Northrop P-61 Black Widow
The Northrop P-61 Black Widow was the first US aircraft designed specifically as a night fighter. Its crew used onboard radar to find enemy aircraft in darkness, while the twin-boom airframe housed heavy cannon and machine-gun armament. Black Widows served in both Europe and the Pacific, where their radar and endurance made them effective against night raids. The all-black paint scheme and large radar nose inspired one of the most evocative names in wartime aviation.
Did you know?
The Black Widow was the first US aircraft purpose-built as a night fighter, using onboard radar to find enemy aircraft in darkness.
Specifications
| Length | 15.1 m (50 ft) |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 20.1 m (66 ft) |
| Height | 4.5 m (15 ft) |
| Persons on board | 3 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Maximum take-off weight | 16.4 t |
| Range | 1,000 NM (1,852 km) |
| Maximum speed | 366 kt (678 km/h) |
| Service ceiling | 33,000 ft (10,058 m) |
| Rate of climb | 2,090 ft/min (10.6 m/s) |
| Fuel capacity | 2,300 l |
| Engines | 2x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65 |
| Units built | 742 |
Curated by CatchFlights from manufacturer documents, ICAO Doc 8643 and reference works; values are left out where no source could confirm them. Sources are listed on our credits page.
In CatchFlights
In CatchFlights the Northrop P-61 Black Widow starts as a Legendary catch. The tier is an editorial judgement of how special a sighting of this type is. The more often you catch it, the closer it moves to Common for you. The first catch of a legendary type pays a bonus of its own.
A catch counts for the manufacturer Northrop, the P-61 Black Widow family and the model in your collection, and the daily Type Rating quiz asks about the types of each family.
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