| 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.
