Northrop Aviation and the British Royal Air Force worked together to build the P 61 Black Widow, the first night fighter in US service, in 1940. It was the first aircraft to deploy radar, and on the final night of World War Two, it was involved in the final verified air-to-air kill.
During World War Two, the US Army Corps and British Royal Air Force used antiquated aircraft, while modern advances like the Gloster Meteor and the Bell P 59 Aera comet pushed allies to outpace each other in technology. Night fighters, or weather interceptors, were created to cope with low visibility conditions during World War I. Founded in 1939, Northrop Aircraft Corporation, a California-based company, was given contracts to create the world's first nightfighter due to its ability to circle guarded zones slowly, intercept attackers at high speeds, and carry enough ammunition to bring down large bombers. In November 1940, work on the P 61 Black Widow project began, aiming to be a sleek, enigmatic aircraft with a 50-foot and 66-foot wingspan, equipped with radar and airborne intercept capabilities, and a strong combatant at night.
The P 61 was a twin-boom aircraft with a radar engineer and gunner who managed a small in-built airborne interceptor. The interceptor reduced ground echoes and increased precision by sweeping the sky with a knife-like beam using a spinning 30-inch scanner receiver dish antenna. The Black Widows aircraft had four 20 millimetre Hispano M2 cannons and four 50 calibre Browning machine guns, which could be remotely controlled. The aircraft had a maximum speed of 366 miles per hour and was propelled by two Pratt & Whitney 2800 Double Wasp radial engines, each with 2000 horsepower. Despite its 360-degree rotation and 90-degree coverage, the P 61 often struggled with accurate aiming.

The P 61 was a stealthy aircraft with retractable flaps, tricycle landing gear, and an internal fuel capacity of 646 gallons. It weighed over 29,000 pounds in combat and had a glossy black coating on its metal armour. However, anti-aircraft searchlights failed to locate it in eighty percent of flights. The P 61 was painted deep black starting in February 1944, making it a stealthy aircraft. Copyright Disclaimer: - Under section 107 of the copyright Act 1976, allowance is mad for FAIR USE for purpose such a as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statues that might otherwise be infringing. Non- Profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of FAIR USE.

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