Northrop P-61 must lesk - fotod ja video

2007 Northrop P-61 must lesk, named for the American spider, was the first operational U.S. warplane designed as a night fighter, and the first aircraft designed to use radar. The P-61 had a crew of three: pilot, gunner, and radar operator. It was armed with four 20 mm (.79 in) Hispano M2 forward-firing cannons mounted in the lower fuselage, and four .50 in (12.7 mm) M2 Browning machine guns mounted in a remote-controlled dorsal gun turret. It was an all-metal, twin-engine, twin-boom design developed during World War II. The first test flight was made on May 26, 1942, with the first production aircraft rolling off the assembly line in October 1943. The last aircraft was retired from government service in 1954.

Allikas: Northrop P-61 must lesk Vikipeedias

2007 Northrop P-61 must lesk was a groundbreaking aircraft in the history of aviation. It was the first U.S. warplane designed specifically as a night fighter, equipped with an advanced airborne radar system that enabled it to locate and destroy enemy aircraft in darkness and bad weather. The P-61 had a distinctive twin-boom design, with a crew of three: pilot, radar operator and gunner. It was armed with four 20 mm cannons in the lower fuselage and four .50 caliber machine guns in a remote-controlled turret on top of the center section.
2007 P-61 nägi võitlust kõigis Teise maailmasõja teatrites, Euroopast Vaikse ookeanini, kus see osutus Jaapani pommitajate ja võitlejate jaoks tohutuks vastaseks. P-61 tegi ka muid missioone, nagu maapealne rünnak, tutvumine ja elektrooniline sõjapidamine. P-61 kõrvaldati teenistusest 1954. aastal pärast lühikest sõjajärgset karjääri iga ilmaga pealtkuulajana. P-61 must lesk oli inseneriteaduse ja innovatsiooni märkimisväärne saavutus ning tunnistus Northrop Corporationi visioonist ja oskustest.