A single engined low-winged monoplane, it was designed and built to meet a United States Navy order for an advanced carrier based fighter.

[2][3] The resulting aircraft, which was designed by a team led by Ed Heinemann resembled a scaled-down Northrop Delta.

In February 1934, test pilot Vance Breese landed the prototype XFT-1 without authorization at Glendale California at a Curtiss Wright Technical Institute location, and pictures of the XFT-1 were leaked to Janes AWA.

[5] The XFT-2 was redelivered to Anacostia in April 1936,[6] where it was found that while its performance had only slightly improved, its handling was even poorer than before, and it was rejected by the U.S. Navy as unairworthy.

[2] It was ordered to be returned to Northrop, and ignoring instructions to ship the aircraft back to Northrop's El Segundo factory, a test pilot attempted to fly the XFT-2 back to California, the aircraft entering a spin and crashing when crossing the Allegheny Mountains on July 21, 1936.