Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D
Type: German Luftwaffe interceptor aircraft.
History: The Fw190 A series should have been replaced in favour of the longnosed Fw 190 D or 'Dora'. The D series, of which some 650-700 were built, evolved from prototypes with the 1,776hp Jumo 213A-1 engine, fitted with an annular cooling duct that maintained the 'radial' appearance.
Early Fw 190 D-0s and D-1s were characterised, apart from their longer cowlings, by lengthened rear fuselages and (on the D-1) increased fin area.
Fw 190 D development aircraft, converted from an A-7 with Jumo 213A-1 engine.
The major production version (numbered to follow on from the Fw190 A-8) was the Fw 190 D-9 interceptor, which entered service with III./JG54 in 1944 and was armed with two MG 151/20 wing cannon and two MG 131s over the engine.
This fighter went into production in the autumn of 1944, after much development. This was once more the fastest piston-engined fighter in the sky.
Regarded by many as the
Luftwaffe's finest piston-engined fighter of the war, the Fw 190 D-9 was to have been followed by the D-11, 12, 13, 14 and 15; but no substantial production of these models was undertaken.
Ta 152 H development aircraft, converted from an Fw 190 C.
Later D-models were redesignated Ta 152 in honour of the director of Focke-Wulf's design team, DiplIng Kurt Tank.
The early Ta 152 C series were outstandingly formidable, but the long-span Ta 152 H sacrificed guns for speed and height. Kurt Tank himself easily outspaced a flight of P-51D Mustangs which surprised him on a test flight; but only ten of the H sub-type had flown when WW2 ended.
Users: Germany (Luftwaffe).
The culminating fighter in the whole family was the Ta 152 H, a fabulous performer at high altitude. This example is seen at Cottbus in 1945.
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The second production version of the Ta 152 was the C-series, without the long-span wing. This had a normal armament of one 30mm MK108 and four MG151 20mm, and first flewn in December 1944.
Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9 |
| Type |
interceptor |
| Power plant |
one 1,776 hp (2,240 hp boosted) Jumo 213A-1 12-cylinder inverted-vee liquid-cooled engine
|
| Accommodation |
1 |
| Wing span |
34 ft 5.6 in |
| Length overall |
33 ft 5.3 in |
| Height overall |
11 ft 0.3 in |
| Wing area |
196.98 sq/ft |
| Weight empty equipped |
7,694 lb |
| Weight loaded |
10,670 lb |
| Max. wing loading |
54.17 lb/sq ft |
| Max. power loading |
6.01 lb/hp |
| Maximum speed |
426 mph
at 21,655 ft |
| Initial climb |
3,117 ft/min |
| Service ceiling |
37,075 ft |
| Range |
520 miles |
| Armament |
two 13mm MG131 [930 rpm, velocity 2,461 ft/sec] above engine, two 20mm MG151/20 [720 rpm, velocity 1,920 ft/sec] in wing roots and provision for one 30mm MK108 [650 rpm, velocity 1,705 ft/sec] firing through propeller hub.
|
| one 1,100 lb bomb on centreline. |
| First flight Fw 190 D |
late 1942 |
Production delivery (Fw 190 D-9) |
autumn 1944 |
| Final delivery |
1945 |
| Total production figure (all) |
Total: 20,001
(of these 650-700 D-models and 67 Ta 152) |
| Accepted by Luftwaffe 1/39-12/44 |
16,724 |
Production 1944
(all fighter variants) |
7,488 |
Production 1945
(all fighter variants) |
1,630 |
| Fw190's in First Line Units 10.1.45 |
1,561 |
3d model Focke-Wulf Fw 190 D-9
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