Focke-Wulf Fw 187 - Design and Development

Design and Development

In the early-to-mid 1930s, developments in airframe design outstripped aircraft engines, allowing large aircraft to be built that existing engines could not power, at least not alone. This led to a period in which multi-engine designs outperformed single-engine designs in almost every way. In air racing in Europe, the Dornier Do 17 outran every single-engine fighter it competed against. In Germany, this led to the idea of the "schnellbomber", fast bombers that were expected to fly right by the defensive fighters. Although this period of twin-engine superiority was to prove short-lived, it also led to most air forces considering twin-engine fighters, leading to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning, Grumman XF5F Skyrocket, Westland Whirlwind, and the Fw 187.

In 1935, Kurt Tank made the suggestion of creating a long-range single-seat fighter under a private venture within Focke-Wulf. The idea was not to produce a heavy fighter or bomber destroyer like the Bf 110, but instead a long-range design that would have the performance of a single-seat design. Powered by the new 736 kW (1,000 PS) Daimler-Benz DB 600, it had an expected speed of 560 km/h (350 mph). The design was unveiled in 1936 at an exhibition of new weapons, prototypes and projects held at the Henschel factory at Berlin-Schönefeld, where it was viewed by a number of high-ranking Nazi officials, including Hitler. However, the Reich Air Ministry (RLM) rejected the design on the grounds that the single-engine Bf 109 had comparable performance but would cost roughly half as much. The need for a long-range design was not considered serious, as at the time it was believed bomber escort was simply not needed.