View source for Northrop F-15 Reporter

{{short description|Photo-reconnaissance variant of the P-61 Black Widow}}{{Not to be confused with|McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle}}<!-- This article is a part of [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft]]. Please see [[Wikipedia:WikiProject Aircraft/page content]] for recommended layout. -->
{{Use American English|date=October 2024}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox aircraft
 |name = F-15A / RF-61C Reporter
 |image = File:P-61 aka F-15A bw.jpg
 |caption = An F-15A later used in "Operation Thunderstorm"
 |type = Photographic [[reconnaissance]]
 |national_origin= United States
 |manufacturer = [[Northrop Corporation]]
 |designer =
 |first_flight = 3 July 1945
 |status=Retired
 |introduction =
 |retired = 1968
 |primary_user = [[United States Air Force]]
 |more_users =
 |number_built = 36
 |unit cost =
 |developed_from= [[Northrop P-61 Black Widow]]
 |variants =
}}

The '''Northrop F-15 Reporter''' (later '''RF-61''') was an American unarmed photographic [[reconnaissance aircraft]]. Based on the [[Northrop Corporation|Northrop]] [[Northrop P-61 Black Widow|P-61 Black Widow]] night fighter, it was the last piston-powered photo-reconnaissance aircraft designed and produced for the [[United States Air Force]].<ref name="Johnson 30–44">{{cite magazine |last=Johnson |first=Bob |title=Seeing Eye Widow |magazine=Scale Modeler |volume=11 |issue=2 |date=February 1976 |pages=30–44}}</ref> Though produced in limited quantities, and with a relatively short service life, the F-15's aerial photographs of the [[Korean Peninsula]] would prove vital in 1950, when [[North Korea]] invaded the south.<ref name="Thompson WoF p84-85">Thompson 1999, pp. 84–85: Note: "Their photos of Korea were invaluable to the UN forces during the first few weeks of that war. It was not until the Marine photo version F7F-3P Tigercat made its sweeps over Inchon that any additional pictures were taken."</ref>

==Design and development==
The F-15 Reporter was created when the guns were removed from the experimental XP-61E, the last fighter variant of the P-61 Black Widow. With less than six months flying time, the first XP-61E was taken back to the Northrop modification shop where it was converted into an unarmed photographic reconnaissance aircraft. All the guns were removed, and a new nose was fitted, capable of holding an assortment of aerial cameras. The aircraft, redesignated XF-15, flew for the first time on 3 July 1945, with Northrop test pilot L. A. "Slim" Parrett at the controls. A P-61C-1-NO (serial number 42-8335) was also modified to XF-15 standards as the XF-15A. Apart from the turbosupercharged R-2800-C engines, it was identical to the XF-15 and flew for the first time on 17 October 1945. For unknown reasons Northrop subcontracted the nose for the F-15A to the [[Hughes Tool Company]]<ref name="Pape, Garry R. pp. 104-108">Pape, Garry R., John M. and Donna Campbell. ''Northrop P-61 Black Widow - The Complete History and Combat Record'', pp. 104–108</ref> of [[Culver City, California]]. The F-15A used the existing P-61C wings (without fighter brakes), engines and tail sections but with an entirely new, more streamlined fuselage housing a crew of two under a continuous bubble-canopy.

As a result of continuing development trouble with the [[Howard Hughes]]-designed [[Hughes XF-11|XF-11]], the staff of the Army Air Force Headquarters determined an immediate need for 320 F-15 Reporters. Even before the first flight of the XF-15 an initial contract for 175 aircraft was signed in June 1945. Following testing it was determined that the F-15 Reporter possessed similar performance and flight characteristics to the troublesome XF-11, despite the Reporter being powered by less powerful engines, and using mostly pre-existing parts. This spelled the end to further development of the XF-11.<ref name="Johnson 30–44"/>

The first production F-15A was accepted in September 1946. However, the contract was abruptly canceled in 1947, possibly because the performance of the aircraft was rapidly being overshadowed by jets, with the last of only 36 examples being accepted by the [[United States Army Air Forces]] in April of that year. The last F-15 to be produced (serial number 45-59335) was produced as an F-15A-5-NO, which differed from the Block-1 version mainly in having a new internal camera installation in the nose. It seems that this change had been contemplated for the last 20 F-15s as well, since some records indicate that these were all eventually re-designated as F-15A-5-NO.<ref name="Pape, Garry R. pp. 104-108"/>

==Design==
The F-15 had a revised center pod with pilot and camera operator seated in tandem under a single [[bubble canopy]]. The first XP-61E, from which the first XF-15 was converted, had the canopy hinged to the side, while all subsequent XF-15 and production F-15 employed a sliding canopy. The aircraft's six cameras were placed in an elongated nose, replacing the XP-61Es four guns. Production F-15A were powered by the same turbosupercharged R-2800-73 engines as the P-61C. The aircraft had a takeoff weight of 32,145&nbsp;lb (14,580&nbsp;kg) and a top speed of 440&nbsp;mph (382&nbsp;kn, 708&nbsp;km/h) at 33,000&nbsp;ft (10,058&nbsp;m). In the end, only 36 of the 175 ordered F-15As were built, and all were constructed from aircraft originally contracted to be built as P-61C.<ref name="Pape, Garry R. pp. 104-108"/>

==Operational history==
Of the 36 F-15As produced, nine were allocated to the Air Material Command in the Continental U.S., and the remainder were issued to just one squadron, the [[8th Flying Training Squadron|8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron]] (PRS) attached to the 35th Fighter Group in [[Japan]]. The first four were sent over by ship, arriving in March 1947 at the Japan Air Material Area (JAMA), [[Kisarazu, Chiba|Kisarazu]], Japan. Their voyage had not been smooth, and three of the four were in such bad shape that they were used for spare parts.<ref name="Pape, Garry R. pp. 104-108"/>

Of the nine F-15A allocated to Air Material Command, several were operated for a short time by the [[Pennsylvania Air National Guard]] from their base in [[Harrisburg, Pennsylvania]], before they too were scrapped.

===Mapping of Korea===
During their operational lifetime F-15As, mostly operating from bases in Japan, were responsible for most of the aerial maps of [[North Korea]] used at the start of the [[Korean War]]. These photographs were to prove extremely valuable, as it was not until the arrival of Marine photo-reconnaissance [[Grumman F7F Tigercat|F7F]]-3P in late 1950 that additional photographs of the peninsula could be made, and then only under constant threat from attacking North Korean MiGs.<ref name="Thompson WoF p84-85"/>

===Civilian use===
Some surviving F-15As were offered to civilian governmental agencies, or declared surplus and offered for sale on the commercial market.

An F-15A (s/n 45-59300) was used by NACA at Moffett Field in California to test some early swept-wing designs by dropping recoverable aerodynamic test bodies from high altitude. This program was later joined by F-61C serial number 43-8330, borrowed from the Smithsonian Institution for the duration of the tests. These drops were carried out over Edwards Air Force Base in the Mojave Desert in California.<ref>Pape, Garry R., John M. and Donna Campbell. ''Northrop P-61 Black Widow - The Complete History and Combat Record'', pp. 118–121</ref>

[[File:Northrop F-15A Air Tanker (4790013861).jpg|thumb|]]

The last flying example of the entire P-61 line was a rare F-15A Reporter (RF-61C) (s/n 45-59300), the first production model Reporter to be built. The aircraft was completed on 15 May 1946, and served with the [[United States Army Air Forces|USAAF]] and later the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] until 6 February 1948, when it was reassigned to the [[Ames Research Center|Ames Aeronautical Laboratory]] at [[Moffett Federal Airfield|Moffett Field]] in [[California]]. There it was reconfigured to serve as a launch vehicle for air dropped scale models of experimental aircraft. It served in this capacity until 1953, when it was replaced by a mammoth wind tunnel used for the same testing. In April, 1955, the F-15 was declared surplus along with a "spare parts" F-61C (s/n 43-8357). The F-15 was sold, along with the parts P-61, to Steward-Davis Incorporated of [[Gardena, California]], and given the civilian registration N5093V. Unable to sell the P-61C, Steward-Davis scrapped it in 1957. Steward-Davis made several modifications to the Reporter to make it suitable for aerial survey work, including switching to a canopy taken from a [[Lockheed T-33|T-33]], and to propellers taken from an older P-61. The plane was sold in September, 1956 to Compania Mexicana Aerofoto S. A. of [[Mexico City]] and assigned the Mexican registration XB-FUJ. In Mexico, the Reporter was used for aerial survey work, the very role for which it was originally designed. It was bought by Aero Enterprises Inc. of Willits, California and returned to the US in January 1964 carrying the civilian registration number N9768Z. The fuselage tank and turbosupercharger intercoolers were removed; and the plane was fitted with a 1,600&nbsp;gal (6,056&nbsp;L) chemical tank for fire-fighting. It was purchased by Cal-Nat of [[Fresno, California]] at the end of 1964, which operated it as a firefighting aircraft for the next 3{{fraction|1|2}} years. In March 1968, the F-15 was purchased by TBM, Inc., an aerial firefighting company located in [[Tulare, California]] (the company's name representing the [[Grumman TBF Avenger|TBM Avenger]], their primary equipment), who performed additional modifications on the aircraft to improve its performance, including experimenting with several types of propellers before deciding on Curtiss Electric type 34 propellers taken from a late model Lockheed Constellation.<ref name="Johnson 30–44"/>

On 6 September 1968, Ralph Ponte, one of three civilian pilots to hold a rating for the F-15, was flying a series of routine [[Phos-Chek]] drops on a fire raging near [[Hollister, California]]. In an effort to reduce his return time Ponte opted to reload at a small airfield nearer the fire. The runway was shorter than the one in Fresno, and despite Ponte reducing his load, hot air from the nearby fire reduced the surrounding air pressure and rendered the aircraft overweight. Even at full power the Reporter had not rotated after clearing the 3,500&nbsp;ft (1,067&nbsp;m) marker, and Ponte quickly decided to abort his takeoff. He made every effort to control the hurtling craft, but the Reporter careened off the runway and through a vegetable patch, before striking an embankment which tore off the landing gear. The aircraft then slid sideways, broke up, and caught fire. Ponte scrambled through the shattered canopy unhurt, while a firefighting TBM Avenger dropped its load of Phos-Chek on the plane's two engines, possibly saving Ponte's life. The F-15 was deemed too badly damaged to rebuild, and was soon scrapped, bringing an end to the aircraft's career.<ref name="Johnson 30–44"/>

==Variants==
[[File:F15a.jpg|thumb|F-15A]]

;XF-15 : The first [[prototype]], converted from the first XP-61E.
;XF-15A : The second prototype, converted from a P-61C (number 43-8335).
;F-15A Reporter
: Photoreconnaissance variant with a new center pod with pilot and camera operator seated in tandem under a single [[bubble canopy]], and six cameras taking place of radar in the nose. Powered by the same turbosupercharged R-2800-73 engines as the P-61C. The aircraft had a takeoff weight of 32,145&nbsp;lb (14,580&nbsp;kg) and a top speed of 440&nbsp;mph (382&nbsp;kn, 708&nbsp;km/h). Only 36 of the 175 ordered F-15As were built before the end of the war. After formation of the [[United States Air Force]] in 1947, F-15A was [[United States military aircraft designation systems|redesignated]] '''RF-61C'''. F-15As were responsible for most of the aerial maps of [[North Korea]] used at the start of the [[Korean War]].<ref name="Thompson WoF p84-85"/>
;RF-61C Reporter : USAF designation for the F-15C from 1948 onwards.

==Operators==
<ref>[http://virgin-widow.com/units.html P-61 units] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090623131548/http://virgin-widow.com/units.html |date=2009-06-23 }}</ref>
;{{USA}}
* [[United States Air Force]]
** [[Eleventh Air Force|Alaskan Air Command]]
*** [[449th Fighter Interceptor Squadron|449th Fighter Squadron (All Weather)]].  Formed from equipment and personnel of [[415th Tactical Fighter Squadron|415th Night Fighter Squadron]] at [[Adak Airport|Adak Air Field]], [[Aleutian Islands]], [[Alaska]] on 1 Sep 1947.  Later transitioned to [[North American F-82 Twin Mustang|F-82 Twin Mustang]] in mid-1948.
*** [[8th Flying Training Squadron|8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron]].  Flew F-15A (RF-61C) Reporter (1947–1949) from Johnson AB, Japan. Aircraft reassigned to [[82d Reconnaissance Squadron|82d Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron]] until inactivated on 1 Apr 1949
** [[Strategic Air Command|Continental Air Forces]]
*** [[57th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron|57th Reconnaissance Squadron]] and [[58th Weather Reconnaissance Squadron|58th Reconnaissance Squadron]]. Performed Weather Reconnaissance training at [[Ellsworth Air Force Base|Rapid City AAF]], [[South Dakota]]  (July 1945-Jan 1946).

==Specifications (F-15A Reporter)==
[[File:Northrop F-15 Reporter 3-view line drawing.png|frameless|right|3-view line drawing of the Northrop F-15 Reporter]]

{{Aircraft specs
|ref=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947<ref name=JAWA1947>{{cite book |title=Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1947 |editor1-last=Bridgman |editor1-first=Leonard |year=1947 |publisher=Sampson Low, Marston & Co |location=London |page=276c}}</ref>
|prime units?=imp
<!--
        General characteristics
-->
|crew=
|length m=15.31
|span m=20.12
|height m=2.79
|wing area sqft=664
|aspect ratio=<!-- sailplanes -->
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=
|empty weight note=
|gross weight lb=28000
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity={{convert|500|USgal|impgal l|abbr=on}} in fuselage main tank with secondary tanks in the wings, plus provision for drop tanks under inner and outer wings
|more general=
<!--
        Powerplant
-->
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name=[[Pratt & Whitney R-2800-C Double Wasp]]
|eng1 type=18-cyl. air-cooled radial piston engines
|eng1 hp=2100

|prop blade number=4
|prop name=Curtiss Electric
|prop dia m=3.86
|prop dia note=fully feathering airscrews
<!--
        Performance
-->
|max speed mph=440
|max speed note=plus
*'''Landing speed:''' {{convert|80|mph|kn km/h|abbr=on}}
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|minimum control speed kmh=
|minimum control speed mph=
|minimum control speed kts=
|minimum control speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=
|range nmi=
|range note=
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range miles=4000
|ferry range note=with drop tanks
|endurance=<!-- if range unknown -->
|ceiling ft=35000
|ceiling note=plus
|g limits=<!-- aerobatic -->
|roll rate=<!-- aerobatic -->
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=45.18
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=6.66 lb/hp (4.05 kg/kW)
|more performance=

|avionics=
}}

==See also==
{{Aircontent
|related=
* [[Northrop P-61 Black Widow]]
|similar aircraft=
* [[Grumman F7F Tigercat|Grumman F7F-3P Tigercat]]
* [[Hughes XF-11]]
* [[Lockheed P-38 Lightning|Lockheed F-4/F-5 Lightning]]
|lists=
* [[List of military aircraft of the United States]]
|see also=
}}

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist|2}}

===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
* Balous, Miroslav. ''Northrop P-61 Black Widow & F-15 Reporter''(bilingual Czech and English). Prague, Czech Republic: MBI Publications, 2nd edition 2003. {{ISBN|80-86524-04-3}}.
* Bridgeman, Leonard. "The Northrop Black Widow." ''Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of World War II''. London: Studio, 1946. {{ISBN|1-85170-493-0}}.
* Davis, Larry and Dave Menard. ''P-61 Black Widow in Action (Aircraft number 106)''. Carrollton, Texas: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1990. {{ISBN|0-89747-248-9}}.
* Jackson, Robert. ''The Encyclopedia of Military Aircraft''. Bath, UK: Parragon Publishing, 2006. {{ISBN|1-4054-2465-6}}.
* {{cite magazine |last=Johnson |first=Bob |title=Seeing Eye Widow |magazine=Scale Modeler |volume=11 |issue=2 |date=February 1976 |pages=30–44}}
* Johnsen, Frederick A. ''Darkly Dangerous: The Northrop P-61 Black Widow Night Fighter''. Washington, DC: Bomber Books, 1981. {{oclc|11043715}}.
* Kolln, Jeff. ''Northrop's Night Hunter: P-61 Black Widow''. North Branch, MN: Specialty Press, 2008. {{ISBN|1-58007-122-8}}.
* Kolln, Jeff. ''The 421st Night Fighter Squadron in World War II''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Military Books, 2001. {{ISBN|0-7643-1306-1}}.
* Pape, Garry R., John M. and Donna Campbell. ''Northrop P-61 Black Widow - The Complete History and Combat Record''. St. Paul, Minnesota: Motorbooks International, 1991. {{ISBN|0-87938-509-X}}.
* Pape, Garry R. and Ronald C. Harrison. ''Queen of the Midnight Skies: The Story of America's Air Force Night Fighters''. Atglen, Pennsylvania: Schiffer Publishing, 1992. {{ISBN|0-88740-415-4}}.
* Shulenberger, Eric. ''Deny Them the Night Sky - A History of the 548th Night Fighter Squadron''. Seattle, Washington: Shulenberger Publishing, 2005. {{ISBN|978-0-9767355-0-2}}.
* Thompson, Warren. ''P-61 Black Widow Units of World War 2''. Botley, Oxford, UK: Osprey Publishing, 1998. {{ISBN|1-85532-725-2}}.
* Thompson, Warren. ''Northrop P-61 Black Widow: WarbirdTech Volume 15''. North Branch, MN: Specialty Press, 1998. {{ISBN|0-933424-80-9}}.
* Thompson, Warren. "Northrop P-61 Black Widow". ''Wings of Fame''. Volume 15, 1999, pp.&nbsp;36–101. London: Aerospace. {{ISBN|1-86184-033-0}}.
* Wilson, Stewart. ''Aircraft of WWII''. Fyshwick, ACT, Australia: Aerospace Publications Pty. Ltd., 1998. {{ISBN|1-875671-35-8}}.
* Zbiegniewski, Andre R. ''421 NFS 1943–1947'' (Bilingual Polish and English). Lublin, Poland: Kagero, 2004. {{ISBN|83-89088-47-9}}.
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commonscat|Northrop F-15 Reporter}}
* [http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_fighters/p61_7.html Joe Baugher's F-15 page]

{{Northrop aircraft}}
{{USAF fighters}}
{{USAAF reconnaissance aircraft}}

[[Category:Northrop aircraft|F-015 Reporter]]
[[Category:1940s United States military reconnaissance aircraft]]
[[Category:High-wing aircraft]]
[[Category:Twin-boom aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft first flown in 1945]]
[[Category:Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft]]
[[Category:Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear]]