Even as World War 2 (1939-1945) was in full swing in 1941, design studies undertaken by German engineers were looking to exact additional power and performance from existing combat fighter types. One viable candidate became the classic Focke-Wulf Fw 190 piston-engined fighter which was only just introduced in August of that year and these studies looked to further the fortunes of the war for Germany. An offshoot project of this aircraft was an entry which attempted to showcase the feasibility of adding the still in-development BMW 802 series 18-cylinder, supercharged, twin-row, air-cooled radial piston engine in place of the original radial installation (at its core the new engine was essentially an 18-cylinder form of the earlier 14-cylinder offering). However, the project - recognized generically as the Fw "BMW 802" - did not advanced beyond the paper stage.
The Fw BMW 802 proposal retained the complete aft fuselage section, tail unit, undercarriage, and cockpit of the original Fw 190 production fighter. The major changes were to the nose and wing mainplanes. The nose was now intended to mount the powerful new engine which was set to take up a considerable amount of space, forcing the nose section to be extended well-beyond the cockpit which, in turn, was forced further back in the design - reducing forward visibility. As the new engine was still air-cooled, a cut-off nose was used for aspiration and the complete unit drove a conventional three-bladed propeller unit (variable pitch) in tractor fashion. A traditional tail-dragger undercarriage would be used for ground-running.
The wing mainplanes were revised to sport dihedral (upward angle) just outboard of the main landing gear leg housings. Furthermore, these members were lengthened due to the performance expected out of the new, faster fighter (similar to what was done in the Focke-Wulf Ta 152 high-altitude fighter seen before war's end). The wings were given little sweepback at their leading edges and tapered considerably towards the rounded tips from thee trailing edges. As the position of these members was also ahead of the pilot, frontal vision was further hindered.
In terms of armament, no weapons set was finalized though it can be assumed that there would have been a permanent switch to all-cannons, perhaps fitted to the wings in pairs, to provide the fighter with excellent killing power and clear the nose section for the large engine. Additionally, a limited bomb-carrying capability can be suspected - with the typical three-hardpoints available to most every fighter of the war - a single point under the fuselage and one position under each wing. In addition to this, the hardpoints would have most likely been plumbed for jettisonable fuel tanks when needing to extend the aircraft's operational range.
The promising fuel-injected BMW 802 offered up to 2,600 horsepower initially and settled near 1,600 horsepower and had the potential to truly increase all performance aspects of the Fw 190 fighter. However, it was not run until 1943 as its development proved troublesome and lengthy, ultimately leading to its abandonment in favor of furthering turbojet engine technology. As such, any advanced fighter form intending to fit the BMW 802 was abandoned in turn.
A more evolved version of the Fw BMW 802, designated the "P.8011", intended to fit a modified version of the same BMW 802 engine in the nose to drive contra-rotating propeller units. Many qualities of the original Fw BMW 802 were to be carried over in this entry but neither advanced into anything worthwhile.
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
AIR-TO-AIR COMBAT
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
INTERCEPTION
Ability to intercept inbound aerial threats by way of high-performance, typically speed and rate-of-climb.
CLOSE-AIR SUPPORT
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.
X-PLANE
Aircraft developed for the role of prototyping, technology demonstration, or research / data collection.
37.7 ft (11.50 meters) Length
41.0 ft (12.50 meters) Width/Span
12.5 ft (3.80 meters) Height
9,921 lb (4,500 kilograms) Empty Weight
11,905 lb (5,400 kilograms) Maximum Take-Off Weight
+1,984 lb (+900 kg) Weight Difference
1 x BMW 802 18-cylinder, supercharged, twin-row, air-cooled engine developing 2,600 horsepower and driving a three-bladed propeller unit at the nose. Propulsion
ASSUMED, FIXED, FORWARD-FIRING:
4 x 20mm MG151 automatic cannons in wings (two per wing member).
ASSUMED, OPTIONAL:
2 x 110lb conventional drop bombs, one under each wing.
Up to 1,105lb of conventional drop stores across three hardpoints (under belly, one each under wing) as required. Also support for jettisonable fuel tanks across all three hardpoints.
3 Hardpoints
Fw BMW802 - Base Project Designation; design work only; powered by the BMW 802 18-cylinder engine in revised nose section of an Fw 190 fighter airframe.
P.8011 - Advanced project incorporating modified BMW802 of 2,900 horsepower driving 2 x Three-bladed propellers in contra-rotating fashion.
Images
1 / 1
Image copyright www.MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.
