Air Power Series>1:48 die-cast display model>FW-190>HA7411

General Background

In 1937 the Me-109 was an excellent aircraft but the Reich Air Ministry wanted a new advanced fighter that could out perform any future foreign designs. Kurt Tank’s Focke-Wulf Fw-190 Würger (Butcher Bird) won the design competition by using an air-cooled radial engine. When the Fw-190 entered combat in the summer of 1941 it already was Germany’s premiere piston-powered WWII fighter. Over 20,000 of all variants of the Fw-190 were built with 13,291 of these being of the 9 different “A” variants.

The Aircraft

In 1944 FW-190A7/R6 "Red 8" (R6 meant the aircraft was equipped with WG21 under-wing rocket launchers) was piloted by Fw (Feldwebel – the equivalent of sergeant) R. Hartkopf of Jagdgruppe 10, 2.Staffel, "Schlangenschwarm" based at Parchim Germany. In May 1943 a unit to test heavy weapons and special weapons to be used against U.S. bombers was formed as Erprobungskommando 25 (Ekdo 25) and based at Parchim in June and July 1944 when the unit was re-designated Jagdgruppe 10 (JGr.10). In March of 1945 the new unit was disbanded.

Specifications :

Crew:	1
Dimensions:	Wingspan – 10.5 m
	Length – 8.95 m
	Height – 3.95 m
Weight:	Empty – 3,470 kg
	Maximum takeoff - 4,900 kg
Performance:	Powerplant – 1 x PE BMW-801D-2, 1700 hp
	Maximum speed - 610 km/h
	Time to 6000 m - 9 minutes
	Service ceiling – 11,400 m
	Service range (with external fuel tank) – 1,470 km
Armament:	4 X 20-mm cannons
	(2 X 13-mm machine guns