Focke-Wulf Fw 187
The Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke was created by Kurt Tank as a heavy fighter and a competitor to the Messerschmitt Bf 110 in the Zerstörer (destroyer) role. Unlike the Bf 110, the Fw 187 was originally conceived as a single-seater, but a second seat for a radio operator/rear gunner had to be added on request by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium.
The performance of the Fw 187 was very much superior to that of the Bf 110. However, German authorities relied heavily on the Messerschmitt products, and the Fw 187 never entered service. With the Fw 187 they could have had a successful long-range fighter in the Battle of Britain, which would have made an impact on the relative losses of the clashing air forces.
Later, up-engined variants of the Fw 187 were developed. A variant with surface condensation cooling was meant to attack the absolute world speed record, but the attempt was canceled after the outbreak of the war. At one point, Kurt Tank even suggested the Fw 187C as high-altitude fighter instead of the Ta 152 that was still in development at that time.
The Ta 154 Moskito resulted from the Luftwaffe requirement for a twin-engined heavy fighter like the Fw 187, but constructed from wood instead of light alloys. Due to the different material, Kurt Tank couldn't make any use of the work done for the Fw 187 but had to design a completely new aircraft to meet this requirement.
This article is a stub. You can help BambooWeb by .
