Northrop P-61 Black Widow
The P-61 Black Widow was the largest plane to ever have the 'prusuit' designation. It was the first American plane designed specifically as a Night Fighter. Its crew consisted of a pilot, radar operator, and a gunner. Either of the three could control the turret, and the pilot could fire the four powerful forward facing cannons. That firepower amounted to more than the F-100 Super Saber, which was a jet used during the Vietnamese war! The -A version of the Black Widow had problems with its dorsal turret, causing bad buffeting. That was fixed in the -B version, which you see here.
Although only 450 Black Widows were produced, they still contributed to the war effort greatly. On December 29, 1944, one Black Widow shot down four Japanese planes on one mission. That pilot finished the war with seven kills, and was the first 'Night Fighter' Ace. The P-61 continued use after World War II through the Vietnam War.
Note the paint flaking off from wear, and the drop tanks.
The Black Widow was nearly invisible during night, when painted gloss black.
Note the rear gunner position. He had many windows to aid in aiming the turret.
| Crew | One pilot, one gunner and one radar operator |
| Armament | Four .50 inch machine guns in turret and 4 20-mm cannon |
| Maximum Speed | 366 |
| Engine | 2 Pratt and Whitney R-2800-65 Double Wasps |
| Other Weapons | 6,400 pounds of bombs, and droptanks |
| Uses | Used in the Pacific theater as a night fighter/bomber |
