WesWorld

Focke-Wulf Fw-187 R-1

General Type:
Airplane = 1
Airship = 2
Orbiter = 3
1

Year of First Flight: 1938

Description

Carrier or Rough Field
Monoplane
Conventional Fuselage

The early recon version of the FW-187 'Falke'. Equipped with 4 7.92mm MG-81s and a pair of Leica cameras in the nose, protected with 10mm seatback armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, and powered by specially-built DB-601NS engines (a DB-601N retrofitted with the supercharger from the DB-603).





Characteristics:

Weight (maximum) 12,100 lbs
Weight (empty) 9,486 lbs

Length 36.5 ft
Wingspan 50 ft
Wing Area 327 sq ft
Sweep 3 degrees

Engines 2
DB-601NS
Piston

1,186 hp
at 21,000 ft


Crew 1


Typical cost $0.056 million in 1939
Total number procured 2000


Performance:

Top Speed 386 kts = 444 mph
at 21,000 ft
Mach N/A

Operational Ceiling 44,500 ft

Range 1,500 nm = 1,727 miles
with 9 lbs payload
10 lbs released at halfway point

Climb 3,275 fpm

Cruise 270 kts = 311 mph
at 35,000 ft

Corner Speed 250 KIAS =
348 kts at 21,000 ft
Mach N/A
Turning Rate 21.8 deg/sec
Radius 3,092 ft



Internal Data:

Intake / Fan Diameter 9 ft

Bypass Ratio 80

Engine Weight 1420 lbs
Overall Efficiency 21.5 percent

Structural Factor 1.00

Number of Wings 1
Number of Fuselages 1

Limiting Airspeed 420 kts
Wing Ultimate g Load 10.00 g
Wing Taper 0.5
Wing Thickness at Root 1.2 ft

Tail / Canard Factor 0.4

Number of Nacelles 2
Length 9 ft
Diameter 3.25 ft
Fullness 0.5

Fuselage Diameter 3.25 ft
Fuselage Fullness 0.35

Pressurized Volume 0 percent
Cargo Decks 0

Cleanness 82 percent
Unstreamlined section 2.2 sq ft

User equipment 1,400 lbs

Isnt user equipment a bit low? And another question is this a stopgap or will it become the standard recon?

The user weight is assuming approximately 600 pounds of cameras, I'm certainly open to correction here if that's too low or too high.

It's really more of a stop-gap than a standard aircraft: the wings are the wrong shape for a dedicated high-altitude recon bird, and pilot comfort would definitely be enhanced by going to a pressurized cockpit. But it's what can be done in reasonably short order, so there will likely be a few of them purchased.

Iberia would be interested in acquiring some!

P.S. How comes the Ju88, Iberia is part funding the developement, after all.

The Ju-88 is now entering service with the Luftwaffe. I thought it was the Do-217 that Iberia was interested in supporting, not the Ju-88?

Quoted

Originally posted by Hrolf Hakonson
The Ju-88 is now entering service with the Luftwaffe. I thought it was the Do-217 that Iberia was interested in supporting, not the Ju-88?

I think your right, I have a head like a sieve!!!

Having said that, I would still be interested in the Ju88....best not to have all one's eggs in the one basket!!

If Iberia is interested in the Ju-88, the Iberian Air Attache in Berlin need only contact Junkers & Co.

Quoted

Originally posted by Hrolf Hakonson
If Iberia is interested in the Ju-88, the Iberian Air Attache in Berlin need only contact Junkers & Co.

A letter arrives on the desk of the sales director of Junkers in Dessau. It is open and has a hand-written note attached to it.

The note reads.....

"You may want to follow this up. Considering the size of the orders that they have placed with Focke Wulf, Heinkel and Jumo, this could be very good for us. Hugo J"

He reads the letter, then reaches over to the intercom on his desk.
"Claudia, could you get the Iberian Embassy on the phone for me please"

Junkers Motoren will definitely be happy, more Jumo-211s to be built for Iberian aircraft.

So how many Ju-88s does Iberia want? Keep in mind that the Ju-88s being built currently are optimized as dive-bombers, one of the reasons it took a while to go from design to production (the original design was just a fast medium bomber, but after the design was done the specification was changed to focus on dive-bombing).

And don't forget Bharat want an order of Ju-87's plus the license to built them in later Bharat. Will be the Army and Naval dive-bomber until a indigenous design enters service in 1939-40.

Heh, excellent. What models would Bharat like? The Ju-87B and R are available, with the C to be available after the new year.

Quoted

Originally posted by Hrolf Hakonson
Heh, excellent. What models would Bharat like? The Ju-87B and R are available, with the C to be available after the new year.

The Army will prefer the B, the Navy the R. As soon as possible. An order of 48 B's and 36R's sounds Ok? Plus the license to built in house. I see it as a transitional model until the arrival of the planned new aircrafts.

Is the Ju-87R the OTL long range Stuka? Got some elderly aircraft that need replacement soon

Quoted

Originally posted by Vukovlad
Is the Ju-87R the OTL long range Stuka? Got some elderly aircraft that need replacement soon

Indeed it is. That is the reason for the use by the BNS. I guess Junkers executives must be very happy indeed. Peru-Bharat-Iberia and Germany buying their products.

Quoted

and powered by specially-built DB-601NS engines (a DB-601N retrofitted with the supercharger from the DB-603).

Thats probably not possible as there will be a considerably larger volume flow rate through the DB603 compressor and lots more power absorbed. Spinning the existing compressor faster (fairly easy as its a hydrodynamic coupling) and going to higher boost (with higher octane fuel) or a small aftercooler is probably an easier solution. I'm not really sure on the need for armour, armament or self-sealing tanks on this plane.

I know I've seen a weight for cameras somewhere recently and they're heavier than you'd think.

The historical DB-605AS series used the DB-603's supercharger, so I used that as the model for this engine.

The defensive systems (guns, armor, fuel tanks) are installed because the operating altitude, while high, is not absolutely outside the range of defenders, and there might be times when the plane might need to come down below a cloud deck to take pictures.

Quoted

Originally posted by Hrolf Hakonson
Junkers Motoren will definitely be happy, more Jumo-211s to be built for Iberian aircraft.

So how many Ju-88s does Iberia want? Keep in mind that the Ju-88s being built currently are optimized as dive-bombers, one of the reasons it took a while to go from design to production (the original design was just a fast medium bomber, but after the design was done the specification was changed to focus on dive-bombing).

Are we talking full dive capability, or the 45-degree compromise that was reached after the overstressed airframe issues showed up?

An Rb50/30 camera (with its film magazine and external motor) mounted in a standard cradle. Fully loaded with 64m (210ft) of film and associated equipment, the camera weighed in at 725kg (1600lb)

Most seem to be single applications.

Quoted

Originally posted by Commodore Green

Quoted

Originally posted by Hrolf Hakonson
Junkers Motoren will definitely be happy, more Jumo-211s to be built for Iberian aircraft.

So how many Ju-88s does Iberia want? Keep in mind that the Ju-88s being built currently are optimized as dive-bombers, one of the reasons it took a while to go from design to production (the original design was just a fast medium bomber, but after the design was done the specification was changed to focus on dive-bombing).

Are we talking full dive capability, or the 45-degree compromise that was reached after the overstressed airframe issues showed up?

The original full dive (haven't done it enough to see the overstressed airframe issues yet) capability.

Quoted

Originally posted by Red Admiral
An Rb50/30 camera (with its film magazine and external motor) mounted in a standard cradle. Fully loaded with 64m (210ft) of film and associated equipment, the camera weighed in at 725kg (1600lb)

Most seem to be single applications.

Something seems VERY wrong with that weight. The British F52 high-altitude camera weighed only 85 pounds in it's heaviest version (with film) (see here: http://www.airrecce.co.uk/cameras/raf_ww2_cameras.html ) and the Luftwaffe Bf-109 F-6 could carry a Rb20/30, Rb50/30 or Rb75/30 at the cost of it's MG-151 (see here: http://www.airrecce.co.uk/WW2/recce_ac/LuftAR4.html#Me ).