 | P-61 Black Widow| Aviation Discuss P-61 Black Widow in the World War II - Aviation forums; One of the things it had were slats in place of alerons it had a roll rate equal or better ... |
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02-17-2005, 04:44 PM
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#16 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Boise, Idaho
Posts: 1,178
| One of the things it had were slats in place of alerons it had a roll rate equal or better than anything in the sky according to the AAF.
The turrets were not arodynamicly correct and caused a lot of problems and the speed was lower than desired which is why the P-38M was requested by the AAF | 
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02-17-2005, 05:29 PM
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#17 | | the old Sage
Join Date: May 2004 Location: Platonic Sphere
Posts: 9,511
Country:  | From official US sources on the P-38NF.
The M did not come off the Lockheed Dallas production line till summer of 45 and it appears that the 547th nfs used P-38's for ground attack work. the 12 kills by P-38's were modified G series and day fighter P-38's in as transfers.
the M variant was used in the staes for night fighter training and at war's end most of them were dumped in the scrap pile. Only 4 Lockheed P-38M's made it to the Pacific theater and thse arrived after the cessation of hostilities. After being reassembled in the Phillipines they were tranferred to the 418th nfs in Japan. here they were used in january/February 1946, then the crews and a/c were assigned to the 421st nfs in Fukuoka japan. By march the project and the a/c were goping to the scrap yards............. | |
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02-17-2005, 05:36 PM
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#18 | | "Shooter"
Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Moorpark, CA
Posts: 12,880
Country: | Thanks Erich, I thought I had read somewhere about night kills with the P-38, but not the NF version. Looks like you found the source! 
__________________  http://www.vg-photo.com Wherever their bones may lie, the courage of heroes is consecrated in the hearts and engraved in the history of the free. Lt Col Honner DSO MC, 39th Commander speaking of the dead from the battle of Kokoda. | |
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02-17-2005, 06:13 PM
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#19 | | Der Crewchief
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany
Posts: 30,270
Country:  | He alwasy seems to be the man the man to find it.
__________________  US Army Blackhawk Crewchief 2000-2006 Classic ww2aircraft.net quotes: fly boy said: "isn't that the first jet bomber? becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles" "wait what ok who made the b-2 crash come on people that messed up its a b-2" "ah yes the mistel those things are so annoying is games and in real life" | |
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03-21-2005, 06:28 AM
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#20 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Ploiesti
Posts: 194
Country:  | I always saw the P-61 Blackwidow as a night bomber...It's intresting you say it is a night fighter, did it have the manouvrability of a fighter or did it relly on the cover of darkness to engage it's victims... I know that it was one of the first planes to have an onboard radar which could have made it an effective night fighter but also a bomber... As a fighter it's strong point would have been the crew number(I'm guessing 5, this meaning 5 pears of trained eyes), giving it an advantage in spotting the enemy... My respect to the Widow... | |
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03-21-2005, 11:22 AM
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#21 | | the old Sage
Join Date: May 2004 Location: Platonic Sphere
Posts: 9,511
Country: | The P-61 was a big night fighter and it's best useage was as a night intruder dropping bombs, Napahlm and shooting up ground targets in the ETO and PTO theaters, a job that the a/c did well..... | |
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03-21-2005, 11:32 AM
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#22 | | Der Crewchief
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany
Posts: 30,270
Country: | That it did. It was a robust aircraft but I dont think it would have faired well in a strictly fighter way and deffinatly not as a day fighter.
__________________ US Army Blackhawk Crewchief 2000-2006 Classic ww2aircraft.net quotes: fly boy said: "isn't that the first jet bomber? becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles" "wait what ok who made the b-2 crash come on people that messed up its a b-2" "ah yes the mistel those things are so annoying is games and in real life" | |
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03-21-2005, 11:40 AM
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#23 | | the old Sage
Join Date: May 2004 Location: Platonic Sphere
Posts: 9,511
Country: | The US Af did not have a night fighter except for borrowed RAF equipment and the P-61 was the answer to that | |
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03-21-2005, 12:08 PM
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#24 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Saffron Walden/Sheffield
Posts: 3,001
Country:  | They had the P-70 which was a modified A-20 Boston/Havoc
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When you realise that the light at the end of the tunnel is actually an oncoming train, you know it's time to run for your life | |
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03-21-2005, 12:17 PM
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#25 | | the old Sage
Join Date: May 2004 Location: Platonic Sphere
Posts: 9,511
Country: | still not used as a night fighter but as a ground attack intruder. The A-20-P-70's of the 422nd were used in that role at low altitude to take out major cross sections of rail and MT traffic. Factory installations as well and the A-20 types were on the same field as the P-61A's and B's of the nf unit. | |
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03-21-2005, 12:33 PM
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#26 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 527
| Update. | |
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03-21-2005, 12:34 PM
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#27 | | Der Crewchief
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany
Posts: 30,270
Country: | Didn't they try and make a night fighter P-38?
__________________ US Army Blackhawk Crewchief 2000-2006 Classic ww2aircraft.net quotes: fly boy said: "isn't that the first jet bomber? becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles" "wait what ok who made the b-2 crash come on people that messed up its a b-2" "ah yes the mistel those things are so annoying is games and in real life" | |
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03-21-2005, 12:36 PM
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#28 | | Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Saffron Walden/Sheffield
Posts: 3,001
Country: | The P-70 was used as an interim nightfighter at Henderson Field, I remember a piece on it in Flypast magazine
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When you realise that the light at the end of the tunnel is actually an oncoming train, you know it's time to run for your life | |
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03-21-2005, 12:48 PM
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#29 | | Der Crewchief
Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Ansbach, Germany
Posts: 30,270
Country: | Quote: |
Originally Posted by GT P-61 was arrying up to 4 50cal machine-guns and 4 20mm cannons, and that gave the P-61 a powerful punch and it was assigned to 16 Squadrons during the war.
Cheers
GT | It is quite powerful.
__________________ US Army Blackhawk Crewchief 2000-2006 Classic ww2aircraft.net quotes: fly boy said: "isn't that the first jet bomber? becasue i have flown one in a flight sim before and i know how it handles" "wait what ok who made the b-2 crash come on people that messed up its a b-2" "ah yes the mistel those things are so annoying is games and in real life" | |
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03-21-2005, 12:48 PM
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#30 | | the old Sage
Join Date: May 2004 Location: Platonic Sphere
Posts: 9,511
Country: | and the P-70 was the precussor of the P-61 whcih flew in the night time role.
there was no P-38 night fighter in the war. Day time P-38's were used to score a meagre 12 kills in the squadrons in the PTO. | |
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