Engineering:Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito
| Ta 154 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Prototype Ta 154 V1 (TE+FE) | |
| Role | Night Fighter |
| Manufacturer | Focke-Wulf |
| Designer | Kurt Tank |
| First flight | 1 July 1943 |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
| Variants | Focke-Wulf Ta 254 |
The Focke-Wulf Ta 154 Moskito was a fast twin-engined German night fighter aircraft designed by Kurt Tank and produced by Focke-Wulf during late World War II. Only a few were produced, proving to have less impressive performance than the prototypes.
Development
Kurt Tank's team at Focke-Wulf had been working for some time on a fast attack-bomber aircraft named Ta 211, so named because it planned to use an uprated Jumo 211R engine. The intended "Ta 211" design was a high-wing twin-engined design, built primarily of plywood, bonded with a special phenolic resin adhesive called Tego film.[1] The only large-scale use of metal was in the pressurized cockpit.[citation needed]
The project's designation was changed to Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM—Ministry of Aviation) airframe number 8-154 (hence Ta 154) when it became apparent that the most suitable engine for the aircraft was the more powerful Jumo 213, and that Junkers could not deliver the Jumo 211R in time due to technical and production problems. The 154 was also allocated the name "Moskito" as a form of recognition of the Royal Air Force 's (RAF) de Havilland Mosquito.[2]
It was at about this time that the light and very fast de Havilland Mosquito, also made of wood, arrived over Germany. It quickly racked up an impressive record; in its first 600 bombing missions, only one was shot down, compared to an average of 5%Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag
|prime units?=met
|crew=2
|length m=12.45
|length note= (without radar antennae)
|span m=16
|height m=3.5
|wing area sqm=32.4
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=6600
|gross weight kg=8930
|max takeoff weight kg=9550
|fuel capacity=1,500 L (400 US gal; 330 imp gal) in two fuselage tanks
|more general=
|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name=Junkers Jumo 213E
|eng1 type=V-12 inverted liquid-cooled piston engines
|eng1 kw=1305
|eng1 note=for take-off
- 984 kW (1,320 hp) at 10,000 m (33,000 ft)
|prop blade number=3 |prop name=Junkers VS-9 wooden constant-speed propellers |prop dia m= |prop dia ft= |prop dia in= |prop dia note= |max speed kmh=650 |max speed note=at 7,090 m (23,260 ft)
- 534 km/h (332 mph; 288 kn) at sea level
|cruise speed kmh= |stall speed kmh= |never exceed speed kmh= |minimum control speed kmh= |range km=1365 |range note=at 7,000 m (23,000 ft)
- 1,860 km (1,160 mi; 1,000 nmi) with two 300 L (79 US gal; 66 imp gal)
|combat range km= |ferry range km= |endurance= |ceiling m=10900 |g limits= |roll rate= |climb rate ms=15 |time to altitude=8,000 m (26,000 ft) in 14 minutes 30 seconds |wing loading kg/m2= |fuel consumption kg/km= |power/mass= |thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|guns=
- 2 × 20 mm (0.787 in) MG 151/20 cannon 200 rpg.
- 2 × 30 mm (1.181 in) nose-mounted MK 108 cannon 110 rpg.
- (Ta 154C) + 2 × fuselage-mounted Schräge Musik 30 mm (1.181 in) MK 108 cannon)
|bombs= |rockets= |missiles= |hardpoints= |hardpoint capacity= |hardpoint rockets= |hardpoint missiles= |hardpoint bombs= |hardpoint other=
|avionics=variously:-
- FuG 218 Neptun radar
- FuG 212 Lichtenstein C-1
- FuG 220 Lichtenstein SN-2
- FuG 350 Naxos Z H2S detector
- Revi 16B gunsight
- FuG 10P HF comms
- FuG 16ZY VHF radio
- FuG 25a IFF
- FuG 101a radio altimeter
- FuBl 2 blind approach receiver
- PeGe 6 radio compass
}}
See also
Related development
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
Related lists
- List of World War II military aircraft of Germany
- List of military aircraft of Germany
- List of WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft prototype projects
References
- ↑ Goodman, Sidney H. (1998). Handbook of Thermoset Plastics. William Andrew. p. 47. ISBN 0-8155-1421-2.
- ↑ Merriam, Ray (2017). World War 2 In Review No. 33: German Airpower. Merriam Press. ISBN 9781387498604.
External links
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