Fw 190 F-8

Fw 190 F-8

Do 335 A-0

Me 262 A-1/U4

Fw 190 F-8

Do 335 A-0

Me 262 A-1/U4

Germany

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.0	4.3

Class:

Strike aircraft

Research:46 000

Purchase:155 000

This page is about the German fighter Fw 190 F-8. For other uses, see Fw 190 (Family).

Description

The Fw 190 F-8 is a Rank IV German fighter with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB), 5.0 (RB), and 4.3 (SB). This fighter has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.

The 190 who thought it was a Stuka. The F-8 version is a peculiar one, designed to replace the the aging Ju 87 series, it could never fully replace it this late into the war (1944). As an attacker this Focke Wulf gains mid-air start on most maps which can either be used to get to ground targets quickly, or get the jump on climbing fighters. Keep in mind though that the very heavy F-8 is not designed for dogfights and will suffer in any fighter engagement. The F-8 is perhaps one of the most versatile Fw-190s in the game, though it tends to be outperformed in most categories by more specialized planes.

General info

Flight Performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 5,400 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
603	583	11100	24.8	25.3	9.3	11.6	453
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 5,400 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
?	?	11100	??.?	??.?	??.?	??.?	453

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
X	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
912	310	N/A	~19	~19

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 420	< 510	< 510	> 280

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
1,500 m	1,602 hp	1,954 hp

Survivability and armour

• 6 mm Steel - Fore cowl ring
• 10 mm Steel - Cowl ring
• 6 mm Steel - Under engine armour
• 8 mm Steel - Under cockpit/fuel tank armour plate
• 5 mm Steel - Rear fuel tank armour
• 8 mm Steel - Pilot's chair armour
• 6 mm Steel - Pilot's chair armour
• 12 mm Steel - Headrest armour
• 57 mm Bulletproof glass - armoured windscreen

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Fw 190 F-8 is armed with the following:

• 4 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon, wing-mounted (250 rpg = 500 total)
• 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine gun, nose-mounted (400 rpg = 800 total)

Suspended armament

Payload options for the Fw 190 F-8 include:

• Without load
• 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs
• 8 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs
• 1 x 250 kg SC250JA bomb
• 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs + 1 x 250 kg SC250JA bomb
• 1 x 500 kg SC500K bomb
• 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs + 1 x 500 kg SC500K bomb
• 1 x 1000 kg SC1000L2 bomb
• 4 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs + 1 x 1000 kg SC1000L2 bomb
• 2 x 30 mm MK 103 cannon, wing-mounted (35 rpg = 70 total)
• 14 x Pb2 rockets

Usage in battles

The Fw-190 F-8 possesses far below average speed, acceleration and climb ability for its rank. If you spot a bandit at the same altitude, a recommended tactic is to head-on attack, followed by an evasive manoeuvre and then extending away to repeat the processes. If a bandit has superior energy/altitude and is trying to attack you, try to drag them to friendlies, but don't sacrifice too much altitude to do so. If you are skilled enough, another tactic would be to initiate scissors; either rolling or flat, and then break away when he goes to yo-yo to control his overshoot. The scissors is a highly effective manoeuvre in the 190s. Many good pilots have dismembered many superior aircraft simply because of the roll rate and firepower this plane possesses. If you are clever enough to press for a gun solution when scissoring an enemy, you could be greatly rewarded.

In summary for the unintended fighter-role, climb to the side or continue climbing when starting mid-air, BnZ like a champion, never get in a sustained turn fight, and use the rate of roll to free yourself when cornered. The F-8 is most likely to be successful in realistic battles when used as a ground-attacker or bomber hunter. B-17s and Halifaxes are unlikely to fly at higher altitudes than the F-8 can perform at, which allows for the F-8s armament (especially with the 30mm gun pods) and decent durability to be useful while not being held back by its relatively poor dogfighting capability. It is best to make quick, diving attack passes targeting the wings and engines before extending out to avoid return fire from the bomber's defensive guns. Do not turn back until you are at least 1 km away from the bomber to avoid being an easy target. Until the frontal gun pods are unlocked, 2-3 passes may be required to fully destroy a bomber. Frontal attacks can also be effective, with the engines and cockpit both viable targets, but with the trade-off being less time to shoot at the target (this goes both ways, you won't be in the range of defensive guns for very long either).

In combined forces battles, the Fw-190 F-8 can carry a wider range of ordinance than most other German fighters, allowing for ground-attack using rockets, gun pods, or bombs. The 1000 kg bomb is unique to F-8 among German fighters; while the Do-335 (A-1 & B-2 variants) and Me-410 (A1 & B1 variants) can carry 1,000 kg of bombs, they can only carry 250 kg and 500 kg bombs. The F-8 combines the ability to carry heavy ordinance while still retaining decent fighting capability after dropping said ordinance.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable	Not controllable	Controllable	Combined	Not controllable	Not controllable

Modules

The attacker "Würger" has such awful responsiveness from the elevator, that anything which improves turn rate should have the highest priority. Otherwise, it will kiss the ground more a lot more than cows do! Don't forget, it needs to dive-bomb to hit anything. And grinding the bombs cannot be forgotten!! This is an attacker, so it needs the payload unlocks, but without performance upgrades, it is just pain to fly. A detour to the new belts could be considered, but two 20 mm cannons are enough to handle any ground units even with stock ammunition, especially as the other performance upgrades are necessary as well due the F-8's great weight.

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator		Offensive 13 mm	ETC 501 I
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 13 mm MGs	ETC 501 + ER 4 I	R4/M HL modification
III	Wings Repair	Engine		Offensive 20 mm	ETC 501 II	ETC 502 + ER 4 II
IV		Engine Injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons	R3 Modification	Offensive 30 mm

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Plenty of ammo for the armaments
• The 30 mm gun pods (with the glorious minengeschoss shells), steady rate of climb, air spawn, and decent durability combine to make for a potent bomber hunter in realistic battles
• Carrying the 30 mm cannon pods do not have a significant reduction on flight performance when compared to the bombs
• 30 mm HVAP rounds can deal with any surface target except pillboxes
• Ability to carry up to 1,200 kgs of payload, and is the only Fw 190 besides Dora series and the A5/U2 that can carry bombs
• Comes stock with 250 kg and 50 kg bomb options
• Access to 30 mm Mk 103 gun pods, Pb2 HEAT rockets, and a 1,000 kg bomb, which aren't available on any other German single-engine fighter
• Great roll rate
• Great energy retention
• Climb rate is consistent until 6,000 m altitude
• Can WEP pretty much nonstop
• Well armoured from the front
• Excellent tank busting capability

Cons:

• Generally outclassed by other 190 models when it comes to air to air combat
• 30mm cannons are mounted on the wings, therefore, is relatively inaccurate compared to nose-mounted
• Firing the 30mm cannons creates recoil within the plane
• Poor turn rate that many medium bombers can beat
• Maneuverability at low speeds is bad
• Elevator has low response & effect at low-medium speeds
• Bad climb rate for an Fw 190 especially with payloads
• WEP doesn't significantly boost performance

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === Encyclopedia Info ===, also if applicable).

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
• other literature.