P-61 Black WidowNorthrop P 61 Black Widow airplane model. The heavily armed Black Widow was the United States' first aircraft specifically designed as a night fighter. In the nose, it carried radar equipment which enabled its crew of two or three to locate enemy aircraft in total darkness and fly into proper position to attack. The XP 61 was flight tested in 1942 and delivery of production aircraft began in late 1943. The P 61 flew its first operational intercept