A Modernized Black Widow

[scooter]

Or if you're not nicking the nacelles, the Kinetic Hawkeye comes with scimitars and standard 4 bladed props.  Nope, just standard 4-bladed

[kerick]

Nice black widow graphic!! I will look into the A400.

[scooter]

Nice black widow graphic!! I will look into the A400.

Thanks, just something I tossed off with Second Life, a couple of Google image searches and Paint.net 

[kerick]

I checked the A400 and the Kinetic Hawkeye and they run $60 or more.  I think I will try to make my own first. I would make one and cast 11 more. Probably be $ ahead.

[pyro-manic]

Why not ask in the trading section if anyone has a set of props spare from an A400 kit?

[kerick]

Good thinkn'! I would have figured that out sooner or later. Probably later after trying to make my own.

[wuzak]

First part of the back story-

With the end of World War 2, the USAAF identified the need to keep a dedicated night fighter in service, and selected the P-61A/B Black Widow to continue on in that role.  However, being a wartime build, the airframes were tired, overstressed, and not built for extended service life.  Northrop, at the urging of former IX AF commander General Carl "Tooey" Spaatz, submitted a bid to zero-time the existing aircraft, while submitting a second bid to reopen the Black Widow production line.  With the bid accepted, Black Widows began rotating through Northrop's El Segundo plant.  Rebuilt Black Widows were assigned throughout the USAAF and early USAF to Continental Air Command and US Air Force Europe, and designated F-61Cs along with new build Black Widows.

With the invasion of South Korea by the North, F-61s squadrons rotated through assignment with the Far East Air Force.  With F-51 and F-80 losses beginning to mount from ground fire close air support missions, FEAF wing commanders began looking at using the F-61s in the close air role, something that the airframe did briefly during the previous war.  Even though it was a moderately successful night interceptor, earning two MiG kills in dawn dogfights, the Widow earned its keep as a close air platform, and spent the rest of the conflict in that role.

Hi Scooter.

There was a P-61C. It had turbocharged R-2800s and was substantially faster than the P-61A/B (430mph vs 366mph). But built in limited numbers.

It also required some rework of the nacelles.

There was also an XP-61D and a P-61E. The latter was a day fighter with 4 x 0.50" mgs in the nose in the place of the rader and a single piece bubble canopy over the pilot and observer/navigator (I can't think what else he could do without the radar). Not sure about the D.

[wuzak]

It occurs to me that if you're going with turboprops, you won't need the leading edge intakes either. ( oil
coolers? No idea what they are ) which would free up space in the wings for more fuel, or more guns.

The intakes in the leading edge of the P-61 were for the oil cooler, the intercooler and the engine intake.

[wuzak]

  It occurs to me that if you're going with turboprops, you won't need the leading edge intakes either. ( oil
coolers? No idea what they are ) which would free up space in the wings for more fuel, or more guns.

Turboprops also use oil coolers. The oil is the hydraulic fluid that is used to move the variable pitch props. It is constantly moving through the props under pressure and heats up.

Possibly more imporantly, oil is used to lubricate the bearings. Engine won't last long if the oil overheats and breaks down.

[jsport]

Hope you haven't forgot this cool concept Mr. Scooter