P-61 Blak Wisoe had Wings and Tail like an A-10. twinengines (prop), Jet wold be a nice upgrade. It had4 .50cals. fscing forward 4. facin aft wih 2 side body. http://www.militaryfactory.com/aircraft/detail.asp?aircraft_id=78 The Northrop P-61 Black Widow became the United States' first aircraft specifically designed from the outset as a platform dedicated to the fine art of night-fighting. Enabled by its complex through highly-effective nose-mounted radar, a distinct overall black paint scheme, its trained crew of three (though sometimes two) specialists and a heavy base armament made up of cannon and heavy machine guns, the "Widow" made its way into all major theaters encompassing World War 2. The P-61 could operate in total darkness, aided by its onboard systems, and move into position to deliver an enemy aircrew's final moments. The Black Widow appeared in quantity during 1944, then under the command of the US Army Air Forces (USAAF) and soldiered on well past the war years into 1952, retiring with the newly-minted United States Air Force. The P-61 became one of Northrop's most successful products of all time and essentially put the corporation on the map. The P-61 (later redesignated to F-61) was no longer in operational service by the time of the Korean War, missing the conflict by small window of opportunity. While replacing the aged Douglas A-20 Havoc and D-70 systems in World War 2, the P-61 was itself replaced by the North American F-82 "Twin Mustang" before the Korean conflict. Background Night-fighters maintained something of a limited, albeit primitive, existence in World War 1. Aircraft were sent into the night skies and crews were generally left to their own keen vision and senses in terms of locating enemy bombers or observation balloons. After the war, the aircraft business reeled in their production goals and stuck to more conventional and conservative creations, leaving dedicated systems such as night-fighters along the wayside. As World War 2 revved up to a fever pitch in Europe, Adolf Hitler unleashed his forces against the likes of Luxembourg, Belgium, France and Poland in coordinated air attacks utilizing land and air elements to eventually own half of Europe within a few years. With Western Europe now in check, he set his sights on the island nation across the English Channel. His own commanders assured him victory was at hand as the same tactic could be used against Britain once air superiority was in their favor. At first, this involved brazen day-light bombing raids but these quickly produced unacceptable losses to the ranks of the Luftwaffe thanks to the stout reserve of British pilots. To remedy the situation and still give himself a shot at victory, Hitler turned to a relentless night-bombing campaign of London herself and all applicable communications and radar installations. This proved to hand the British a major concern that they had little an answer for. The RAF (Britain's Royal Air Force) lacked any dedicated war implements designed specifically for combating incoming enemy fighters and bombers at night. Though already making good with the development of early-from ground-based radar and a connected communications front, the island nation still needed "boots in the air" to make a difference against the German strikes. At hand were the basic fighter collections of Supermarine Spitfires, Hawker Hurricanes and Bolton Paul Defiants. The Spitfire was an exceptional fighter to say the least - downright legendary - but she became so through primarily fighting enemy aircraft during daylight hours. She was far from a night-hunter and her distinct ground operation (thanks to her narrow undercarriage) proved tricky if not downright dangerous in the darkness of night. The Hawker Hurricane, on the other hand, proved serviceable enough in the night-fighting role but she was essentially a modern fighter from a bygone era - outclassed in many key ways. The Defiant became an extremely short-term night-fighting solution but stemmed from an air frame that had suffered great losses during her time as a daytime mount. To add insult to injury, the Defiant was also limited in armament to a rear-mounted powered turret and performance-wise she was not the fastest thoroughbred in the stable. Experimentation led to the use of complex airborne radar systems in the larger Bristol Blenheim and the Bristol Beaufighter airframes - both emerging as adequate night-fighters that found somewhat better successes than their smaller fighter derivatives. These aircraft, though larger, had some semblance of speed and could direct themselves to the approaching aerial target as required. Anyway one observes it, Britain was in dire need of an answer and that answer was needed fast. America was not blind to the events unfolding in Europe. Actions had been under scrutiny and study for some time. The night time bombing attacks on London were indeed witnessed first-hand by American observers on the ground. These observers were specifically sent to study the war from within England and possibly develop a plan for America should the war be brought to her doorstep. The result of these observations produced a new US Army Air Corps specification calling for a dedicated night-fighter platform possessing both firepower and speed to content with such enemy forces all the while operating in total darkness using a airborne intercept radar system that had yet to be developed - no small achievement to say the least, but one that had to be met without failure. The Call: Northrop's First Test By this time, Jack Northrop and his Northrop aviation firm (established as recently as 1939 though Mr. Northrop maintained several aviation companies before then) had very little experience in the way of military production aircraft, so far being responsible for just the limited-production N-3PB floatplane and this being a measly 24 examples shipped to far-off Norway. By October of 1940, the USAAC specification came to Northrop's attention and his team set to work on fulfilling the requirements in an attempt to nab the inherent and potentially lucrative production contract. He and his team carved out a large, twin-engine, twin-boom, three-crewmember planform that was essentially a heavy fighter. Proposed armament included 4 x 20mm cannons fitted inside of the wings (in pairs) along with 4 x .50 caliber machine guns in a complex, electrically-driven and remotely-controlled dorsal turret coupled with 2 x .50 caliber machine gun array in a similar belly-mounted turret. Power was formulated from a pair of massive Pratt & Whitney R-2800-A5G radial piston engines. In December of 1940, the design was submitted and officially approved by the US Army on the 17th under the assigned project designation of "XP-61". The initial contract called for two prototypes. Inevitable Delays The XP-61's legacy was born and with the birth came along the inevitable growing pains. US Army personnel observing the project's growth made a recommendation that the cannon armament could be relocated from the wings and settled into an under-fuselage position currently occupied by the belly turret - the theory being that the XP-61's heavy firepower could be enhanced by centralizing it. This was accepted and naturally resulted in the nixing of the dorsal 2 x .50 caliber gun turret. More delays immediately met the project: An Army decision to use another series of Pratt & Whitney engines was (thankfully) soon reversed. Had the decision gone through, it would have meant a complete revision of the intended nacelles. The tail boom covering (then to be composed of magnesium) proved hell to work with. General Electric would have supplied the remote-controlled turret but was running into delays all their own. In a final stroke of bad luck, the Northrop factory was also pre-committed to helping the RAF war effort and penciled in to produce 400 examples of the Vultee Vengeance at their production facilities. Despite the delays, prolonged night-time actions in the war and the idea of America not having an answer to such dangers moved the US Army to place a 150-strong production contract for the XP-61 with Northrop in late 1941. This was further appended in February of the following year in a production contract for 410 more units - all this without the XP-61 even having flown yet. First Flight First flight of the XP-61 was achieved on May 21st, 1942, with showman test pilot Vance Breeze at the controls and responded quite well considering the project's relatively infant stage. As the General Electric turret was still unavailable, Northrop engineers had to fashion a replica dorsal installation to compliment the completed airframe and achieve realistic flight test results. Post-flight, some other (relatively) slight variations came to the design and included a new horizontal stabilizer and revised engines (via Pratt & Whitney) - adding further delays within the program. The radar had also yet to be installed and properly tested airborne within the airframe with the radar system itself a "top secret" project under careful guard offsite. I See You The radar system began life as the A1-10, a complex technological offering limited to just 5 miles initially. As American engineers laid their knowhow into bringing the most out of the system, the tested-and-now-in-production A1-10 graduated to become the full-fledged Western Electric SCR-720. Deliveries of this unit began in November of 1942 and production of complete P-61's mated to the SCR-720 system was officially granted to Northrop in July of 1943. Deliveries of full aircraft systems, however, would not begin until late 1943 - some eighteen months after the prototype first flew! Always Bet on Black The first P-61A production models were fielded with an Army-required Olive Drab/Neutral Gray coloring scheme based on previous scientific testing of various color combinations. An initial recommendation by MIT researchers of "Jet Black" was rejected on the basis that it simply did not work as advertised, sending the researchers back to their caverns to find out why their theory had failed under the US Army's assertions. It was discovered that the Army had tested the paint on an airframe by simply painting over an existing camouflaged paint scheme and had not applied Jet Black as a fresh coat over bare metal. A review (and subsequent testing occurring in October of 1943) formulated the proper results and produced an aircraft that was nearly invisible to ground-based searchlights - thus clearing the good name of the MIT people. Though the "glossy but rough" Jet Black paint finish had won out, this mattered little to the early production P-61A models already delivered. Official "Jet Black" covered Widows did not make it out the factory door until February of 1944. Previous models may have had their original paint jobs simply covered over in the field with Jet Black but this hardly proved a right solution for the paint applied in this fashion had a nasty tendency to chip, scratch or wear through the regular abuse incurred by such aircraft. The P-61A The initial production versions - now taking on the full designation name of P-61 "Black Widow" - were P-61A models. Thirty-seven of the first A-models were fitted with the impressive General Electric remotely-controlled dorsal turret housing a battery of 4 x .50 caliber M2 Browning heavy air-cooled machine guns as well as an array of 4 x 20mm Hispano cannons mounted as a fixed forward-firing amendment in a ventral position. It was soon discovered (via wind tunnel tests and, later, with a P-61 airframe test gondola) that the dorsal turret was the cause of an air flow disturbance along the aft portion of the central gondola, occurring just aft of the turret assembly itself. This find forced the removal of the turret from the 38th P-61A production example and onwards. The stability issue developed when the turret was traversed to either side or elevated away from its "at rest" face-forward position causing a disruption to the air flow causing buffeting over the aircraft when at speed. The P-61A was represented by four major sub-variants. The P-61A-1 became the initial production models fitting the R-2800-10 series engines of 2,000 horsepower. Forty-five of these systems were produced in whole though the last seven in the run were delivered without the dorsal turret (as explained above). The P-61A-5 was also produced without the dorsal turret but fitted instead with the R-2800-65 series engines of 2,250 horsepower (Northrop engineers were always trying to get more "punch" out of her engines). Thirty-five such machines were produced in the run. The P-61A-10 were built to the tune of 100 examples and featured water injection for an increased boost to engine output (known as "War Emergency Power" or "WEP", a small burst of power culminating in a short duration of improved performance). The P-61A-11 were given underwing hardpoints (one to a wing, inboard of the engines) for the carrying of fuel tanks or 2 x 1,600lb bombs. Twenty A-11s were ultimately produced. The addition of fuel tanks is noteworthy here for it drastically increased the range of the base Widow, allowing it to be considered for use in the vastness of the Pacific Theater. Comparatively, the addition of bombing capabilities allowed for night-time ground attacks to be added to the Widow's forte, known as a "night intruder" when in this role. We Don't Need No Stinkin' Widows As an aside, the Royal Air Force (RAF) was not wholly sold on the P-61 in defense of the British mainland (they felt it too slow a system to contend with the available German offerings, having tested the P-61 back in May of 1944, and preferring their de Havilland DH.98 Mosquitoes for the task instead), the Black Widow was nonetheless issued to the American Night Fighter Squadrons based throughout England and, later, throughout Allied held territory in Europe. In "end of the war" matchups, the P-61 and the DH.98 Mosquito both proved equally matched with balancing strengths and weaknesses, putting aside the claim from either nation that they had the best performing night-fighter. Despite the relative success of the early P-61A, Northrop was still hard at work an increasing the performance specifications of their excellent machine, specifically as they applied to combat. Some early resulting changes evolved the A-models well enough but the somewhat similar P-61B was just on the horizon. The P-61B model followed shortly in July of 1944, to which some 540 or so would eventually be produced. The B-model brought back use of a structurally reinforced dorsal turret though fitting just 2 x machine guns at first and later with the full 4 x machine gun compliment. The nose was stretched a full eight inches to provide for a greater cavity in the nose assembly while a SCR-695 tail warning radar was installed. The rear glass cone at the gunners station, proving to be prone to collapse or breaking off completely during high speed flight, was justly addressed though the issue was never fully solved. The B-model could be utilized in both night-fighter and night intruder roles thanks to standardized provisions for external bombs or fuel tanks - the hardpoints appearing first as two underwing racks and then as four. The four-gun dorsal turret was brought back with P-61B-15. Other additions to the line included use of HVAR 5-inch rockets for use against ground targets including sea-going vessels. The P-61B-2 were 38 examples produced with the same underwing hardpoints as that of the A-11 models. The P-61B-10 featured four such hardpoints and were produced in 46 examples. The P-61B-11 brought back the dorsal turret fitting only 2 x .50 caliber machine guns and appeared in a limited production run of 5 examples. The P-61B-15 was a quantitative production Black Widow sporting the 4 x .50 caliber machine gun dorsal turret and appearing in 153 examples. The P-61B-16 reduced the 4 x .50 caliber machine gun armament of the dorsal turret to 2 x .50 caliber machine guns. Only six of this type were produced. The P-61B-20 featured the new General Electric dorsal turret fielding 4 x .50 caliber machine guns and was produced in 84 examples. The P-61B-25 featured an automatically-aimed and fired turret supported by an APG-1 gun-laying radar and integrated computer system - though only six of this type were produced. At least a dozen P-61B models served with the United States Marine Corps under the designation of F2T-1N (serial numbers 52750 through 52761). In an effort to respond to crew reports coming back from the warzone, Northrop put forth the improved P-61C model. While, the aircraft proved a perfect handler in the air and deadly-responsive in a fight (even against smaller fighters), the massive airframe still needed a bit more "juice" both climbing to altitude and in overall speed. The P-61C became the final production version (with production undertaken primarily in 1945) and fitted improved and turbosupercharged systems supplied by General Electric (designated as CH-5) fitted beneath each engine nacelle. Engines were Pratt & Whitney R-2800-73 radial piston types pumping out an astounding 2,800 horsepower each. New and larger propeller systems from Curtiss were installed to each engine for improved high-altitude performance. Top speed was increased to 430 miles per hour at 30,000ft though some longitudinal instability occurred when the aircraft officially exceeded 35,000lbs, adding to the need for more runway distance on takeoff (reported to be at least 3 miles). Despite the added weight of the new improvements, it was justified that the more powerful engines would compensate for the all this. It was rightly feared that the new Widow could, in fact, out-race its intended targets and thusly airbrakes over and under each wing were fitted. Despite the fanciful laundry list of additions, the C-model proved heavier at the controls than previous Widow offerings according to pilots who had flown earlier types. The P-61C model could top speeds of 430 miles-per-hour and cruise at 307 miles-per-hour. Service ceiling leveled at 41,000 feet with a rate-of-climb equal to 2,600 feet-per-minute. Range was listed at 1,725 miles. While a slew were netted for production, the end of the war signified the end of the Black Widow line (for the most part) leading to a cancellation order of 476 unbuilt units after VJ-Day. Some 41 C-models were still produced while some were further developed into a dual-control, two-seat trainer as the TP-61C. Two XP-61Ds existed with turbosupercharged R-2800-14 series radials - intended for improved high altitude operations - but were dropped from production contention when the C-model finally hit the assembly lines and engine issues for the "D" pushed the project back some. As such, no official production P-61 "D" models existed. The XP-61D had reported performance specifications of 430 miles per hour top speed, a cruising speed of 315 miles per hour, a rate-of -climb of 2,500 feet per minute, a service ceiling of 43,000 feet and a range of 1,050 miles. Power was supplied through 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-77 series engines of 2,100 horsepower with 2,800 horsepower attainable via War Emergency Power (WEP). Other Widows The XP-61E became another pair of prototypes designed as daytime long-range escort fighters intended to assist flights of Boeing B-29 Superfortresses in bombing the Japanese mainland. These Widows were built sans the dorsal turret and featured a crew of two in a tandem seating arrangement under a large blown canopy glass. Other features included additional fuel tanks and a nose-mounted battery of 4 x .50 caliber machine guns while the original 4 x 20mm cannons in the ventral position were retained. The rear radar operator's position was taken up by the extra fuel tanks to improve range. Though achieving first flight on November 20th, 1944, this version was cancelled with the end of the war. The XP-61F was a conversion attempt of the P-61C to an XP-61E standard. As the XP-61E was cancelled, so too was the XP-61F along with it. The P-61G were sixteen modified Widows used in meteorological research. The XP-61E had reported performance specifications of 376 miles per hour top speed; a service ceiling of 30,000 feet, a rate-of-climb of 2,500 feet per minute and a range of 2,250 miles. Power was supplied from 2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65 engines of 2,000 horsepower.
model Stuka with cannon: the Rudelmobil