The heavily-armed Black Widow was this country's first aircraft specifically designed as a night fighter. In the nose, it carried radar equipment which enabled its crew of two or three to locate enemy aircraft in total darkness and fly into proper position to attack. The XP-61 was flight-tested in 1942 and delivery of production aircraft began in late 1943. The P-61 flew its first operational intercept mission as a night intruder over enemy territory. In the Pacific, a Black Widow claimed its first "kill" on the night of July 6, 1944. As P-61s became available, they replaced interim Douglas P-70s in all USAAF night fighter squadrons. During WW II, Northrop built approximately 700 P-61s; 41 of these were -Cs manufactured in the summer of 1945 offering greater speed and capable of operating at higher altitude. Northrop fabricated 36 more Black Widows in 1946 as F-15A unarmed photo-reconnaissance aircraft.
SpecificationsSpan: 66 ft.
Length: 49 ft. 7 in.
Height: 14 ft. 8 in.
Weight: 35,855 lbs. loaded
Armament Four .50-cal. machine guns in upper turret and four 20mm cannons in belly; 6,400 lbs. of bombs
Engines Two Pratt & Whitney R-2800s of 2,100 hp. each
Maximum Speed: 425 mph.
Cruising Speed: 275 mph.
Range: 1,200 miles
Service Ceiling: 46,000 ft
From http://www.angelfire.com/oh3/pmodels/bwidow.htmlConflicting information below, seems a bit more reasonable.
Developed By Country: United States
Designed By Aircraft Manufacturer: Northrop
Design YMD: 1941 01 01
In Service YMD: 1944 01 01
Crew Count: 3
Length Foot: 49.573
Height Foot: 14.633
Wingspan Foot: 66.01
Wing Area Square Foot: 662.304
Loaded Weight Pound: 29 700
Payload Pound: 6 400
Engines Count: 2
Total Engine Horsepower: 4 000
Range Mile: 2 800
Maximum Speed Mile Per Hour: 366
Ceiling Foot: 33 100
Number Produced Count: 706
Has Aircraft Class: Wheeled
Has Aircraft Role: Ground Attack | Bomber | Night Fighter
Has Aircraft Feature: Twin Tail Booms | Twin Tail Fins
Wing Loading Pressure: 218.945 Pa
Aspect Ratio Number: 6.579
Power To Weight Ratio Horsepower Per Ton: 296.799
Estimated Climb Rate Feet Per Minute: 2 221.464
(Continued)