Dronescapes
Airman 1st Class
P-61 Black Widow, The First American Night Fighter
View: https://youtube.com/watch?v=a0b2NECF64E&si=49QNmZLmrD1ZNTkk
View: https://youtube.com/watch?v=a0b2NECF64E&si=49QNmZLmrD1ZNTkk
P-61 Black Widow, The First American Night Fighter
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Remember the P-61 didn't see service until the last year of the war, with a long development program. By then, night intercepts had been performed with P-38s, P-51s, Navy F4Fs, F6Fs, SBDs and F-4Us ... some using radar. Both Brits and US used A-20/P-70 Havoc/Bostons as their first radar equipped night fighters. Even Chennault sent up P-40s against Japanese night bombers.
That said, as far as I can tell the P-61 was the first aircraft of any service, any WWII country designed to be a night fighter and see service. (The He-219 started as a high speed bomber)
Not well noted is the role of P-61s as night intruders, especially targeting night trains as the Luftwaffe activity faded. Little is said about their operations against Japan, where they excelled.
That said, as far as I can tell the P-61 was the first aircraft of any service, any WWII country designed to be a night fighter and see service. (The He-219 started as a high speed bomber)
Not well noted is the role of P-61s as night intruders, especially targeting night trains as the Luftwaffe activity faded. Little is said about their operations against Japan, where they excelled.
Erich
the old Sage
corretion the Uhu was never placed to be a bomber. NF only
I beg to differ. Look up Heinkel project notes from any source you want. NASM has the originals on file, obtained from Wright Field. Heinkel first responded to a 1940 RLM requirement for a high speed, high altitude bomber with their P.1055 proposal. When there was no interest, they adapted it to compete for a RLM night fighter request as their proposal P.1056.
Turned down there, they went back to the P.1055 configuration, cleaning it up as the P.1080 proposal, which Heinkel funded themselves to become the He-219, flying in late '42.
Note that the German aviation feuds, rivalries and stubborness of the period delayed the process by at least 2 years.
Even Wikipedia agrees, and there's much more detail from more trustworthy sources.
I'm not aware of any other nightfighters in WWII service designed with that intended role, though I'm always eager to be educated and corrected. Note the best known Japanese a/c in the role, the Nakajima J1N1 "Moonlight" was intended to be an escort fighter then use in the reconnaissance role before fitting with radar.
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Errrmmm. Don't think so.
The RAF had been using AI equipped Blenheims since Aug 1939 and seen its first successful AI radar interception in July 1940 (Blenheim If from the Fighter Interception Unit with the then latest AI Mk.IV). The first radar equipped Beaufighters arrived with the squadrons at the beginning of Sept 1940 and carried out its first operational sortie on 4 Sept 1940. The first Beaufighter radar assisted night fighter kill was achieved on the night of 19/20 Nov 1940.
The first DB-7 aircraft from ex-French contracts started to arrive in Britain in Aug 1940. Then they needed to be converted for use at night, which occurred over the autumn / winter of 1940/41. There were 3 types:-
1. Havoc I (Pandora). 20 aircraft for 93 squadron for use with the Long Aerial Mine (codename Pandora) from Dec 1940. No radar equipment fitted
2. Havoc I Intruder without radar first which went to 23 squadron in March 1941.
3. Havoc I radar equipped night fighter which first went to 85 squadron in Feb 1941.
Thank you. I'm delighted to be corrected, although what I should have said was "among the first" for the RAF. I didn't intend for my statement to be so literal and absolute.
I was aware of the Blenheim/Beaufighter use, and still don't know of a USAAC radar nightfighter before the A-20. I'm always glad to know more and get better information.
While in school at Cambridge in the '80s, I searched out people of interest, including John Cunningham of RAF night fighter note. He mentioned that the Boston was a big improvement over the British planes as it had more room and weight carrying capability, although I don't have the specifics ... just have to rely on a fallible memory.
The key thing is that this all occurred within a few months, and it brings out my abhorrence of absolute terms like First, Fastest, Highest, Best etc. They are bound to produce quibbles and hunts for exceptions, and are the nexus of many bar fights.
Usually in order to justify the absolute term, the proponent resorts to qualifiers and modifiers to the extent the original point is meaningless.
The key thing to note is that "night fighter" has become almost exclusively a WWII term.
There was some nightflying in WWI, mostly over England intercepting Zeppelins and Gothas, but not with electronics.
Little was done between the wars but for Doolittle/Kelsey/Sperry experiments, and Lufthansa/Scadta civil flying improvements.
WWII brought fantastic advances in all aspects of all weather flying, and virtually all aircraft went into the 50s with blind flying capabilities, and military planes with at least radar gun aiming systems. The F3D, F-94, F-89 and F-86D were the last I heard called night fighters, and it became "all weather."
