Time Period: World War II
Country of Origin: Germany
Type: Fighter Aircraft
Manufacturer: Focke-Wulf
Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke Aircraft Overview
The Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke was a German twin-engine fighter aircraft developed in the late 1930s. It was designed to be a fast and heavily armed interceptor that could operate at high altitudes.
The Fw 187 Falke was a low-wing monoplane with retractable landing gear and a crew of two. It was powered by two BMW 132 engines, each of which provided 960 horsepower. The aircraft had a top speed of around 400 miles per hour and was armed with four 7.92mm machine guns and two 20mm cannons.
Despite its promising design, the Fw 187 Falke did not meet the expectations of the Luftwaffe and only three prototypes were built. The aircraft suffered from a number of issues, including poor handling characteristics and engine reliability problems. Additionally, by the time the Fw 187 was ready for production, the Luftwaffe had already shifted its focus to single-engine fighters like the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.
The Fw 187 Falke was ultimately abandoned in favor of other fighter aircraft designs, and the prototypes were eventually scrapped or used for testing purposes. Although it was not a successful aircraft in its own right, the Fw 187 Falke was an important design for Focke-Wulf, as it helped to pave the way for the company’s later successes with the Fw 190 and other aircraft.
Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke Specifications
- Crew: 2
- Length: 11.1 m (36 ft 5 in)
- Wingspan: 15.3 m (50 ft 2 in)
- Height: 3.85 m (12 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 30.4 m2 (327 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 3,600 kg (7,937 lb)
- Gross weight: 5,000 kg (11,023 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Junkers Jumo 210Ga V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines 680 PS (500 kW; 671 hp)
- Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propellers
Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke Performance
- Maximum speed: 525 km/h (326 mph, 283 kn) at 4,000 m (13,123 ft)
- Service ceiling: 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
- Time to altitude: 6,000 m (19,685 ft) in 5 minutes 48 seconds
Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke Armament
- Guns:
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- 4 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine guns in fuselage sides.
- 2 × 20 mm (0.787 in) MG FF cannon in the lower fuselage.