Finishing the resulting rather large topic about night fighters, of course, it would be perfectly fair to compare them with each other. And go through the strengths and weaknesses, since we have considered the history of aircraft quite well in the previous materials.
1. "Messerschmitt" Bf.110G
He was the first. Yes, he still had fairly easy opponents, but nevertheless, in the daytime battle, the Annihilator did not show itself to be a tough fighter, in the night … Well, in the night it was a little better.
In the night battles over Europe at the beginning of the war, the Bf.110 was quite successfully used with the Himmelbett guidance system, which did not require either a long flight range or a long stay in the air. But as faster bombers and jammers appeared, the 110th became more and more sad, although it fought until the very end of the war.
The only question is how effective.
Advantages: mastered aircraft in every sense. Not a bad set of weapons.
Disadvantages: speed and maneuverability. Plus a short range. In addition, there was a shortage of aircraft with a crew of three. This is the problem of a radar operator leaving a damaged vehicle with a parachute. To do this, the shooter had to jump out first, but if he was wounded or killed, then it was not possible to leave the plane.
2. "Junkers" Ju-88C-2
Maybe not the most common night fighter of the Third Reich, but it is the most important element of German air defense. In 1944, the assembly lines of the Junkers and subcontractors almost completely switched to the production of the fighter version.
The weak side of the plane was that it could not keep up with the "minced meat" that was constantly added to it. Various radar systems, the FuG 101 radio altimeter, the FuG 25 radar transponder used to interact with the Himmelbett guidance system and anti-aircraft artillery, and the FuG 10 receiver, of course, improved the aircraft's capabilities, but constantly increased its weight and deteriorated aerodynamics.
Advantages: excellent radar equipment, a hefty salvo (one of the best), good flight range.
Disadvantages: slow and not very good maneuvering aircraft.
3. "Dornier" Do-17Z-7
Not a very successful experiment to turn a bomber into a night fighter. This aircraft was not equipped with a radar, but it was equipped with an equally interesting piece of equipment: an infrared night vision device.
The device was called "Spanner-Anlage". It consisted of two parts: an infrared illuminator and a Q-tube with a small screen.
The searchlight was located in front of the nose cone, and the Q-tube was installed through the windshield of the cockpit in front of the pilot.
A target illuminated by an infrared beam appeared on the screen.
There was also a passive device, without a searchlight, which caught the hot exhaust gases of the engine. The disadvantage of the systems was the short range.
Unsurprisingly, by 1942, all Dornier Do-17Zs had been converted to training and removed from the Luftwaffe.
Advantages: light weight, hence good maneuverability.
Disadvantages: speed, weapons.
4. "Dornier" Do-217J
Actually - work on error Dо-17, but not the most successful work. Of course, the appearance of the Liechtenstein radar greatly simplified the work of the crews, but the overweight structure played a role.
The armament was impressive, and the fighter could actually destroy anyone if it caught up. And this was a huge problem. Attempts to install more powerful engines did not improve the situation, and at the beginning of 1943 the Do-217J began to be changed to Junkers and withdrawn from the Luftwaffe combat units.
Advantages: powerful weapons
Disadvantages: heavy weight, low speed, poor maneuverability
5. "Heinkel" He.219
The Heinkel designers have created a truly advanced vehicle, with real advantages such as a pressurized cockpit, catapults and remotely controlled defensive weapons. Therefore, in fact, the plane did not go into production until Kammhuber took it up and offered to convert it into a night fighter.
Unfortunately for the Germans, Heinkel was unable to build the He.219 in sufficient numbers. In total, 268 vehicles of all modifications were built, which is clearly not enough. And the car was pretty decent in all respects. I would say that it was the most powerful of the night fighters in terms of weapons, plus it also flew quite decently. In general - perhaps the only aircraft with piston engines, which could fight on equal terms with the Mosquito.
Advantages: performance characteristics in general, weapons.
Disadvantages: Probably a bit heavy. But not critical.
6. "Messerschmitt" Me-262V
He was. That's all there is to say about this plane. No special merits and high-profile victories, just the war ended before the Germans were able to debug the production of cars and pilot training. There was a prospect, of course.
Advantages: speed, height.
Disadvantages: undeveloped design as a whole, weak armament. Two MK-108 30-mm cannons are frankly about nothing.
7. "Bristol" Blenheim I (IV) F
As I already wrote, by the beginning of World War II, this aircraft was so outdated that it had to be simply written off quietly. However, he was forced to fight.
The night Blenheims fought in the defense of Britain, North Africa and India. But the victories of this fighter were more the exception than the rule, since its speed qualities simply did not allow anyone to catch up. Therefore, by 1944, all Blenheims were replaced by Beaufighters.
Advantages: perhaps not.
Disadvantages: weak weapons, performance characteristics in general.
8. De Haviland Mosquito NF
Well, it's horror flying on the wings of the night. It is a fighter that was able to calmly and effortlessly destroy enemy night fighters. In general, "Mosquito" shot down everything that came into sight, from bombers to V-1 and V-2 shells.
Perhaps, if there were any problems with anyone, it was with Me.262 and He.219. The first was superior in speed, and the second was created as a response to the "Mosquito", so he could also smack with all his heart.
In general, this is a candidate for one of the prizes.
Advantages: performance characteristics, weapons, everything is just fine.
Disadvantages: perhaps it was not.
9. "Douglas" P-70 Nighthawk
This gentleman, in theory, was supposed to be somewhere along with the 110th and "Branheim", because he was clumsy and, in general, was not suitable for battles with nimble and maneuverable Japanese aircraft at all.
That is why the "Nighthawk" was used as you like, and as an attack aircraft, and as a reconnaissance, and as a training aircraft.
Advantages: sturdy, well-armed aircraft.
Disadvantages: maneuverability and speed.
10. "Northrop" P-61B Black Widow
The total number of victims of the "Black Widow" is not large, since they entered service by the time when the Allies had already established almost complete control over the airspace.
But this remarkable aircraft fought, and fought quite well. Moreover, when the Japanese ran out of aircraft, the "Widow" was quietly adapted as a night attack aircraft.
The last plane shot down during the Second World War was destroyed by the P-61B. On the night of 14/15 August 1945, a P-61B piloted by Lieutenant Robert Clyde and radar operator Lieutenant Bruce Leford shot down a Japanese army fighter, the Nakajima Ki-43, over the sea near Yeshima.
By the end of World War II, fifteen of the sixteen night fighter squadrons in the USAAF were armed with P-61A or P-61B, which says a lot.
Advantages: LTH, weapons.
Disadvantages: no.
In general, the main carrier of information here is the table. It can be used to judge how good or bad a particular plane was.
If it seems to someone that some fighters clearly do not belong here, because they are from the first half of the war, then I will explain. This makes it easier to see the evolution that these planes have gone through. And they did it, moreover, it was thanks to the work on night fighters that we (among other things) got jet universal aircraft at the output.