It had a cantilever wing (internally supported, so it required no struts) and it had retractable landing gear.
Get exclusive online content like this delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our free enewsletter.ĩ8 Polikarpov I-16 Snub-Nosed Soviet Fighter Somewhat resembling the GeeBee racers of the era, Polikarpov's snub-nose I-16 was different in two distinctive ways when it emerged in the mid 1930s. Three are on display at museums and will likely never fly while a fourth version has been under restoration for decades by a team in Reading, Pennsylvania, that hopes to one day return this beauty to the skies. Of about 700 produced, only four Black Widows still exist. After the war, the P-61 was employed for thunderstorm research. A P-61 named 'Lady in the Dark' has been credited with the final Allied air victory before VJ Day. The multi-purpose fighter could be armed with cannons, machine guns, bombs or rockets and was the first dedicated American night-fighter. Equipped with two Pratt & Whitney R-2800 Double Wasp radial engines spinning four-bladed propellers, the airplane had twin-booms and a center fuselage - a boxier version of the P-38 design. Army Air Forces during World War II, Northrop's P-61 Black Widow was put into service in 1944 and retired about a decade later.
100 Northrop P-61 Black Widow Sleek Night Fighter Twin Employed in the U.S.
