United States
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Width/Span
66.0 ft
(20.11 m)
Empty Wgt
23,451 lb
(10,637 kg)
MTOW
36,200 lb
(16,420 kg)
Wgt Diff
+12,749 lb
(+5,783 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Northrop P-61B Black Widow production variant)
Installed:
2 x Pratt & Whitney R-2800-65 Double-Wasp 18-cylinder radial piston engines developing 2,000 horsepower each and driving four-bladed propeller units.
Max Speed
366 mph
(589 kph | 318 kts)
Ceiling
33,005 ft
(10,060 m | 6 mi)
Range
1,350 mi
(2,172 km | 4,023 nm)
Rate-of-Climb
2,090 ft/min
(637 m/min)
♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Northrop P-61B Black Widow production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
STANDARD:
4 x 0.50 caliber (12.7mm) Browning M2 air-cooled Heavy Machine Guns (HMGs) in radio-controlled dorsal turret (some models featured 2 x HMGs; still others deleted the dorsal turret altogether).
4 x 20mm Hispano M2 automatic cannons in ventral position (fixed forward-firing).
OPTIONAL:
2 OR 4 x 1,600lb bombs underwing (1 x inboard, 1 x outboard of engine to each wing).
6 x 5-inch HVAR unguided aerial rockets underwing.
1 x 1,000 bomb centerline fuselage (some models).
PROPOSED LONG-RANGE ESCORT:
4 x 0.50 caliber Browning M2 HMGs in nose assembly (in place of radar).
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.
The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
This entry's maximum listed speed (366mph).
Graph average of 300 miles-per-hour.
Northrop P-61B Black Widow operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
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Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.