Focke-Wulf Fw 190

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_190

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https://nationalinterest.org/blog/bu...d-war-ii-41382

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Würger (English: Shrike) is a German single-seat,
single-engine fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank in the late 1930s and
widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the
Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Fw 190 became the backbone of the Luftwaffe's
Jagdwaffe (Fighter Force). The twin-row BMW 801 radial engine that powered most
operational versions enabled the Fw 190 to lift larger loads than the Bf 109,
allowing its use as a day fighter, fighter-bomber, ground-attack aircraft and,
to a lesser degree, night fighter.

The Fw 190A started flying operationally over France in August 1941, and quickly
proved superior in all but turn radius to the Royal Air Force's main front-line
fighter, the Spitfire Mk. V, particularly at low and medium altitudes. The 190
maintained superiority over Allied fighters until the introduction of the
improved Spitfire Mk. IX. In November/December 1942, the Fw 190 made its air
combat debut on the Eastern Front, finding much success in fighter wings and
specialised ground attack units called Schlachtgeschwader (Battle Wings or
Strike Wings) from October 1943 onwards. The Fw 190 provided greater firepower
than the Bf 109 and, at low to medium altitude, superior manoeuvrability, in the
opinion of German pilots who flew both fighters.

The Fw 190A series' performance decreased at high altitudes (usually 6,000 m
(20,000 ft) and above), which reduced its effectiveness as a high-altitude
interceptor. From the Fw 190's inception, there had been ongoing efforts to
address this with a turbosupercharged BMW 801 in the B model, the much
longer-nosed C model with efforts to also turbocharge its chosen Daimler-Benz DB
603 inverted V12 powerplant, and the similarly long-nosed D model with the
Junkers Jumo 213. Problems with the turbocharger installations on the -B and -C
subtypes meant only the D model would enter service, doing so in September 1944.
While these "long nose" versions gave the Germans parity with Allied opponents,
they arrived far too late in the war to have any real effect.

The Fw 190 was well-liked by its pilots. Some of the Luftwaffe's most successful
fighter aces claimed a great many of their kills while flying it, including Otto
Kittel, Walter Nowotny and Erich Rudorffer.

Design concepts

At the time, the use of radial engines in land-based fighters was relatively
rare in Europe, as it was believed that their large frontal area would cause too
much drag on something as small as a fighter. Tank was not convinced of this,
having witnessed the successful use of radial engines by the U.S. Navy, and felt
a properly streamlined installation would eliminate this problem.

The hottest points on any air-cooled engine are the cylinder heads, located
around the circumference of a radial engine. In order to provide sufficient air
to cool the engine, airflow had to be maximized at this outer edge. This was
normally accomplished by leaving the majority of the front face of the engine
open to the air, causing considerable drag. During the late 1920s, NACA led
development of a dramatic improvement by placing an airfoil-shaped ring around
the outside of the cylinder heads (the NACA cowling). The shaping accelerated
the air as it entered the front of the cowl, increasing the total airflow, and
allowing the opening in front of the engine to be made smaller.

Tank introduced a further refinement to this basic concept. He suggested placing
most of the airflow components on the propeller, in the form of an oversized
propeller spinner whose outside diameter was the same as the engine. The cowl
around the engine proper was greatly simplified, essentially a basic cylinder.
Air entered through a small hole at the centre of the spinner, and was directed
through ductwork in the spinner so it was blowing rearward along the cylinder
heads. To provide enough airflow, an internal cone was placed in the centre of
the hole, over the propeller hub, which was intended to compress the airflow and
allow a smaller opening to be used. In theory, the tight-fitting cowling also
provided some thrust due to the compression and heating of air as it flowed
through the cowling.

As to the rest of the design philosophy, Tank wanted something more than an
aircraft built only for speed. Tank outlined the reasoning:


The Messerschmitt 109 [sic] and the British Spitfire, the two fastest fighters
in world at the time we began work on the Fw 190, could both be summed up as a
very large engine on the front of the smallest possible airframe; in each case
armament had been added almost as an afterthought. These designs, both of which
admittedly proved successful, could be likened to racehorses: given the right
amount of pampering and easy course, they could outrun anything. But the moment
the going became tough they were liable to falter. During World War I, I served
in the cavalry and in the infantry. I had seen the harsh conditions under which
military equipment had to work in wartime. I felt sure that a quite different
breed of fighter would also have a place in any future conflict: one that could
operate from ill-prepared front-line airfields; one that could be flown and
maintained by men who had received only short training; and one that could
absorb a reasonable amount of battle damage and still get back. This was the
background thinking behind the Focke-Wulf 190; it was not to be a racehorse but
a Dienstpferd, a cavalry horse.


Role
Fighter

Manufacturer
Primarily Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau AG, but also AGO, Arado, Fieseler, Mimetall,
Norddeutsche Dornier and others

Designer
Kurt Tank

First flight
1 June 1939

Introduction
August 1941

Retired
9 May 1945 (Luftwaffe)
1949 (Turkey)

Primary users
Luftwaffe
Hungarian Air Force
Turkish Air Force

Produced
1941–45; 1996: 16 reproductions

Number built
Over 20,000

Variants
Ta 152

The Fw 190 participated on every major combat front where the Luftwaffe operated
after 1941, and did so with success in a variety of roles.

Luftwaffe pilots who flew both the Fw 190 and the Bf 109 generally felt that,
with the exception of high altitude capability, the Fw 190 was superior.

Specifications (Fw 190 A-8)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 9.00 m (29 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 10.51 m (34 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.95 m (12 ft 12 in)
Wing area: 18.30 m² (196.99 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,200 kg (7,060 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,417 kg (9,735 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 4,900 kg (10,800 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × BMW 801 D-2 radial engine, 1,250 kW (1,700 PS, 1,677 hp)

Performance
Maximum speed: 656 km/h (408 mph) at 19,420 ft (5,920 m)
Range: 800 km (500 mi)
Service ceiling: 11,410 m (37,430 ft)
Rate of climb: 15 m/s (2,953 ft/min)
Wing loading: 241 kg/m² (49.4 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.29–0.33 kW/kg (0.18–0.21 hp/lb)

Armament

Guns: 2 × 13 mm (.51 in) synchronized MG 131 machine guns with 475 rounds per
gun
4 × 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannon with 250 rpg, synchronized in the wing roots and
140 rpg free-firing outboard in mid-wing mounts.

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Specifications (Fw 190 D-9)

General characteristics
Crew: 1
Length: 10.20 m (33 ft 5½ in)
Wingspan: 10.50 m (34 ft 5 in)
Height: 3.35 m (11 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 18.30 m² (196.99 ft²)
Empty weight: 3,490 kg (7,694 lb)
Loaded weight: 4,270 kg (9,413 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 4,840 kg (10,670 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Junkers Jumo 213A 12-cylinder inverted-Vee piston engine, 1,287
kW (1,750 PS, 1,726 hp) or 1,508 kW (2,050 PS, 2,022 hp) with boost (model 213E)

Performance
Maximum speed: 685 km/h (426 mph) at 6,600 m (21,655 ft), 710 km/h (440 mph) at
11,000 m (36,000 ft)
Range: 835 km (519 mi)
Service ceiling: 12,000 m (39,370 ft)
Rate of climb: 17 m/s (3,300 ft/min)
Wing loading: 233 kg/m² (47.7 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 0.30–0.35 kW/kg (0.18–0.22 hp/lb)

Armament

Guns: (all synchronized to fire through propeller arc) 2 × 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131
machine guns with 475 rpg
2 × 20 mm MG 151 cannons with 250 rpg in the wing root

Bombs: 1 × 500 kg (1,102 lb) SC 500 bomb (optional)




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