German, single-engine, all-metal fighter with covered cabin in WWII low-wing design. Pilots considered the Fw-190 a better aircraft than the Messerschmitt Bf-109. An independent low-wing aircraft with a working Fw-190 skin was commissioned by the Luftfahrtministerium, assembled in the fall of 1937. Kurt Tank presented two propulsion proposals: the first with a liquid-cooled Daimler-Benz DB 601 engine, and the second with the new BMW 139 radial engine. The latter was chosen and the work started in the spring of 1938 was led by Obering R. Blaser. The first prototype of the Fw-190V1 was ready in May 1939 and was flown to Bremen on 1 June 1939 by Captain Hans Sander. The second prototype, the FW-190V2, armed with two MG131 machine guns and two MG17 machine guns, all in 7.92mm calibre, flew in October 1939. To reduce drag, both were equipped with an air intake at tunnel in the propeller hat, but engine overheating problems led to a return to the proven NACA ring guard design. Before testing of these prototypes finally began, the decision had already been made to replace the BMW 139 engine with a stronger, but longer and heavier BMW 810. It required many modifications, strengthening the structure and moving the cockpit back, which later became a source of problems with the center of gravity. The advantage was the elimination of exhaust gas penetration problems and overheating of the cockpit due to its direct proximity to the BMW 139 engine. The third and fourth prototypes were abandoned, and the Fw-190V5 with the new engine was completed in early 1940. Later, it received wings with a span increased by one meter (from the original 9.5 m), which made it 10 km / h slower, but the rate of climb increased and maneuverability improved. It was marked Fw-190V5g and the shorter wing variant was Fw-190V5k. The first seven machines of the Fw-190A-0 information series had a short wing, the rest - a longer one. The first operational unit equipped with the Fw-190 - 6./JG 26 stationed at Le Bourget, declared its operational readiness in August 1941 and from the first encounter of the new fighter with the British Supermarine Spitfire, its advantage over them became evident. During the war, a dozen versions of this large aircraft were created. Version "A" machines, along with a dozen modernizations, served as combat aircraft. Versions marked "B" and "C" were only prototypes of high-altitude fighters intended to combat strategic bombers, but did not go into series production. The "D" variant, as the only one of the Fw-190s, was powered by the new 1750hp Jumo 213A engine and was the German answer to the P-51 Mustang. The new engine extended the fuselage by several tens of centimeters. This variant also performed primarily hunting and high-altitude hunting duties. Numerous variants of the 'F' version performed fighter-bomber duties as direct battlefield support. The 'G' version performed the same role as the 'F' version, but had a greater range. Over 20,000 copies of this one of the best fighters of World War II were produced during the entire war. Technical data (Fw-190A-8 version): length: 9m, wingspan: 10.51m, height: 3.95m, maximum speed: 656km/h, rate of climb: 15m/s, maximum range: 800km, maximum ceiling 11410m, armament : fixed - 2x MG131 13mm machine guns and 4x MG151 20mm cannons (2x MG 151 / 20E cannons for the D-9 version).