Considered a highly risky and unnecessary venture
by Kurt Tank of Focke-Wulf, the Fw190 eventually
proved to be probably the best fighter produced by
Germany in WWII. Design work was started in 1938
with the idea of using the BMW radial engine
wrapped by the smallest possible airframe. Initial
testing showed that, with the exception of engine
cooling problems, the Fw190 was a superb handling
aircraft, and production variants started rolling off the
assembly line in June 1941. Squadron use quickly
showed that the 190 was more than a match for the
British Spitfires and Hurricanes, and the 190 was well
suited to many other uses, such as dive bombing.
Several variants were introduced in succession, with
the A-8 version being the last of the fighter variants
to be powered by the radial engine. Later versions
switched to an in-line engine, thus the “short nose”
and “long nose” Focke-Wulfs. The A-8 version was
used until the war’s end, side by side with most other
variants, and was a comparable match to the
Mustangs and later Spitfires.
The Fw190 A-8 variant was powered by the BMW
801D-2 radial engine, with a horsepower rating of
1700 hp. Water injection was used to boost takeoff
and combat performance. The Wingspan of the 190
was 34 ft. 5 ½ in, with a length of 29 ft. 5 in. Gross
weight was over 7,600 pounds. Armament varied
greatly, but the standard included two Mg131s in the
fuselage, and four Mg151s in the wing. A variety of
cannons, rocket pods, and bombs could also be car-
ried. Standard crew was one pilot, though there was
room in the aft fuselage to carry another person,
usually a downed pilot picked up during an emer-
gency. A two seat trainer was introduced in the latter
stages of the war.
Skyshark R/C Corporation
75 Mid Cape Terrace, Ste 7
Cape Coral, FL 33991, U.S.A.
Website: www.skysharkrc.com
email: [email protected]
