Variants
| Designation | Changes from previous model |
|---|---|
| XP-61 | The first two prototypes. |
| YP-61 | Pre-production series; 13 built. |
| P-61A-1 | First production version, R-2800-10 engines producing 2,000 hp (1,491 kW); 45 built, the last seven without the turret. |
| P-61A-5 | No turret, R-2800-65 engines producing 2,250 hp (1,678 kW); 35 built. |
| P-61A-10 | Water injection to increase duration of maximum power output; 100 built. |
| P-61A-11 | One hardpoint under each wing for bombs or fuel tanks; 20 built. |
| P-61B-1 | Nose stretched 8 in (20 cm), SCR-695 tail warning radar; 62 built. |
| P-61B-2 | Reinstated underwing hardpoints as on P-61A-11; 38 built. |
| P-61B-10 | Four underwing hardpoints; 46 built. |
| P-61B-11 | Reinstated turret with two 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns; five built. |
| P-61B-15 | Turret with four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns; 153 built. |
| P-61B-16 | Turret armament reduced to two machine guns; six built. |
| P-61B-20 | New General Electric turret with four machine guns; 84 built. |
| P-61B-25 | Turret automatically aimed and fired by the APG-1 gun-laying radar connected to an analogue computer; six built. |
| P-61C | Turbosupercharged R-2800-73 engines producing 2,800 hp (2,088 kW), top speed increased to 430 mph (374 kn, 692 km/h) at 30,000 ft (9,145 m). However, the aircraft suffered from longitudinal instability at weights above 35,000 lb (15,875 kg) and from excessive takeoff runs—up to 3 mi (5 km) at a 40,000 lb (18,143 kg) takeoff weight; 41 built, 476 more cancelled after the end of the war. |
| TP-61C | P-61Cs converted to dual-control training aircraft. |
| XP-61D | One P-61A-5 (number 42-5559) and one P-61A-10 (number 42-5587) fitted with turbosupercharged R-2800-14 engines; cancelled when P-61C entered production. |
| XP-61E | Two P-61B-10s (numbers 42-39549 and 42-39557) converted to daytime long-range escort fighters. Tandem crew sat under a blown canopy which replaced the turret, additional fuel tanks were installed in place of the radar operator's cockpit in the rear of the fuselage pod, and four 0.50 in (12.7 mm) machine guns took place of the radar in the nose (the 20 mm/.79 in ventral cannon were retained as well). First flight 20 November 1944, cancelled after the war ended. The first prototype was converted to an XF-15, the second lost in take-off accident 11 April 1945. |
| XP-61F | Abandoned conversion of one P-61C to XP-61E standard. |
| P-61G | Sixteen P-61B converted for meteorological research. |
| F-15A Reporter | Photoreconnaissance variant with a new center pod with pilot and camera operator seated in tandem under a single bubble canopy, and six cameras taking place of radar in the nose. Powered by the same turbosupercharged R-2800-73 engines as the P-61C. The first prototype XF-15 was converted from the first XP-61E prototype, the second XF-15A was converted from a P-61C (number 43-8335). The aircraft had a takeoff weight of 32,145 lb (14,580 kg) and a top speed of 440 mph (382 kn, 708 km/h). Only 36 of the 175 ordered F-15As were built before the end of the war. After formation of the United States Air Force in 1947, F-15A was redesignated RF-61C. F-15As were responsible for most of the aerial maps of North Korea used at the start of the Korean War. |
| F2T-1N | Twelve USAAF P-61B's transferred to the United States Marine Corps. |
All models and variants of the P-61 were produced at Northrop's Hawthorne, California manufacturing plant.
Read more about this topic: Northrop P-61 Black Widow
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