In September 1940, the Tizard Mission traded British research, including the cavity magnetron, that would make self-contained interception radar installations practicable, for American production. General Emmons was informed of the new Airborne Intercept radar (AI for short), a self-contained unit that could be installed in aircraft and operated independently of ground stations. Emmons, was briefed on British research in radar (RAdio Detection And Ranging), which had been underway since 1935 and had played an important role in the nation's defense against the Luftwaffe during the Battle of Britain. Air Officer in London, Lieutenant General Delos C. In August 1940, 16 months before the United States entered the war, the U.S. Origins Close-up view of the P-61 radar operator's compartment in the rear of the fuselage, East Field, Saipan, Mariana Islands, 20 July 1944. ( August 2020) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. This section needs additional citations for verification. The P-61 was also modified to create the F-15 Reporter photo-reconnaissance aircraft for the United States Army Air Forces and subsequently the United States Air Force. On the night of 14 August 1945, a P-61B of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron named Lady in the Dark was unofficially credited with the last Allied air victory before VJ Day. The last aircraft was retired from government service in 1954. After the war, the P-61 was redesignated as the F-61 and served in the United States Air Force as a long-range, all-weather, day/night interceptor for Air Defense Command until 1948, and for the Fifth Air Force until 1950. It replaced earlier British-designed night-fighter aircraft that had been updated to incorporate radar when it became available. Developed during the war, the first test flight was made on May 26, 1942, with the first production aircraft rolling off the assembly line in October 1943.Īlthough not produced in the large numbers of its contemporaries, the Black Widow was operated effectively as a night fighter by United States Army Air Forces squadrons in the European Theater, Pacific Theater, China Burma India Theater, and Mediterranean Theater during World War II. 50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns in a dorsal gun turret. Named for the North American spider Latrodectus mactans, it was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design armed with four forward-firing 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano M2 autocannon in the lower fuselage, and four. The Parts Catalog for the P-51D and P-51K on this date has entries for both the Schick-Johnson AND the Warren-McArthur seats.īoth seat variations are also listed in the later revisions of the Parts Catalog from:Ģ (Parts Catalog for F-51D, TF-51D, and F-51K)įrom this info, it's pretty clear that these seats were used interchangeably for the majority of the history of the P-51.The Northrop P-61 Black Widow is a twin-engine United States Army Air Forces fighter aircraft of World War II. This parts catalog lists drawing 106-53009 as the seat assembly, which is the bucket seat variation The link below to this manual has a revision date of 2, but the page showing the seat remained un-revised in Oct-1944. On this drawing which resembles the Schick-Johnson seat, there also a note that some parts may be procured from Warren-McArthur.Ģ5-July-1944 - Two months later, the initial version of the P-51D specific parts catalog is released showing the Warren McArthur seat for the first time. This parts catalog lists drawing number 102-53009 for the pilot seat installation. The reinforcement is to "reduce the possibility of cracking or breaking the back of the pilot's seat, when extreme pressure is applied" - likely due to the presence of the plywood backing.ġ-June-1944 - About 8 months later, the Parts Catalog dealing with the P-51B-1, -5, -10, -15, and the P-51C-1, -5, and -10 also illustrates the Schick-Johnson style seat. One year later a short Tech Order is released detailing the reinforcement of the pilot seat (the illustration of which also bears similarity to the Schick-Johnson seat). After doing a deep dive into both the manuals and drawings for the P-51, I recorded this trail in chronological order:Ģ -The Preliminary Maintenance Manual for the A-36A "Mustang" shows a plywood pilot seat that is similar in appearance to the Schick-Johnson seat.
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