Flying The P-61 Series Airplane (1944)

Armed to the teeth with powerful engines, radar, a remotely controlled 50 cal. machine gun turret, and four 20mm canon, the Northrop "Black Widow" Night Fighter was designed to sneak up on unsuspecting prey

• Category

  Science & Technology

[SittingMoose Shaman]

...'s'all cool...be well...

[Barrie Rodliffe]

Ok, I see what you mean now. I misunderstood before, so I am sorry if I seemed a bit argumentative.

[SittingMoose Shaman]

...I apologise if it seemed I was making a weapon comparisons. Only qualifying my answer to a question. My dad had fired both. And the Army took full advantage of this...so did the British Commandos his gun & crew were attached to. However, now that you ask. It'd seem fair to state that these two weapons were somewhat equal in their own right -respective to use...

[Barrie Rodliffe]

I`m a bit puzzled why anyone would compare sniper rifle to an AA weapon, considered to be the best AA gun in the war.

[Barrie Rodliffe]

The Spitfire Mk XIV had a top speed of about 448 mph, Messerschmidt bF 109 K 4 , close to the Spitfire, some figures I have seen, slightly faster, some a bit slower. The late Fw 190 and Ta 152 are also very fast. P 51 437 mph but more important the rate of climb and acceleration lags well behind the Spitfire as well as turning ability

[HeLmFoUnDimAgeS]

My bad, I guess it was just the first American plane. Sorry about that...

[HeLmFoUnDimAgeS]

Not that fast? So what were the specs on the three (Spitfire, Messershmidt, Mustang) anyway? I guess I am a naive person when it comes to such specs; enlighten me please.

[Barrie Rodliffe]

The P 61 was not the first plane with radar, both RAF and Luftwaffe had radar on planes well before the P 61.

[Barrie Rodliffe]

Sorry to spoil your dream, The P 51 was not that fast, and by the time they entered service Spitfire`s had been fighting the best that Germany had, the P 51 D came into service 6 months after the Tempwst V and Spitfire Mk XIV. The trouble with numbers is that USAAF pilots claims included aircraft shot up on the ground Also many claims are not verified by German losses.

[SittingMoose Shaman]

...wot I meant was **...& the expense of ~40 yrs "Cold War".2! My dad -Africa w/Brit. Commandos in '42 -'twas seen as better w/his Springfield M1903A4 than the Bofors.he fired -U.S. Army's "infinite wisdom". All my Uncles were Infantry. One landing w/& actually surviving, the 3rd wave on Omaha. My teen-years bud's dad -a Fallschirmjager sgt. -lost a leg to a Ma-Deuce round. I talked lots w/all 'em.

My Marine son -Afghanistan.

It's the DC's Left Wing LAWYER/POLITICIANS! -NOT our soldiers-Marines!