3 Facts About The Other Flying Fortress – The PB4Y-2 Privateer

1. Privateers had electronic countermeasure systems in place

These systems, along with the communication and radar antennas, can be seen protruding or enclosed in fairings at several locations on the fuselage.

This setup also included a manually retractable AN/APS-2 radome behind the nose wheel well.

2. It Stood Out With Its Unique Vertical Stabilizers

Its predecessor’s twin-tail configuration wasn’t very effective in naval operations.

Instead, the Privateer had a single tail that bolstered stability and enhanced maneuverability at medium altitudes generally used by the Navy.

3. They Hunted Typhoons And Hurricanes

No, not the planes! The US Navy employed Privateers for typhoon and hurricane hunting during the last months of the war against the Japanese.

Monitoring typhoons were sometimes even more dangerous than flying over active combat zones. BuNos 59415 and 59716 were lost during hurricane hunting missions.

The former suffered a mechanical failure and crashed during an examination of a Category 1 typhoon near the Philippines. The latter was lost at a recon mission during Super Typhoon Doris north of Guam.