Focke-Wulf Fw 190

With the Luftwaffe looking for another aircraft to serve alongside the Messerschmitt Bf 109, in autumn 1937 the Reichsluftfahrtministerium issued a specification for a new fighter. Kurt Tank, chief designer at Focke-Wulf, produced two proposals for consideration, the BMW 139 engine powering one and the Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine powering the other. It was decided to use the BMW 139 powered design and in 1938, led by Oberingenieur Rudolf Blaser, the aircraft's design was developed.

In total, five prototypes were planned to be built, the first of these, the Fw 190 V1, powered by the 1,529-hp BMW 139 engine, made its maiden flight on the 1st June 1939, flying from Bremen, Germany with Flugkapitan Hans Sander at the controls. This was followed by the second prototype, the Fw 190 V2, four months later, on the 31st October 1939.

It had been decided, before the Fw 190 V1 flew, to install the BMW 801 engine in place of the BMW 139 engine, so work on the third and fourth prototype was stopped. This led to the FW 190 V5, which had a redesigned airframe to accommodate the new engine. These changes included moving the cockpit back, which solved a couple of issues found with the first two prototypes. Firstly, the pilot wouldn't have to contend with fumes and overheating, as the engine was further away. Secondly, an issue with the aircraft's centre of gravity was fixed. An order for a small number of Fw 190A-0 pre-production aircraft followed.

The Fw 190A was powered by the 1,600-hp BMW 801C-1 engine, its top speed was 400 mph, range 850 miles with a service ceiling of 34,000 ft. Armament consisted of four 7.92mm MG 17 machine-guns. It made its operational debut on the 14th August 1941, when a pair from JG 26 shot down two Supermarine Spitfires. The aircraft was superior to the Spitfire Mk V in both the climb and dive and was more manoeuvrable, except in the turn. This meant the Luftwaffe had the more superior fighter compared to the Royal Air Force over the Western Front for nearly a year, until the introduction of the Spitfire Mk IX in July 1942, started to turn the tide back in favour of the RAF.

The Royal Air Force were so concerned by the Fw 190, that a number of ideas were considered in an effort to obtain an example. One such plan was to see a team sent to an airfield in occupied France, with Jeffrey Quill flying one back to England. However, a stroke of luck on the 23rd June 1942 meant these plans would never have to be put into action, when a Fw 190A-3 piloted by Oberleutnant Armin Faber mistook the Bristol Channel for the English Channel and ended up landing at RAF Pembrey, and an intact example was in the RAF's hands. This was then sent to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough for tests.

Combat experience showed that the Fw 190A was competitive when combat occurred below 23,000 ft, above this, its performance suffered, as the BMW 801C engine struggled. In an effort to solve this problem, a small number of Fw 190Bs, powered by the BMW 801D-2 engine, and Fw 190Cs, powered by the 1,750-hp Daimler-Benz DB 603 engine were produced. While these two variants never entered production, they did lead to the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 programme, which saw several variants planned. However, only the Ta 152H-1 would enter service, this was with III./JG 301, originally Erprobungskommando Ta 152, on the 27th January 1945. In the end, just over forty Focke-Wulf Ta 152s were produced.

The Fw 190D followed, and it was powered by the 1,726-hp Junkers Jumo 213A engine, with the nose of the aircraft lengthen by 2ft to accommodate the engine. It had a top speed of 426 mph, a range of 589 miles and a service ceiling of 39,370 ft. Armament was two 20mm MG 151/20 cannons in the wings and two 13mm MG 131 machine-guns above the engine. Bubble canopies would also be fitted to later production examples. Jagdverband 44 would use a number of Fw 190Ds, painted with red and white stripes on the underneath of the aircraft to help with identification, to form the Platzschutzstaffel (airfield protection squadron) to protect the squadron's Messerschmitt Me 262s, which were vulnerable during take-off and landing.

The Fw 190F would serve in the ground attack role and featured extra armour for the engine and cockpit. Powered by the 1,730-hp BMW 801D-2 engine, its top speed was 400 mph, range 464 miles with a service ceiling of 34,800 ft. Armament consisted of two 20mm MG 151/20 cannons and two 13mm MG 131 machine-guns, bomb load was 2,200lb. These would start to see service during the early part of 1943.

The Fw 190G would be used as a fighter-bomber, it was powered by the 1,800-hp BMW 801D-2 engine, giving the aircraft a top speed of 394 mph, a range of 500 miles and a service ceiling of 34,780 ft. Armament was two 20mm MG 151 cannons, with a bomb load of 2,200lb.

The Fw 190 would find itself serving in a wide variety of roles, including anti-shipping, training and reconnaissance. Some examples would serve with the Hungarian Royal Air Force and Turkish Air Force, while a single Fw 190 was sent to Japan.

In total, over 20,000 Fw 190s were built.