P-61 Black Widow
Northrop P-61
Description
Role	Night Fighter
Crew	3
Dimensions
Length		49 ft 7 in
Wingspan		66 ft 0 in
Height		14 ft 8 in
Wing area
Weights
Empty
Loaded		35,855 lbs
Maximum take-off
Powerplant
Engines: 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-10 Double Wasp
Power: 2000 hp each
Performance
Maximum speed		425 mph
Combat range		1,200 miles
Ferry range
Service ceiling		46,200 ft
Rate of climb
Armament
Guns	4 20mm cannon in central section; 4 .50 machine guns in upper turret
Bombs		6,400 lbs

The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first American aircraft designed specifically as a radar-equipped night fighter. 700 were built, and they saw service in the Pacific from May 1944 onwards and over Europe from June. They were designed to carry the centimetric SCR-720 radar, but took over three years of development work to perfect.

Northrop also built a photo-reconnaissance version of the fighter called the F-15 Reporter.