P-61 Black Widow Airplane Model

P-61 Black Widow Airplane ModelNorthrop P 61 Black Widow airplane model. The heavily armed Black Widow was the United States' 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

Northrop P-61 Black Widow airplane model. The heavily armed Black Widow was the United States' 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 fighter in Europe on July 3, 1944, and later was also used 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.

Mahogany wood. Scale: 1/48. Wingspan 16 inches, Length 12 inches.