Aviation / Aerospace

Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke (Falcon)

Twin-Engine Heavy Escort Fighter [ 1937 ]

The Focke-Wulf design of the Fw 187 Falcon compared favorably in most respects to the Messerschmitt Bf 110 design - but was not ordered in quantity.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 03/15/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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Despite demonstrating some impressive performance statistics from underpowered engines, the Focke-Wulf product Fw 187 Falke (or "Falcon") never materialized into a production quantity models. Similar in design and reach to the Messerschmitt Bf 110, the Fw 187 was seen as more of a "tweener" type aircraft - neither a fighter or a true dedicated destroyer despite some very obvious benefits in the aircraft. Nevertheless the design is noteworthy in that is was a capable system with formidable firepower, good handling characteristics and, with only a few production aircraft delivered, saw action in the defense of a local Bremen Focke-Wulf plant.

Design of the Fw 187 was conventional for a twin-engine fighter type of the times. The ever-increasing power of piston engines allowed for more radical airframe designs thus giving birth to the multi-engine fighter philosophy. the Fw 187 featured twin Junkers Jumo 12-cylinder engines straddling either side of the cockpit and mounted low on low-monoplane wings. Upward and directional visibility was deemed good with the extreme-forward cockpit positioning done in only by the wing area and engines. The green-house style cockpit sat in a slender and longish fuselage which ended in a traditional T-type empennage. The powerful offensive armament of the aircraft was a mix of cannon and machine guns culminating in a battery of 2 x 20mm cannons and an array of 4 x 7.92mm machines - a formidable armament certainly capable of bringing down any bomber or fighter alike.

Performance from the Jumo engines was better than expected with a top reported speed of 329 miles per hour. The achievable service ceiling was well above 32,000 feet though the optimal operating range for the aircraft is unknown in many sources. Despite these statistics, the Fw 187 was done in by the internal workings of the RLM and thusly the Messerschmitt BF 110 "Destroyer" was green-lighted against the Fw 187 design. Only three of the seven ordered Fw 187A-0 pre-production models were delivered.©MilitaryFactory.com

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Specifications

Service Year

1937

Origin

Nazi Germany

Status

CANCELLED
Development Ended.

Crew

2

Production

9
UNITS

Focke-Wulf - Germany

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Nazi Germany

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.

Length

36.4 ft
(11.10 m)

Width/Span

50.2 ft
(15.30 m)

Height

12.6 ft
(3.85 m)

Empty Wgt

8,157 lb
(3,700 kg)

MTOW

11,023 lb
(5,000 kg)

Wgt Diff

+2,866 lb
(+1,300 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the Focke-Wulf Fw 187A-0 Falke (Falcon) production variant)

Installed: 2 x Junkers Jumo 210Ga 12-cylinder engines developing 700 horsepower.

Max Speed

329 mph
(529 kph | 286 kts)

Ceiling

32,808 ft
(10,000 m | 6 mi)

Rate-of-Climb

3,445 ft/min
(1,050 m/min)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Focke-Wulf Fw 187A-0 Falke (Falcon) production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

2 x 20mm MG FF cannons
4 x 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

Fw 187V-1 - Developmental Model

Fw 187V-2 - Developmental Model

Fw 187V-3 - Developmental Model; would lead to pre-production design model.

Fw 187V-4 - Developmental Model

Fw 187V-5 - Developmental Model

Fw 187V-6 - Developmental Model

Fw 187A-0 - Pre-Production Designation of which seven were ordered but only 3 placed into service; based on the Fw 187V-3 developmental model.

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