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In 1945, the USAAF set up a program for a jet night interceptor to replace the P-61. To meet the jet-powered night fighter requirement, Curtiss-Wright proposed a conventional mid wing aircraft with four engines mounted midspan, but adapted specifically for the night fighter role. The company designation of Model 29A was assigned to the project.
P-61 Black Widow; F-15A Reporter was a postwar photographic reconnaissance aircraft developed from the P-61 night fighter. Thirty-six produced; most sent to Japan. Extensive aerial photos were taken of beaches, villages, road networks, and cultural centers.
The first USAAF unit using the P-61 did not move to Britain until February 1944; operational use did not start until the summer, and was limited throughout the war. Colonel Winston Kratz, director of night-fighter training in the USAAF, considered the P-61 as adequate in its role, "It was a good night fighter. It did not have enough speed". [35]
418th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 at McGuire Field [note 3] In New Guinea, the squadron was assigned to Fifth Air Force and initially stationed at Dobodura Airfield in November 1943. It was the first dedicated night interceptor squadron assigned to the Pacific Theater.
P-61 crews discovered that if they could shoot down the lead bomber, the others would jettison their bombs and flee. Black Widows from the 6th and 548th Night Fighter Squadrons downed five additional enemy intruders before the attacks stopped in January 1945. The 6th flew defensive patrols to protect the B-29 bases there until the end of the war.
At the time the P-70 was the only American night fighter available. [5] Besides routine transition training in the night fighter, the pilots also completed calibration, instrument, navigation flights, and numerous target missions in this period. [6] 417th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 in flight over the Bavarian Alps.
It was the last night fighter squadron organized by the Army Air Forces. All later night fighter training was for replacement pilots of existing units. It trained at various airfields in the San Joaquin Valley and was ready to deploy into combat by August. [5] 550th Night Fighter Squadron P-61 Black Widow carrying 310 gallon external wing tanks
The group was the primary night fighter Operational Training Unit (OTU)/Replacement Training Unit (RTU) of the Army Air Forces during World War II. Its mission was to train either new graduates of Training Command advanced flying schools or transition experienced pilots into the P-61 Black Widow night fighter. It trained them in the flight ...