Focke-Wulf Ta 154

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Ta_154

The Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito was a fast twin-engined German night fighter
aircraft designed by Kurt Tank and produced by Focke-Wulf during late World War
II. Only a few were produced, proving to have less impressive performance than
the prototypes.

Kurt Tank's team at Focke-Wulf had been working for some time on a fast
attack-bomber aircraft named Ta 211, so named because it planned to use an
uprated Jumo 211R engine. The intended "Ta 211" design was a high-wing
twin-engined design, built primarily of plywood, bonded with a special phenolic
resin adhesive called Tego film. The only large-scale use of metal was in the
pressurized cockpit.

It was at about this time that the light and very fast de Havilland Mosquito,
also made of wood, arrived over Germany. It quickly racked up an impressive
record; in its first 600 bombing missions, only one was shot down, compared to
an average of 5% for RAF medium and heavy bombers. Erhard Milch personally
requested a purpose-built German answer, and selected the 154. Infighting within
German circles started almost immediately, because the RLM and night fighter
units — as well as Ernst Heinkel himself — still wanted the Heinkel He 219.
Milch took this personally, and spent the better part of the next two years
trying to have the 219 program terminated, partly against Ernst Heinkel's
wishes.


Role
Night Fighter

Manufacturer
Focke-Wulf

Designer
Kurt Tank

First flight
1 July 1943

Primary user
Luftwaffe

Variants
Focke-Wulf Ta 254

Development of the Ta 154 was already well advanced, and the first prototype V1
with Jumo 211F engines, bearing the Stammkennzeichen identification code TE+FE,
made its maiden flight on July 1, 1943. It was followed by V2 with Jumo 211N
engines, which was kept at the factory for handling trials. V1 was then sent to
Rechlin-Lärz Airfield for fly-off testing against the He 219A and the new
Junkers Ju 388. There the 154 reached almost 700 km/h (440 mph) and easily
outflew the other two planes, but those were both fully armed and equipped with
radar.

The first armed example of the Ta 154 was the V3 prototype, which was also the
first to fit the Jumo 211R engines. The added weight of the guns and drag of the
32-dipole element Matratze radar antennas used on its UHF-band FuG 212 C-1
Lichtenstein radar unit slowed the plane by a full 75 km/h, although it was
still somewhat faster than the He 219. The rest of the 15 prototypes were then
delivered as A-0 models, identical to the V3. Some of these also included a
raised canopy for better vision to the rear.

Tank halted production in August, and the RLM eventually cancelled the entire
project in September (Milch had been removed by then). At that time about 50
production aircraft had been completed, and a number of the A-0 preproduction
planes were later modified to production standard. An unknown number of the
planes served with Nachtjagdgeschwader 3, and a few were later used as training
aircraft for jet pilots.

Specifications (Ta 154 A-1)

General characteristics
Crew: two
Length: 12.55 m (40 ft 3¼ in)
Wingspan: 16.30 m (52 ft 5¼ in)
Height: 3.60 m (11 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 31.40 m2 (333.7 ft2)
Empty weight: 6,600 kg (15,000 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 9,950 kg (21,900 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Junkers Jumo 211N liquid-cooled V12 engine, 1,450 PS (1,066 kW)
each

Performance
Maximum speed: 670 km/h (361kn, 418 mph) without the antenna
Range: 1,400 km (760 nmi, 870 mi)
Service ceiling: 9,500 m (31,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2,800 ft/min)

Armament

Guns: 2 × 20 mm MG 151 cannons
2 × 30 mm (1.18 in) nose-mounted MK 108 cannons
2 × fuselage-mounted 30 mm (1.18 in) MK 108 cannons, Schräge Musik




*