Northrop P-61 Black Widow
E733680
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was a World War II-era American twin-engine night fighter, notable as the first U.S. aircraft designed specifically for radar-equipped night interception.
Statements (49)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
World War II military aircraft
ⓘ
night fighter aircraft ⓘ radar‑equipped fighter ⓘ twin‑engine aircraft ⓘ |
| armament |
4 × 0.50 in M2 Browning machine guns in dorsal turret
ⓘ
4 × 20 mm Hispano M2 cannon in ventral fuselage ⓘ |
| countryOfOrigin |
United States of America
ⓘ
surface form:
United States
|
| crew | 3 ⓘ |
| designedFor | night interception ⓘ |
| emptyWeight | approximately 22,600 lb ⓘ |
| engineType | Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engine NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| firstFlight | 1942-05-26 ⓘ |
| height | approximately 14 ft 8 in ⓘ |
| introducedInConflict | World War II NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| landingGear | retractable tricycle landing gear ⓘ |
| length | approximately 49 ft 7 in ⓘ |
| manufacturer | Northrop Corporation NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| maximumSpeed | approximately 366 mph at 20,000 ft ⓘ |
| maxTakeoffWeight | approximately 36,200 lb ⓘ |
| notableFeature | first U.S. aircraft designed specifically as a radar‑equipped night fighter ⓘ |
| numberBuilt | approximately 706 ⓘ |
| numberOfEngines | 2 ⓘ |
| operatorPosition |
gunner seated in central position under turret
ⓘ
pilot seated in forward cockpit ⓘ radar operator seated in rear cockpit ⓘ |
| postwarDesignation | F-61 NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| powerplant | 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65 Double Wasp radial engines ⓘ |
| primaryMission | interception of enemy aircraft at night ⓘ |
| primaryRole | night fighter ⓘ |
| productionPeriod | 1943–1945 ⓘ |
| radarEquipment | SCR-720 radar NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| range | approximately 1,200 miles ⓘ |
| retiredFromUSService | late 1940s ⓘ |
| secondaryRole | intruder and ground‑attack missions ⓘ |
| serviceCeiling | approximately 33,100 ft ⓘ |
| serviceEntry | 1944 ⓘ |
| survivingExamples | several preserved in museums ⓘ |
| tailConfiguration | twin‑boom tail ⓘ |
| usedBy |
Chinese Nationalist Air Force
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
United States Air Force ⓘ United States Army Air Forces NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| usedInTheater |
China-Burma-India Theater
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
European Theater of Operations NERFINISHED ⓘ Pacific Theater of Operations NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| variant |
P-61A
NERFINISHED
ⓘ
P-61B NERFINISHED ⓘ P-61C NERFINISHED ⓘ |
| wingConfiguration | mid‑wing monoplane ⓘ |
| wingspan | approximately 66 ft ⓘ |
Referenced by (2)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.