Focke-Wulf Fw 190

what is it?

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190, nicknamed Würger (lit. 'Shrike') is a German single-seat, single-engined, fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank at Focke-Wulf in the late 1930s; it was widely used during World War II. Along with its well-known counterpart, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, the Fw 190 became the backbone of the Jagdwaffe (Fighter Force) of the Luftwaffe. 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, or 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 Spitfire Mk.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · retractable tailwheel (taildragger) · 10.5 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 652 km/htop speed
• range 900 kmwithout refuelling
• size 4,900 kgmax take-off weight
• built 19,500made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 87 years ago, in 1939.
• 🏎️Top speed is 5.0× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 10.5 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.2× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1939-06-01

introduced

1941

retired

1945

status

retired

number built

19,500

role

fighter aircraft

origin

Nazi Germany

makers

Focke-Wulf

engines

1× BMW 801D-2

length

9 m

wingspan

10.5 m

height

3.2 m

max take-off weight

4,900 kg

top speed

652 km/h

range

900 km

ceiling

10,350 m

landing gear

retractable conventional landing gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.