Armament:

Two 13 mm MG131 machine guns above engine cowling; two 20 mm MG151 cannon in wing roots; two 20 mm MG151 cannon in wing panels

History:

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 was designed by Kurt Tank, technical director of the Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau, and was one of the most successful fighter aircraft of World War II, commencing life powered by a two-row BMW radial engine, final variants being powered by Junkers Jumo in-line engines.

In 1937 Focke-Wulf was invited by the German Reichluftsfahrt Ministerium to design a fighter to supplement the Bf 109 in Luftwaffe service, the prototype Fw 190V1 (D-OPZE) being flown for the first time on 1 June 1939 in the hands of Focke-Wulf chief test pilot, Hans Sander, powered by a 1,156 kw (1,550 hp) BMW 139 eighteen-cylinder air-cooled radial engine. However, after a period this engine was abandoned in favour of the larger and more powerful 1,194 kw (1,600 hp) BMW 801.

A batch of forty Fw 190A-0 pre-production aircraft was laid down at Bremen, deliveries beginning in November 1940. After the first seven aircraft, all subsequent aircraft had the wing area increased from 14.9 m² to 18.25 m² (160.4 sq ft to 196.5 sq ft). Operational trials commenced at Rechlin in February 1941 but problems occurred with engine overheating which led to the design and installation of an electro-hydraulically operated piece of equipment which automatically regulated propeller pitch, fuel mixture settings, ignition and supercharger control, increasing the life of the engine from 20 to 200 hours between major overhauls.

By August 1941 the first Fw 190A-1s entered service and in September the type met Royal Air Force (RAF) Supermarine Spitfires, on which occasion three of the latter were shot down, being incorrectly identified as French Curtiss Hawk 75As. The superiority of the Fw 190A-1 over the Spitfire V led to the hurried introduction of the Hawker Typhoon and Supermarine Spitfire IX into service.

The first major action involving the Fw 190 was in February 1942 when three German fighter wings provided aerial cover for the battleships ‘Gneisenau’ and ‘Scharnhorst’ and heavy cruiser ‘Prinz Eugen’ when they attempted to break out of Brest in France.

Some 400 Fw 190A-1s had been completed when production switched to the Fw 190A-2 with the 1,268 kw (1,700 hp) BMW 801D-2 engine, and this model was produced in a variety of variants for fighter reconnaissance, ground attack, fighter-bomber, etc. The Fw 190A-4 introduced MW-50 water methanol injection and variants were produced including the Fw 190A-4/R6 with two 210 mm rocket tubes underwing for destroying bombers.

Development continued to the Fw 190A-8, built in larger numbers than other models, being built by Focke-Wulf at Marienburg, Posen, Cottbus and Sorau, by Ago at Oschersleben, Arado at Warnemunde, Fieseler at Kassel-Waldau, Dornier at Wisman, and the Weser-Flugzeugbau. A two-seat training variant was known as the Fw 190-8/U1. The final Fw 190A series model was the Fw 190A-9 with the 1,492 kw (2,000 hp) BMW 801F engine.

Monthly production figures for the Fw 190 in 1944 were 209 in February, 373 in March, 461 in May and 689 in June.

Development for high-altitude operations led to the Fw 190B with the BMW 801D engine with wingspan increased to 10.88 m (35 ft 7 in), and the Fw 190C, which was fitted with a pressurised cabin and the 1,306 kw (1,750 hp) Daimler Benz DB 603A-0 twelve-cylinder VEE engine. However, these models were not successful and production switched to the Fw 190D which was basically the same airframe fitted with a 1,306 kw (1,750 hp) Junkers Jumo 213 twelve-cylinder VEE engine.

To accept this engine the fuselage was increased in length by 0.609 m (2 ft) and production Fw 190D-9s began to be delivered in August 1944. It proved to have much improved climb and dive characteristics and was faster that the Fw 190A-8. In October 1944 two Fw 190D-9s were fitted with 1,343 kw (1,800 hp)Daimler Benz DB 603E engines and these had a maximum speed of 700 km/h (435 mph), leading to the production of this variant as the Fw 190D-14 and Fw 190D-15.

The Fw 190F was a development of the Fw 190A-4 with the outboard 20 mm cannon deleted, a bomb rack under the fuselage, and increased armour protection. This series ran through to the Fw 190F-9 with the 1,492 kw (2,000-hp) BMW 801TS engine.

The Fw 190G could carry a 1,100 kg (2,425 lb) bomb under the fuselage and two 300 litre (66 Imp gal) drop tanks under the wings.

Last and highest performing of the series was the Focke-Wulf Ta 152. This model had the fuselage lengthened and had a larger tail surface area, being powered by the 1,306 kw (1,750 hp) Junkers Jumo 213E engine. The prototype Ta 152 V1 (w/nr 110001) was completed in June 1944 and the first of a batch of pre-production aircraft, known as the Ta 152H-0, was delivered to Rechlin, production Ta 152H-1 aircraft following in November.

The superb handling qualities, well balanced controls, and brisk acceleration of the Focke-Wulf series are legendary. The type saw service on all European fronts, including Russia, Africa, and over the British Isles. None found their way to the Pacific region, although captured examples were taken to the United States for testing.

Records have indicated a total of 20,087 was built, of which 86 were prototypes for various models, and peak production rate was 22 per day in 1944. The Fw 190 was used in a variety of roles including long-range fighter, night fighter, reconnaissance, torpedo fighter, bomber destroyer and, just in relation to the Fw 190A series alone, there were 55 variants. Final variant was the Ta 152 H-1 powered by a 1,678 kw (2,250 hp) Junkers Jumo 23 E/B twelve-cylinder inverted VEE liquid-cooled engine which provided, with water methanol injection, a maximum speed of 748 km/h (465 mph) at 9,155 m (30,000 ft).

Amazing feats were achieved in the type: for example Josef Wurmheller shooting down seven Spitfires over the Dieppe beaches in one day; and Oberleutnant Otto Kittle achieving the majority of his 267 victories on the type. In 1944 the German Air Ministry decided to institute a policy of naming all new aircraft after the designer, thus new variants became known as the Ta 152 and Ta 153 after Kurt Tank.

Only a few survived, mainly in museums. A number of fibreglass replicas have been built for museums around the world. One has been rebuilt to airworthy status at Champlin Fighter Museum in the United States and for some years was considered too valuable to fly. Wrecks of others have been recovered from crash sites in Russia for restoration. In later years a small industry has developed building replicas of the rarer types and production lines for small scale production of the Messerschmitt Me 262 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 were set up. The latter aircraft were replicas using some parts from original aircraft.

A production line was set up in Florida in the United States to build replicas using reco ered parts but a hangar fire in 1994 destroyed the first aircraft. In mid 1995 the line was transferred from Florida to Wigram, New Zealand where Specialty Aircraft Construction (NZ) Ltd continued work on three Fw 190A-8s. One of these was an Fw 190F-8 (Wk Nr 85415), which was built by Arado and made a forced landing in 1945. It was cut up and taken to the Old Flying Machine Company in the United Kingdom in 1993. It was conveyed to Wanaka in 1994 where restoration commenced. However, in 1998 it was noted the New Zealand company was for sale. Subsequently production stopped and most of the work was transferred to a facility in the United Kingdom where work continued until the aircraft then under construction were taken to Germany. It is understood some Fw-190 parts were transferred to the RNZAF Museum at Wigram.

Other rebuild/replicas have been under construction. The Texas Air Museum at Rio Hondo completed an Fw 190A-3 for the Norwegian Air Force historical collection in exchange for five wrecks. An Fw 190D-9 has been rebuilt for the Luftwaffe Museum in Berlin after recovery from Lake Schwerin in the old East Germany. An Fw 190D-9 has been held by the Smithsonian Institute; an FW 190F-8/U1 has been on display at the RAF Museum at Hendon, being a rare two-seat example. Others have been held by the South African War Museum at Saxonwold, and the Imperial War Museum. A Fw 190D model recovered from Russia has been undergone restoration to airworthiness in the United Kingdom. The wrecks of others have been recovered from their crash sites in the former Soviet Union and have been under restoration at a number of facilities.

In Germany Flug Werk GmbH at Gammelsdorf built twelve “new build” Fw 190A-8s using “all original manufacturing drawings or original parts or patterns”, the construction numbers or airframe numbers following on from where they left off when the production line concluded at the end of World War II. Designated Fw 190A-8/N (N for Nachbau – remake) these aircraft ha e been powered by a Russian Ash 82 or a Pratt & Whitney radial engine as original BMW 801 radials have not not been available.

The first of these D-FWWC (c/n 990001) remakes was flown on 22 July 2004. In 2009 this aircraft was obtained by a collector in Omaka, New Zealand for air show work. This machine was painted in the colours of Luftwaffe ace Erich Rudorffer of JG54 Grunherz (‘Green Heart’ of Thuringia), the aircraft arriving in Omaka in March 2011, becoming ZK-RFR on 11 April to Chariots of Fire Collection of Blenheim. However, at the Easter Wings over Omaka event in 2015 the aircraft suffered extensive damage when the brakes failed on landing and required a rebuild.

In April 2015 Raptor Aviation of Albury, NSW imported an Fw 190A-8 from the United States. This aircraft was registered in the United States as N4190 and suffered a landing accident at Ryan Field, Baton Rouge, Lousiana on 8 October 2014. It carried the Luftwaffe werk no 173056 but was actually werk no 990004 and was painted in the colours of JG54 Grunherz (Green Heart). In Australia it became VH-WLF³ on 23 July 2015. After test flying the aircraft joined the Australian aviation events circuit, eventually having the modern cockpit returned to its original 1940s configuration and the aircraft being painted in a matte finish. It is believed the aircraft was built at Marienburg in 1944 and was flown by Oberstleutnant Hans Dortenman. During its restoration the aircraft used new parts built by Flug Werk in Germany.

In addition, because of the popularity of the type, a number of scale replicas have been completed around the world. War Replicas in the United States has produced kits of small replicas powered by 75 kw (100 hp) engines and a few of these have been completed in this region. One Fw 190, an 80 per cent scale model, was available in kit form from Jurca. An 80 per cent scale replica has been built in Queensland. This machine, VH-FWB (c/n FW-190-TTK) was registered to its owners/builders at Toowoomba in July 2003 and was initially powered by a 213 kw (285 hp) Juosai C-J1A nine-cylinder radial engine for testing, but subsequently was fitted with a Vedeneyev nine-cylinder radial engine. Another scratch-built Fw 190has been under construction in Melbourne, VIC, this aircraft being a full-scale replica of all-metal construction, and another has been under construction by an agricultural aviation company in western NSW.