Fw 190 A-8

Fw 190 A-8

Fw 190 A-5

Fw 190 A-5

Fw 190 A-8

Fw 190 A-5

Fw 190 A-5

Germany

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.3	5.0	5.3

Class:

Fighter

Interceptor

Research:27 000

Purchase:185 000

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

Description

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

General info

Flight performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 5,500 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
622	601	10300	24.2	25.3	10.2	10.2	450
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 5,500 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
687	652	10300	21.4	22.8	19.5	14.1	450

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
912	310	900	~12	~6

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 420	< 240	< 550	> 280

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
700 m	1,498 hp	1,874 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
5,300 m	1,301 hp	1,628 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 seat armour
• 6 mm Steel - Pilot's seat armour
• 12 mm Steel - Headrest armour
• 57 mm Bulletproof glass

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Fw 190 A-8 is armed with:

• 4 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, wing-mounted (140 rpg outer + 250 rpg inner = 780 total)
• 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine guns, nose-mounted (400 rpg = 800 total)

Suspended armament

The Fw 190 A-8 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x Wfr.Gr.21 rockets

Usage in battles

The Fw 190 A-8 possesses far below average speed, acceleration, and climb ability for its rank. It does, however, have great high-speed control and a wicked armament that will shred any fighter almost instantly. It is recommended that you climb to the side and let your teammates engage first so you can put your excellent BnZ ability to work. You should climb to either 3000 meters altitude or 5000 meters and wait for friendlies to engage enemy aircraft first. Don't forget to use your flaps in a dive as the A-8 gains a massive amount of speed in a dive, generally resulting in overshooting the target if he is distracted with a dogfight. Don't worry about your flaps breaking as they can survive speeds up to 900 km/h, far faster than you're ever going to go in combat.

If you spot a bandit co-alt, a head-on attack followed by an evasive manoeuvre and then extending away to repeat the process is a recommended tactic. If a bandit has superior energy and is pressing an attack against you, try to drag them to friendlies, but don't sacrifice too much energy to do so. If you are skilled enough, another tactic would be to initiate a scissors manoeuvre; 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 190 A-8. If you are ballsy enough to press for a gun solution when scissoring an enemy, you could be greatly rewarded. In summary, climb to the side, BnZ like a champ, never get in a sustained turn fight, and use your rate of roll to free yourself when cornered.

The Fw 190 A-8 sits at a high battle rating, close to the Spitfire LF Mk IX and La-7B-20, both of which are vastly superior planes overall. It frequently faces Tempests, Fw 190 A-5, Bf 109 G variants, Griffon Spitfires and F4U-1C's. Unfortunately, the A-8 is by and large worse than all of these planes, but it still possesses some unique advantages and if piloted correctly is going to give anyone trouble. However, these advantages are quite predictable and easily countered by an attentive opponent.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Auto controlled	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Combined	Not controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator		Offensive 13 mm
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 13 mm MGs
III	Wings repair	Engine		Offensive 20 mm	R6 modification
IV		Engine injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Amazing roll rate, as to be expected of the Fw 190 line
• Great energy retention
• Gets an interceptor airspawn
• Massive pool of cannon ammunition
• Well armoured frontal profile
• Powerful MG 151/20 with access to Minengeschoß dense belts
• MG FF/M's found on previous Fw 190 variants replaced with MG 151/20
• Radiator rarely overheats
• Flaps are effectively unbreakable and can be used at high speeds

Cons:

• Poor pitch/turn rate without combat flap angle makes dog fighting very risky, but not impossible
• Elevator response and pitch rate very slow at low-medium speeds
• Outboard wing 20 mm cannon loaded with 140 round belts, while inboard/wing root mounted cannon fed from 250 round belts
• Manoeuvrability at speeds below 350 km/h
• Generally outclassed by other Fw 190 when engaging in turn fights
• Mediocre climb rate for its battle rating and as Fw 190's go
• Slow turn rate, can even be outturned by a B-25

History

Development

After the different improvements from A-1 to A-5, the Fw 190 gained successively in engine power, ordnance and firepower but also in weight. It culminated with the lengthened airframe of the A-5 (to reduce vibrations) and led to the development of the following variants:

• Fw 190 A-6: developed in 1943, it integrated a new wing design to reduce wing loading and two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons replacing both wing-mounted 20 mm MG/FF cannons together with larger ammunition boxes.
• Fw 190 A-7: introduced in December 1943, it saw the replacement of both nose-mounted 7.7 mm MGs with 13 mm MG131 machine guns.
• Fw 190 A-8: introduced in 1944, the A-8 was the same aircraft as the A-7. The main improvement was the injection boost system "GM1" for the BMW 801 engine. The system injected nitrous oxide into the cylinders to raise the engine's power limit for a period reaching 10 minutes. A 115 L fuel tank was also installed to increase the range and wing-mounted 30 mm cannons were added as optional armament. The Fw 190 A-8 went into production in February 1944 and 6,655 units were produced between 1944 and 1945.

Combat usage

The Fw 190 A-8 saw combat extensively: it was used as a fighter during Operation Bodenplatte (Battle of the Bulge) in 1944 and to intercept USAF and RAF night bomber formations in 1944 and 1945 over Germany.

Media

The Shooting Range #18 - Pages of History section at 03:03 discusses the Fw 190A.

See also

• Fw 190 A-8 (USA), the premium American version.
• NC.900, the gift French version.

External links

• [Wikipedia] Focke-Wulf Fw 190
• [Air Vectors] The Focke-Wulf Fw 190

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.