Focke-Wulf Fw BMW803

History of the Focke-Wulf Fw BMW803

Even before the excellent single-seat, single-engine Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter entered the war for Germany in World War II (1939-1945), the company's engineers had worked hard to Designed to squeeze every ounce of performance - with a focus on improving performance at high altitudes. This led to a series of fighter design studies throughout the war years, leading to consideration of the Fw 190 airframe with various engine mounts, including the BMW 802 Radial.

One of the team's more outlandish approaches is a two-armed monoplane, designed to have its sole pilot seated at the very front of the fuselage, with a BMW 803 series radial engine mounted aft, driving a pair of "propeller" propellers unit. arrange.

Part of the layout of this aircraft is attributed to the early 1940's Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu ("Owl"), which opted for a two-arm configuration, with a similarly shaped monoplane, with the leading edge clearly swept back opposite straight trailing edge. Rather than mount the Uhu's engine at the front end of each boom, a single BMW 803 is buried within the confines of the fuselage behind the cockpit.

The propulsion scheme will draw in air through a sleek circular intake design that curves above and below the fuselage. The tricycle landing gear arrangement will provide the required ground running capability and is fully retractable - the main legs are located under the boom section and the front legs are located under the cockpit floor.

The pilot sits under a largely unobstructed canopy with excellent visibility over the short nose cone (rear visibility will be limited due to raised dorsal spine and engine placement). Since the nose has no engine/propeller mounts, the proposed armament of twin-gun 4 x 20mm MG 151 automatic cannons mounted on either side of the cockpit wall is relatively unobstructed.

The firepower of a single salvo was enough to shoot down the Allied bombers of the time.

In addition, engineers added support for larger caliber guns (presumably the German 30mm type) in place of the 20mm gun and up to four wing root machine guns (two machine guns per wing root).

For ground attack engagements, 2 conventionally thrown bombs of 550 lbs to 1,100 lbs are required to be carried under each boom. Alternatively, the aircraft can also be equipped with disposable fuel tanks to extend the operational range.

The fighter should have an empty weight of 14,000 lbs and a fully loaded maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of 16,535 lbs. Dimensions include a barrel length of 45.2 feet, a wingspan of 43.3 feet, and a height of 10.5 feet.

The engine chosen was a BMW 803 28-cylinder, four-row radial series, producing 4,000 hp for driving 2 x three-blade propeller units in counter-rotation behind the fuselage (taking the appearance of a six-blade unit). The BMW 803 is actually a pair of BMW 801 engines back to back.

Since the heat generated by this pairing proved to be significant, liquid cooling was employed to control the temperature.

While impressive on paper, the engine has yet to mature into production-quality form. Only a dozen prototypes were built during the war.

Estimated performance figures for the BMW 803 to match Focke-Wulf Jager's proposed design include a top speed of 455 mph at nearly 30,000 feet, with a possible service ceiling of 36,750 feet. The range is 1,000 km available.

Despite looking impressive on paper, the Fw BMW803 was not designed beyond the paper stage. Some modifications were made to the aircraft in 1943, mainly the cooling system, but the project failed.

However, it appears to have influenced the 1944 jet rocket-powered Fw P. VII "Flitzer" fighter proposal (described in detail elsewhere on this page) - which also came to no avail.

The second iteration of the design, also based on the Focke-Wulf BMW803, had an oversized "drum" radiator mounted on the nose. This version also has a planned ejection seat. A third design option featured a cooler attached to the head of the boom assembly.

Specification

Basics

Year of Service

1943

Origins

Nazi Germany

Status

Cancel

Development ended.

Crew

1

Production

0

Manufacturer

Focke-Wulf-Nazi Germany

Operator

Nazi Germany (removed)

scrolling

air-to-air combat, fighter

The general ability to actively attack other aircraft of similar form and function, usually using guns, missiles and/or airborne missiles.

Intercept

The ability to intercept incoming airborne threats with high performance, usually speed and rate of climb.

Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR), reconnaissance

Monitor ground targets/target areas to assess surrounding threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.

X-Plane (development, prototype, tech demo)

Aircraft designed for prototyping, technology demonstration, or research/data collection.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

45.3 feet

(13.80m)

Width/span

43. 3 feet

(13.20m)

Height

10.5 feet

(3.20m)

Cured weight

13,944 lbs

(6,325 kg)

MTOW

16,535 lbs

(7,500 kg)

Wgt Difference

+?2,590

(+1,175 kg)

Performance

Installed:

1 x BMW 803 4,000hp liquid-cooled radial piston engine driving 2 x three-bladed propellers in counter-rotating "thrust" arrangement at the rear of the fuselage.

Maximum speed

454 km/h

(730 km/h | 394 knots)

Maximum

36,745 feet

(11,200 m | 7 km)

Area

684 km

(1,100 km | 2,037 nautical miles)

Range (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: > 19030

Weapons

Recommended: 4 x 20 mm MG 151 automatic cannons on the sides of the forward fuselage. Alternative: 2 x 30 mm MK 103 automatic cannons on the sides of the front hull. 4 x 7.92mm machine guns located at the root of the wing (two guns per wing root).

Optional: 2 x 550lb or 1,100lb conventionally thrown bombs or 2 x throwable fuel tanks.