Fw 200 Condor - Definition


Fw 200 Condor - Definition

Focke Wulf Fw 200 Condor

Description
Role	Transport; Bomber
Crew	5
Capacity	(transport variants) 30 fully-armed troops
First Flight	July 27, 1937
Entered Service
Manufacturer	Focke-Wulf
Dimensions (Fw 200C-3/U4)
Length	23.5 m	77 ft 1 in
Wingspan	32.8 m	107 ft 7 in
Height	6.3 m	20 ft 8 in
Wing Area	118 m²	1,270 ft²
Weights
Empty	12,950 kg	28,550 lb
Loaded	kg	lb
Maximum takeoff	22,700 kg	50,050 lb
Powerplant
Engine	4 × BMW/Bramo 323R
Power (each)	882 kW	1.200 hp
Performance
Maximum speed	360 km/h @ 4,800 m	224 mph @ 15,750 ft
Combat range	3,556 km	2,210 miles
Ferry range	4,440 km	2,760 miles
Service ceiling	5,800 m	19,030 ft
Rate of climb	m/min	ft/min
Wing loading	kg/m²	lb/ft²
Power/Mass	kW/kg	hp/lb
Armament
Guns	2 � 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon 6 � 7,9 mm machine guns 1 � 13 mm MG 131 machine gun
Bombs	up to 3.000 kg.

The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 was a four engine airliner. Built under Lufthansa specification and with Dip. Ing Bansemir as project director, it first flew in July 1937 after just under one year of development with Dip. Ing Kurt Tank in the controls. It was the very first airplane to fly non-stop between Berlin and New York - on August 10, 1938 in 24 hours and 56 minutes. The return trip took only 19 hours and 47 minutes on August 13, 1938.

The aircraft was a simple development of a pre-war commercial craft. First flown in 1937 it was an all metal construction, four-engine monoplane capable of carrying 25 passengers up to 3000 km, it flew from Berlin to New York in twenty hours without stopping. To adapt it for wartime, hard-points were added on the wings for bombs, the fuselage was extended and strengthened to create more space and front, aft and dorsal gun positions were added. The extra weight of the improvements meant that a number of early Condors would break-up on landing, a problem that was never entirely fixed. Later models were equipped with radar.

It was built in 3 versions (Fw 200A, B, and C). The Model A was a purely civilian plane used by Lufthansa, DDL in Demmark, and Syndicato Condor in Brazil. The Fw 200B and Fw 200C models were used as long-range bombers, reconnaissance, troop and VIP transport planes. Adolf Hitler used a Fw 200V-1 model . His "seat" in the cabin was equipped with back-armor plating and an automatic parachute with downward throws. This plane was named "Immelmanns III" and first carried the markings "D-2600", which eventually changed to "WL+2600" and finally "26+00".

The Luftwaffe initially used the aircraft in conjunction with the Kriegsmarine, making great loops out across the North Sea and (following the fall of France) the Atlantic Ocean, the aircraft undertook maritime patrols and reconnaissance, searching for Allied convoys and warships to be reported and targeted by U-boats. The Condor could also carry bombs or mines to be used against shipping and it was claimed that from June 1940 to February 1941 they sank 365,000 tons. From mid-1941 the aircraft were instructed to avoid attacking shipping and avoid all combat in order to preserve numbers, but the arrival of the new escort aircraft carriers was a very serious threat.

The Condor was also used as a transport aircraft, notably flying supplies into Stalingrad in 1943. After late 1943 the Condor came to be used solely as a transport aircraft. For reconnaissance it was replaced by the Junkers Ju 290 and as France was invaded maritime reconnaissance became impossible. Production ended in 1944 with a total of 276 aircraft produced.

The Japanese Navy requested a military version for search and patrol duties, so Kurt Tank designed th Fw200V-10 with military equipment. This plane was held in Germany because of the war that had started in Europe and became the basis for all later military models used by Luftwaffe.

Winston Churchill called it the "Scourge of the Atlantic" during the Atlantic Battle due to its contribution to Allied Navy heavy losses by German U-boats.