https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Focke-Wulf_Fw_189
The Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu ("Eagle Owl") was a German twin-engine, twin-boom,
three-seat tactical reconnaissance and army cooperation aircraft. It first flew
in 1938 (Fw 189 V1), entered service in 1940 and was produced until mid-1944. It
should not be confused with the Heinkel He 219 night fighter also named Uhu.
In addition, Focke-Wulf used this airframe in response to a tender request by
the RLM for a dedicated ground attack airplane, and later submitted an armored
version for trials. However, the Henschel Hs 129 was selected instead.
In 1937, the German Ministry of Aviation issued a specification for a
short-range, three-seat reconnaissance aircraft with a good all-round view to
support the German army in the field, replacing the Henschel Hs 126, which had
The specification was issued to Arado and Focke-Wulf. Arado's design, the Ar
198, which was initially the preferred option, was a relatively conventional
single-engined high-wing monoplane with a glazed gondola under the fuselage.
Focke-Wulf's chief designer Kurt Tank's design, the Fw 189, was a twin-boom
design, powered by two Argus As 410 engines rather than the expected single
engine and a central crew gondola designed with a heavily glazed and framed
"stepless" cockpit forward section, which used no separate windscreen panels for
the pilot (as with many German medium bombers), while Blohm & Voss proposed as a
private venture something even more radical: chief designer Dr. Richard Vogt's
unique asymmetric BV 141. Orders were placed for three prototypes each of the
Arado and Focke-Wulf designs in April 1937.
The Fw 189 was produced in large numbers, at the Focke-Wulf factory in Bremen,
at the Bordeaux-Merignac aircraft factory (Avions Marcel Bloch's factory, which
became Dassault Aviation after the war) in occupied France, then in the Aero
Vodochody aircraft factory in Prague, occupied Czechoslovakia. Total production
was 864 aircraft of all variants.
Role
Tactical Reconnaissance and Army Cooperation Aircraft, Light Bomber
Manufacturer
Focke-Wulf
Designer
Kurt Tank
First flight
July 1938
Introduction
August 1941
Retired
1945
Primary users
Luftwaffe
Hungarian Air Force
Slovak Air Force
Produced
Number built
864
Called the Fliegende Auge ("Flying Eye") of the German Army, the Fw 189 was used
extensively on the Eastern Front with great success. Its Soviet nickname (in
both Ukrainian and Russian) was "Rama" (Frame), referring to its distinctive
tail boom and stabilizer shapes giving it the characteristic quadrangular
appearance. Despite its low speed and fragile looks, the Fw 189's
manoeuvrability made it a difficult target for attacking Soviet fighters. When
attacked, the Fw 189 was often able to out-turn attacking fighters by simply
flying in a tight circle into which enemy fighters could not follow.
Specifications (Fw 189 A-1)
General characteristics
Crew: 3
Length: 12 m (39 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 18.4 m (60 ft 4 in)
Height: 3.7 m (12 ft 0 in)
Empty weight: 2,680 kg (5,920 lb)
Loaded weight: 3,950 kg (8,708 lb)
Performance
Maximum speed: 357 km/h at 2,600 m (222 mph at 8,530 ft)
Range: 670 km (416 mi)
Service ceiling: 8,400 m (27,550 ft)
Rate of climb: 8.3 m/s (1,640 ft/min)
Power/mass: 86.6 W/kg (0.053 hp/lb)
Armament
forward
firing rearwards
(optional)
In later versions, MG 15 were replaced with 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 81Z twin-barrel
machine gun
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