P-61 Black Widow with missile

[pampa14]

I share with you some pictures showing a flying P-61 with a missile under the fuselage. Does anyone know what kind of missile is this and was used operationally? The link also contains photographs of the plane now testing some kind of jet engine. Photos can be viewed by visiting the link below:


Aviação em Floripa: P-61 Black Widow em testes especiais


Best Regards.

 

[fubar57]

According to the caption, the aircraft was a P-61C-1-NO and the missile was a PTV-N-2U Gordon missile, used by the U.S. Navy




Geo

 

[Gnomey]

Interesting shot! Thanks for sharing.

 

[Token]

The first time I went to Pt Mugu I saw one of these images, or one very like them, on a wall in a frame. Turns out the person I was visiting was involved in these tests in 1947 or so. This was a long time ago, but the story I got then was that about a dozen test shots happened with the P-61 / Gorgon combination in the Channel Island target areas (San Nicolas / San Clemente Islands).

T!

(edit) I was thinking that this missile is a US weapon that does not jump out in my mind, and then I realized why. When I think "Gorgon" missile I think of a Russian missile first. For those not familiar, NATO reporting names for Russian missiles (and other hardware) are structured. Missile names starting with "G" are ground to air missiles (and "K" are air to ground, "S" are surface to surface, etc). So even if you don't remember the details when someone says "Goa" or "Gecko" you immediately know it is a surface to air missile.

 

[GregP]

Doesn't look like a P-61 ... looks like an F-15 Reporter that was used to fly around with air-lunched missile models. It was the last "P-61" derivative in service and was retired soon afterward if I have remembered correctly.

This is decidely different from the later F-15 Eagle.

 

[Token]

Doesn't look like a P-61 ... looks like an F-15 Reporter that was used to fly around with air-lunched missile models. It was the last "P-61" derivative in service and was retired soon afterward if I have remembered correctly.

This is decidely different from the later F-15 Eagle.

Greg, there are three sets of pictures on that page, all intermingled. One set is an F-15 Reporter (RF-61A) with an unpowered variant of the Gorgon. One set is a P-61 with a ramjet pack slung underneath. And one set is of a P-61 with the powered PTV-N-2 Gorgon missile.

T!

 

[Milosh]

239754 - P-51B-15-NO
38336 - P-51C-1-NO
559300 - 1st F-15A-1-NO