2194days

Aircraft · United States · 1944-1945

Northrop P-61 Black Widow

night fighter

The first American aircraft designed from the outset as a radar-equipped night fighter, the twin-boom, all-black Black Widow hunted German night raiders over Europe and Japanese aircraft over the Pacific alike, carrying its own onboard radar operator to find targets invisible to the naked eye. It scored the last confirmed US air victory of the war, downing a Japanese aircraft hours before the surrender.

Wikipedia

crew2-3
top speed589 km/h
armament4x 20mm cannon, 4x .50cal MG
produced706

Western Europe, Mediterranean and North Africa, Pacific

Northrop P-61. 1940's -- NORTHROP P-61 "Black Widow" in flight. Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter had pilot, radar operator, and gunner. (U.S. Air Force photo)
Northrop P-61. 1940's -- NORTHROP P-61 "Black Widow" in flight. Northrop P-61 Black Widow night fighter had pilot, radar operator, and gunner. (U.S. Air Force photo)Unknown · Public domain · source
318th FIghter Squadron Northrop P-61B-20-NO Black Widow 43-8279, Hamilton Field, California, December 1947. This aircraft was struck from the USAF inventory on 20 December 1948
318th FIghter Squadron Northrop P-61B-20-NO Black Widow 43-8279, Hamilton Field, California, December 1947. This aircraft was struck from the USAF inventory on 20 December 1948United States Air Force · Public domain · source
P-61 in 1944 in support of D-Day (Courtesy: USAF)
P-61 in 1944 in support of D-Day (Courtesy: USAF)USAAF · Public domain · source