P-61 Black Widow

Power Generation

2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65W Double Wasp 18-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 2,250 hp (1,680 kW) each

Propulsion

4-bladed Curtiss Electric constant-speed feathering propellers, 12 ft 2 in (3.72 m) diameter

Weapons & Armament

Guns: ** 4 × 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano AN/M2 cannon in the ventral fuselage, 200 rounds per gun 4 × .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in remotely operated, full-traverse upper turret, 560 rpg
Bombs: for ground attack, four bombs of up to 1,600 lb (726 kg) each or six 5-in (127 mm) HVAR unguided rockets could be carried under the wings. Some aircraft could also carry one 1,000 lb (454 kg) bomb under the fuselage.
Remote turret The XP-61's spine-mounted dorsal remote turret could be aimed and fired by the gunner or radar operator, who both had aiming control and gyroscopic collimator sighting posts attached to their swiveling seats, or could be locked forward to be fired by the pilot in addition to the 20 mm (.79 in) cannon. The radar operator could rotate the turret to engage targets behind the aircraft. Capable of a full 360° rotation and 90° elevation, the turret could be used to engage any target in the hemisphere above and to the sides of the XP-61. A brief assessment of the turret by the British Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment in 1944 found problems with the aiming and "jerky movement" of the guns.

Sensors

SCR-720 radar
The production model of the SCR-720A mounted a scanning radio transmitter in the aircraft nose; in Airborne Intercept mode, it had a range of nearly five miles (8 km). The unit could also function as an airborne beacon / homing device, navigational aid, or in concert with interrogator-responder IFF units. The XP-61's radar operator located targets on his scope and steered the unit to track them, vectoring and steering the pilot to the radar target via oral instruction and correction. Once within range, the pilot used a smaller scope integrated into the main instrument panel to track and close on the target.

Nickname

Black Widow

Owning Organization

The United States Republic

Price

Unit cost US$190,000

Length

49 ft 7 in (15.11 m)

Height

14 ft 8 in (4.47 m)

Weight

66 ft 0 in (20.12 m)

Speed

366 mph (589 km/h, 318 kn) at 20,000 ft (6,100 m)

Complement / Crew

2–3 (pilot, radar operator, optional gunner)