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General Specifications
Wingspan: 10.54 m (34 ft. 5.5 in.) Length: 8.83 m (29 ft.) Height: 3.99 m (13 ft. 1 in.) Weight: 3,200 kg. (7,055 lb.) Engine: BMW 801D-2 Horsepower: 1,700 hp. Guns: Two 13 mm machine guns, four 20 mm cannons ___________________________________________________________
When the Focke-Wulf engineering staff set to work trying to build an airplane that was superior to the Messerschmitt, the result also outclassed Allied fighters. With a simple airframe that facilitated mass-production and maintenance, a radial BMW engine, widely spaced landing gear, a clear-view canopy, lots of new electronically-operated features, and six machine guns, the Fw 190 quickly established itself as an aircraft that was easy for pilots to fly. When it entered service in 1941, it became clear that the 190 was also an airplane for Allied pilots to fear. The Fw 190 never replaced the Bf-109, and was never produced in as great a quantity, but it is thought by many to have been the best German fighter of the war.
The 190A series included many fighter and bomber versions, with increasingly heavier internal armament. These planes were such an advance in fighter design that they quickly prompted the Allies to develop the Spitfire IX.
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