AZ Models 7583 1/72 Focke-Wulf Fw-190A-0

The Focke-Wulf Fw-190 is a German single-engine all-metal fighter aircraft with a covered cabin in a low-wing design from World War II. The pilots considered the Fw-190 to be a better aircraft than the Messerschmitt Bf-109. A free-standing low wing with a working Fw-190 fairing was ordered by the Luftfahrtministerium, assembled in the fall of 1937. Kurt Tank submitted two propulsion proposals – the first with a liquid-cooled Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, and the second with the new BMW 139 radial engine. The latter was chosen and the work started in the spring of 1938 was led by Obering R. Blaser. The first prototype of the Fw-190V1 was ready in May 1939, and it was flown in Bremen on 1 June 1939 by Captain Hans Sander. The second prototype, the FW-190V2, armed with two MG131 and two MG17 machine guns – all 7.92 mm caliber, was flown in October 1939. To reduce aerodynamic drag, both were fitted with a tunnel air intake in the propeller hood, but engine overheating problems resulted in a return to the proven NACA shield design. Before the tests of these prototypes began for good, the decision had already been made to replace the BMW 139 engine with a stronger, but longer and heavier BMW 810. It required many changes, strengthening the structure and moving the cabin back, which later became a source to problems with the center of gravity. The advantage was the elimination of problems with exhaust gas penetration and overheating of the cabin interior due to its direct proximity to the BMW 139 engine. The third and fourth prototypes were abandoned and the Fw-190V5 with the new engine was completed in early 1940. Later it received wings with a wingspan extended by one meter (from the original 9.5 m), making it 10 km/ t slower, but it increased the rate of climb and improved maneuverability. It was designated Fw-190V5g, and the variant with the shorter wing was Fw-190V5k. The first seven machines of the Fw-190A-0 information series had a short wing, the rest – a longer one. The first operational unit equipped with the Fw-190 – 6./JG 26 stationed at Le Bourget, declared its operational readiness in August 1941, and from the first encounter of the new fighter with the British Supermarine Spitfire, its advantage over them became clear . During the war a dozen or so versions of this large aircraft were created. The machines of the “A” version, along with a dozen or so modernizations, served as fighters. The versions marked “B” and “C” were only high-altitude fighter prototypes intended to combat strategic bombers, but they did not enter series production. The “D” variant, the only one of the Fw-190s, was powered by the new 1750HP Jumo 213A engine and was the German answer to the P-51 Mustang. The new engine lengthened the hull by several dozen centimeters. This variant also mainly performed hunting and fighter duties at high altitude. Numerous variants of the “F” version were used as fighter-bombers in direct battlefield support.The “G” version played the same role as the “F” version, but had a greater range. Over the course of the war, over 20,000 examples of this one of the best fighters of the Second World War were produced. Technical data (version Fw-190A-8): length: 9 m, wingspan: 10.51 m, height: 3.95 m, maximum speed: 656 km/h, rate of climb: 15 m/s, maximum range: 800 km , maximum ceiling 11410 m, armament : fixed-2 MG131 13 mm machine guns and 4 MG151 20 mm guns (2 MG 151 / 20E guns for the D-9 version).