Fw 190 A-5
| This page is about the German fighter Fw 190 A-5. For other uses, see Fw 190 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Fw 190 A-5 is a rank IV German fighter with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB) and 4.7 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.35.
Würger is the German nickname of this beast of a plane. It can be translated as a slayer, choker, or strangler. In that regard fits the English designation well too: Butcher-bird
190s are fighters, and while this one can load additional payload, it will reduce the plane's combat ability. Using it as a fighter-bomber is generally not advised, this would be the duty of the Fw 190 F-8 instead.
Rocking four 20 mm cannons, an armoured radial engine, armoured fuel tanks, and sometimes two artillery rockets, this aircraft is far from shy in the role of giving and taking. Anything at 12 o'clock is soon to be dead. The wing root mounted cannons should be additionally placed on a separate key for head-on attacks. The outer-wing guns would only miss on distances of 800-1,000 m (~0.7 miles). This also helps for tricky shots since the second pair of 20 mm cannons only have 90 shots each, instead of the whopping 250 of the inner ones.
The rockets are an interesting piece of equipment. Developed from the 210 Nebelwerfer artillery system, they were initially used to break up B-17E formations by forcing the US pilots to evade them. The main goal of the rockets was not to destroy the bombers; instead, this tactic meant separating the scattering bombers, allowing the attacking aircraft to get closer to their targets safely without the crossfire of coverage. The Gr.21 has the same shell drop as the MK 108 cannon, so if you are already used to it from flying the 109, well done. If not, which wouldn't be a surprise as this is the page for the Fw 190, then prepare for some misses. Like the "Sledgehammer" Mk 108, the accuracy is woeful and is not made better by its low velocity. This is a characteristic noticeable in the game, which makes them difficult to use in direct fighter to fighter engagements. But all of these deficits are made up by the warhead. Oh boy. They've got power. With the fuse timer set correctly, even misses will damage enemy planes, as the shock wave radius gets close to 100 m. So watch out when using them against ground units as there is a good chance you will likely kill yourself in the process., Keeping over 100 m safety distance is strongly advised!
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 6,300 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 636 | 615 | 10300 | 22.7 | 23.6 | 10.8 | 10.8 | 450 |
| Upgraded | 687 | 660 | 20.3 | 21.5 | 18.2 | 14.1 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| X | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 0 | 310 | N/A | 700 | 310 | ~14 | ~7 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 420 | < 240 | < 550 | > 280 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 700 m | 1,498 hp | 1,685 hp |
| Setting 2 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 5,300 m | 1,301 hp | 1,463 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 3 mm Steel - Fore engine cowling
- 5 mm Steel - Secondary engine cowling
- 6 mm Steel - Lower engine plate
- 8 mm Steel - Lower cockpit/fuel tank plate
- 5 mm Steel - Rear fuel tank plate
- 6 mm Steel - Pilot seat back (first plate)
- 8 mm Steel - Pilot seat back (second plate)
- 12 mm Steel - Headrest
- 57 mm Bulletproof glass
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Fw 190 A-5 is armed with:
- 2 x 20 mm MG 151 cannons, wing-mounted (250 rpg = 500 total)
- 2 x 20 mm MG FF/M cannons, wing-mounted (90 rpg = 180 total)
- 2 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns, nose-mounted (900 rpg = 1,800 total)
Suspended armament
The Fw 190 A-5 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- Without load
- 2 x Wfr.Gr.21 rockets
Usage in battles
The Fw 190 A-5, as all the planes in this line, is one of the best Boom and Zoomers in the game and should be flown exclusively in this style. The performance at high speeds is excellent, as is their dive and zoom characteristics. Do not ever engage in a turn fight, as this will most likely end badly. Instead, fight only in the vertical. Try to have an altitude or speed advantage over your opponents (by climbing to the side at the start of the battle and then enter the highest battle you see). But you can still win fights when you are lower in energy than your foe.
In the defensive, you can often dive away from planes, such as Spitfires and La-5s. Still, you need to be at a decent altitude to gain your top speed, so do not be too quick to dive after an enemy, if they fly below your plane, unless you are higher then everybody else or alone. Just be sure to have the time to regain the lost altitude.
In a dive, due to its short wings, the Fw 190 can pull some stunts to either lose the hunter or even make him lose his wings! This is a promising strategy against La-5s, Yaks & Spitfires, who have low wing loading (and partly wooden wings for the Russians), less resistance against high G manoeuvres. Again, be sure to regain your energy by a zoom-climb. Just look out while doing so, many pilots die as they do not notice a second enemy aircraft approaching. German proverb: Wenn Zwei sich streiten, freut sich der Dritte. ~ "When two quarrel, the third will reap the success." Of course, this could also be you.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Not controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Combined | Not controllable 2 gears |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Excellent firepower
- Excellent roll rate
- Very good bomber hunter
- Anti-bomber rockets can obliterate enemy bombers and large aircraft when used correctly
- Rockets can destroy medium tanks in Realistic Battles
- Well armoured from the front
- Great at Boom & Zoom tactics
- Lots of 20 mm ammunition
- Performs very well in dives
- Decent climb rate when upgraded
- Features the highest amount of unlockable camouflage available in the German tech tree
- Engine doesn't overheat fast if you researched radiator
- Simulator: Good instantaneous turn
Cons:
- Slow climb rate stock
- Slight engine damage will severely reduce performance
- Not much defensive flying possibilities (only dive and scissors)
- Loses power above 5,000 m steadily, not good at high altitude
History
In-game description
A single-seat all-metal cantilever monoplane with a low wing.
An aircraft designed by the Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau GmbH design office under the direction of Kurt Tank. The designers intended to build a new easy-to-operate fighter with powerful weaponry and a durable structure. In contrast to the Bf.109, which sacrificed speed for operational qualities, the FW.190 was to become the Luftwaffe's "cavalry horse".
The first prototype FW.190V1 took its maiden flight on 1 June 1939. The aircraft went into series production in June 1941 and appeared on the Western Front in August.
In November 1942, the FW.190A-5 variation went into series production. This model differed from the A-4 series in that the forward section of its fuselage had been slightly enlarged. This measure significantly improved the fighter's responsiveness. The aircraft's design and equipment had changed slightly in other respects as well. It had been equipped with a new horizon indicator and an advanced oxygen system. The FuG25 identification friend or foe (IFF) repeater had become a standard part of the aircraft's radio equipment.
The FW.190A-5 was powered by the 1,800 hp 14-cylinder twin-row air-cooled Bayerische Motoren Werke BMW801D radial engine with a double-speed supercharger and a direct fuel injection system.
In the standard fighter variation, the FW.190A-5's guns consisted of two 7.92 mm synchronized Rheinmetall-Borsig MG17 machine guns in the fuselage above the engine with 1,000 rounds each and two 20 mm synchronized Mauser MG151/20 cannons in the wing root with 250 shells each. It was sometimes equipped with two 20 mm Ikaria/Oerlikon MG FF cannons with 90 shells each, mounted on the wing panels outside the propeller's radius.
An entire range of extra Umbausatze conversion kits were developed for the FW.190A-5, which were both built in series and used for the experimental development of various types of new equipment. The FW.190A-5/U14 variation was a torpedo-armed fighter capable of carrying the LT F5b torpedo. The FW.190A-5/U15 was tested with the planned Blohm und Voss BV246 bomb, and another variation, the FW.190A-5/R6, was tested with 280 mm W.Gr.28 rockets.
In total, assembly lines produced 1,752 FW.190A-5s between November 1942 and June 1943.
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Related development
External links
| Focke-Wulf Aircraft Corporation (Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau Aktiengesellschaft) | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Fw 190 A-1 · Fw 190 A-4 · Fw 190 A-5 · Fw 190 A-5/U2 · Fw 190 A-5/U12 · Fw 190 A-5/U14 · Fw 190 A-8 |
| Fw 190 C | |
| Fw 190 D-9 · Fw 190 D-12 · Fw 190 D-13 | |
| Fw 190 F-8 | |
| Ta 152 C-3* · Ta 152 H-1* · Ta 154 A-1* | |
| Bombers | Fw 189 A-1 · Fw 200 C-1 |
| Export | ▅Fw 190 A-5 |
| Captured | ▃Fw 190 A-8 · ▂Fw 190 D-9 |
| * In 1944, the Germany Air Ministry changed new fighter aircraft designation to that of the chief designer. Kurt Tank was the chief designer at Focke-Wulf and later aircraft he designed were given the prefix of Ta. | |
| Germany fighters | |
|---|---|
| Heinkel | |
| He 51 | He 51 A-1 · He 51 B-1 · He 51 B-2/H · He 51 C-1 · He 51 C-1/L |
| He 100 | He 100 D-1 |
| He 112 | He 112 A-0 · He 112 B-0 · He 112 B-1/U2 · He 112 B-2/U2 · He 112 V-5 |
| Messerschmitt | |
| Bf 109 (Jumo) | Flegel's Bf 109 A · Bf 109 B-1 · Bf 109 C-1 · Bf 109 C-1 |
| Bf 109 (DB-601) | Bf 109 E-1 · Bf 109 E-3 · Bf 109 E-4 · Bf 109 E-7/U2 · Bf 109 F-1 · Bf 109 F-2 · Bf 109 F-4 · Bf 109 F-4/trop |
| Bf 109 (DB-605) | Bf 109 G-2/trop · Bf 109 G-2 · Bf 109 G-6 · Bf 109 G-10 · Bf 109 G-14 · Bf 109 K-4 |
| Focke-Wulf | |
| Fw 190 (early) | Fw 190 A-1 · Fw 190 A-4 · Fw 190 A-5 · Fw 190 A-5 · Fw 190 A-5/U2 · Fw 190 A-5/U14 · Fw 190 A-8 · Fw 190 C |
| Fw 190 (late) | Fw 190 D-9 · Fw 190 D-12 · Fw 190 D-13 |
| Ta 152 | Ta 152 C-3 · Ta 152 H-1 |
| Blohm & Voss | |
| BV 155 | BV 155 B-1 |
| Captured: | |
| USA | ▀P-47D-16-RE · ▀P-47D |
| USSR | ▀La-5FN · ▀Yak-1B |
| Britain | ▀Tempest Mk V |
| Italy | |
| CR.42 | ▀CR.42 · ▀Marcolin's C.R.42 CN |
| G.50 | ▀G.50 serie 2 · ▀G.50 AS serie 7 |
| C.200 | ▀C. 200 serie 3 · ▀C. 200 serie 7 |
| C.202 | ▀C. 202 |
| Finland | ▀Hawk H-75A-2 |
