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Northrop P-61 "Black Widow"
During the World War II era, the complexity and challenge of nocturnal airborne combat was an issue that many countries, both Allied and Axis, struggled to control. The dangers of flying blind in the dark were numerous. Pilots of the time often relied upon their sense of orientation and visuals in the sky and on the ground when controlling a plane. At night, these things were much less effective, and disorientation was a huge threat in the air. Many pilots died not in combat-related circumstances, but rather in accidents resulting from an inability to navigate in the dark.
In 1940, during the early months of the Battle of Britain, the need for a night fighter to combat the nocturnal German bombers became painfully evident to Great Britain. The British Purchasing Commission, who at the time were evaluating and shopping for aircraft in the United States, announced to all the designers and manufacturers with whom they were working that they desperately required such a fighter. The plane had to be capable of at least an 8-hour loiter time and it also had to be able to carry a heavy radar unit for nighttime navigation. Jack Northrop, founder of the Northrop Corporation, was one of the manufacturers who heard and set out to answer the call.
Northrop began designing an aircraft that could meet the British requirements. In November, he presented the basic design not to the British, but to the United States Army Air Corps. Following their acceptance, Northrop began extensive work on updating his original design. Throughout the next year, and even throughout the war, necessary changes to the design continually arose, leading to massive delays in the development of the aircraft. The first prototype, the XP-61, flew in May 1942. The second prototype, the YP-61, flew that November. Radar was installed in April 1943.
The P-61A became the first production version of the Black Widow. It rolled off of the production line in October 1943. The aircraft proved to be quite tractable in spite of its great size. Complete control could be maintained even with one engine out. The P-61A was followed in short time by the P-61B. The P-61B was by far the most produced aircraft of the P-61 base model.
The P-61B reintroduced the dorsal turret that had been removed in the P-61A. It also introduced night vision binoculars and the improved SCR-720C Airborne Intercept Radar. It used two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines, each with over 2,000 horsepower. The P-61 was a massive aircraft in comparison with other fighters of the era. The P-61B featured a length of 49 feet, 7 inches, and a wingspan of 66 feet. It measured in height at 14 feet, 8 inches, and when fully loaded weighed nearly 30,000 pounds. The plane featured a maximum speed of 369 miles per hour at 20,000 feet and a range of 1,010 miles. It had a rate of climb of 15,000 feet in 7 minutes 36 seconds. Its armament consisted of four 20 millimeter cannons in ventral mount and four .50 caliber machine guns in upper turret.
The first operational use of the P-61 came in late 1943 when three squadrons were shipped to the southwest Pacific. The first operational mission flown by the plane took place on June 24, 1944 out of Saipan, and the Black Widow claimed its first recorded kill a few days later on June 30, 1944 when it shot down a Japanese Mitsubishi G4M "Betty." Before the arrival of the P-61 in the Pacific Theater, the Japanese night flyers posed a great irritation to the American forces in the region. Interception became an important mission of the Black Widow. Typically, ground-based radar would direct the plane to the area of its target. Once it reached its target location, the radar operator would use the onboard radar system to direct the pilot to intercept the enemy aircraft.
The P-61 also saw operational use in the European Theater. The first P-61 arrived in England in May 1944. One of its core tasks was the interception of night-flying V-1 guided missiles. Although the Black Widow did intercept some German planes, it was mostly used in night intruder missions against ground targets such as trains and armor.
The P-61 Black Widow was the first American plane designed specifically as a radar-equipped night fighter. Over 700 Northrop P-61 Black Widows were produced during World War II. Due to the number of delays it suffered during development, it entered the war fairly late, at a time when the Allies had practically complete control of the skies. Consequently, the P-61 did not have a remarkable number of kills at the end of the war. Nevertheless, the P-16 Black Widow proved to be a capable night fighter when it did come to see combat. The swift appearance of a Black Widow in the night skies came to be an unwelcome surprise for any enemy night raider unfortunate enough to be in the area.
Northrop P-61 Black Widow--The Complete History and Combat Record, Garry R. Pape, John M. Campbell and Donna Campbell, Motorbooks International, 1991.
http://www.flightsimdownloads.com/premier/p61/history.htm
Scott Slaughter
United States Military Aircraft since 1909, Gordon Swanborough and Peter M. Bowers, Smithsonian, 1989.