Focke-Wulf Fw 191

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Focke-Wulf Fw 191
Fw 191A on Ground hr ExCC.jpg
Prototype of the Focke-Wulf Fw 191 A
Type: Bomb plane
Design country:

German Reich NSGerman Reich (Nazi era) German Empire

Manufacturer:

Focke-Wulf

First flight:

1942

Commissioning:

-

Number of pieces:

3

The Focke-Wulf Fw 191 was a twin-engined German bomber prototype from World War II from 1942.

development

Also a prototype of the Focke-Wulf Fw 191 A

In 1939 the Luftwaffe announced a competition for a medium-weight dive bomber (Bomber B program). In addition to Focke-Wulf, Arado ( E.340 ), Dornier ( Do 317 ) and Junkers ( Ju 288 ) also took part in the tender .

The bomber should be able to carry 2000 kg over a distance of 1800 km and reach 600 km / h at an altitude of 7000 m. In addition, there was the requirement for a pressurized cabin to be able to fly over the enemy air defense at great heights . The background to these demands was the idea of being able to reach goals in Great Britain from bases in France and Norway .

The project suffered from engine and electrical problems from the start. Initially, the 2500 hp 24-cylinder Daimler-Benz DB 604 engine was intended as the drive , but neither this engine nor the Junkers Jumo 222 with a similar output, which was later considered , were available in time. The much weaker BMW 801A engines were therefore built into the first prototype .

The first flight took place in 1942. Due to weight problems and poor flight characteristics, only three prototypes were built, the V1 , V2 and V6 . The V6 had two 2200 hp Jumo 222 engines.

The crew of the shoulder- wing decker consisted of five men who found space in the front part of the aircraft nose. The cabin was ventilated with compressed air for great heights. A MG 151 sat under the aircraft's nose , two remote-controlled MG 151s on the fuselage and two remote-controlled MG 81s above the engine pods. A MG 151Z was attached under the fuselage. The bomb bay and brackets under the wings could hold up to 4000 kg bombs or torpedoes .

It was interesting to try to implement the entire control mechanics using electric motors instead of cables and rods (today's designation: fly-by-wire ), which in practice turned out to be very prone to failure.

Development of the Fw 191 was stopped at the end of 1943.

Technical specifications

Parameters Data Fw 191 V6
crew 5
length 18.45 m
span 28.98 m
height 4.80 m
Wing area 70.5 m²
Empty mass 11,970 kg
Takeoff mass 19,575 kg
drive two Junkers Jumo 222 , 1,641 kW (2,231 hp)
Top speed 620 km / h
Service ceiling 9700 m
Range 3600 km
Armament four 7.92 mm MG 81 and four 13 mm MG 131 machine guns ;
two 20 mm MG 151 machine guns , 4000 kg bombs or torpedoes

See also

literature

Web links

Commons : Focke-Wulf Fw 191  - Collection of images, videos and audio files