On this day in aviation history-83 years ago, on May 26, 1942-the Northrop XP-61 Black Widow prototype took to the skies for the first time. At the controls of aircraft XP-61-NO, serial number ...

“The P-61 was a beautiful ship to fly. It didn’t have a wicked bone in its body, and would tolerate mishandling that would have proved fatal in other twins.” So wrote Northrop test pilot Moye Stephens ...

Northrop’s night fighter was large, heavily armed, and fast for its size; the United States first night fighter designed from the ground up could find enemy aircraft in the dark thanks to advancements ...

Here’s What You Need to Know: Northrop Aircraft Corporation was actually just a year old—and primarily operating as a subcontractor for larger aircraft manufacturers—when it began to develop the P-61.

The Second World War saw a major leap forward in aircraft design. When the war began, the United States Army Air Corps and the Royal Air were each still flying outdated aircraft including the Douglas ...

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Click to open image viewer. CC0 Usage Conditions ApplyClick for more information. The P-61 Black Widow was the first U.S. aircraft designed to locate and destroy enemy aircraft at night and in bad ...