5, 15'1 4.46 m2, 4.47 m1
Wing area		662 ft2 1, 664 ft2 2 61.53 m2 1 , 61.69 m2 2
Weight
Empty		21,239 lb1, 22,000 lb2,3 9,654 kg1, 9,979 kg3, 9,980 kg2
Loaded		29,636 lb1, 29,700 lb3,5 13,471 kg1, 13,472 kg3
Overloaded		36,124 lb1, 38,000 lb2,3 16,420 kg1, 17,237 kg3, 17,240 kg2
Performance
Speed at sea level		330 mph3 531 kph3
Speed @ 20,000' / 6,095 m		366 mph2,5 589 kph2
Speed @ 20,000' / 6,096 m		365 mph1, 366 kph3 589 kph1,3
Climb to 20,000' / 6,095 m		12 minutes2
Climb to 20,000' / 6,096 m		12 minutes3
Service ceiling		33,100'2,3,5, 40,800'1 10,089 m3, 10,090 m2, 12,445 m1
Range		940 miles3, 1,590 miles2, 3,000 miles5 1,513 km3, 2,559 km2
Range - internal fuel		940 miles1 1,513 km1
Range - with drop tanks		1,350 miles1 2,172 km1
Maximum ferry range		3,000 miles3 4,828 km3
Armament
Lower fuselage / Nose		4: 20 mm M-21, 4: 20 mm2 200 rounds each1
Ventral	4: 0.5" MG3	4: 0.5" MG3,5	4: 0.5" MG3
Dorsal barbette	4: 20 mm3	4: 20 mm3,5 4: 12.7 mm Colt-Browning M2 MG1, 4: 12.7 mm MG2 560 rounds each1	4: 20 mm3
Bombs, rockets or other weapons		1,000 lb1 454 kg1
Bombs		4: 1,600 lb2, 4,000 lb3, 6,400 lb5 4: 726 kg2, 2,903 kg3	4,000 lb3 2,903 kg3
OR
Rockets		8: 5"2 8; 127 mm2