Focke-Wulf Ta-152H-1

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Fighter Ace Screenshots 2 Fighter Ace Ratings 3 Fighter Ace Performance 4 Historical Statistics 5 Strengths 6 Weaknesses 7 History 8 Sources 9 See Also

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 4

Speed: 8

Maneuverability: 5

Firepower: 8

Climb Rate: 9

Ground Attack: 1

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	335	333	366	398	428@ 35105'	180 mph	0:59	2:44	5:32
mph WEP	370	395	416	424	446@ 31168'
kph	539	535	589	640	688@ 10700m	290 kph
kph WEP	572	556	609	670	718@ 9500m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: March 1945

Primary Guns: 2x MG151/20 20mm cannon with 175 rpg in wing roots

Secondary Guns: 1x Mk108 30mm cannon with 90 rpg in hub

Ordnance: 1x 463 lb (210 kg) drop tank

Engine(s): 1x Junkers Jumo 213F-1 in-line rated for 1,750 hp at sea level (2,050 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 1,573 lbs (714 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: 463 lbs (210 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 332 mph (534 kph) at sea level, 461 mph (742 kph) at 31,150 ft (9,500 m)

Ceiling: 48,550 ft

Loaded Weight: 10,472 lbs (4,748 kg)

Wing Area: 253.0 sq ft (23.3 sq m)

Wing Loading: 41.4 lbs/sq ft (203.8 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Firepower: Armed with one 30mm and two 20mm cannons close to the centerline, the Ta-152 has enough punch and ammo to down several heavy bombers in a single flight.

High Altitude Performance: With a top speed of 472 mph at 41,010 feet only the jet and rocket fighters are capable of going higher and faster.

Weaknesses

Low Altitude Performance: Utilizing an engine optimized for high-altitudes, the Ta-152 can only manage 332 mph at sea-level and thus can be caught by even early-war planes.

Roll Rate: The extended wings help handling at high-altitude, but at the cost of low-to-medium altitude roll rates.

Ground Attack: Without the ability to carry ordnance of any kind, the Ta-152 has only its guns to help with the ground war.

History

With it becoming increasingly obvious that high-altitudes were the domain of air combat in Europe, the Focke-Wulf and Messerschmitt companies were asked in late 1942 to submit proposals for a Hochleistungsjäger, of High-Performance Fighter. The plan was for a two-stage development with the first fighter being based on an existing model, using many common parts, and the second being built from the ground up.

Kurt Tank submitted two proposals (Ra-2 and Ra-3) for the first stage based on the Jumo-213 powered FW-190D and a third (Ra-4D), which although it was based broadly on the 190, was to incorporate numerous structural and aerodynamic improvements. Although Messerschmitt submitted a design, the Me-155B, officials thought that Messerschmitt had too many projects in work already to devote sufficient time to the task.

The Ra-2 and Ra-3 prototypes were essentially the same as the FW-190D-9s, except that they used the Jumo-213E with a three-speed, two-stage turbo-supercharger and induction cooler for improved high-altitude performance. MW50 methanol injection was installed and hydraulics replaced electric components for the flaps and landing gear. The fuselage was lengthened to improve internal capacity and, to compensate for the change in cg, the fuselage was moved aft 16 inches. Each plane was armed with a single 30mm Mk 108 engine-mounted cannon and a pair of 20mm MG 151 cannon in the wing roots. In addition, the Ra-2 prototype was fitted with another pair of MG 151s in the cowl.

By this time in the war Kurt Tank's reputation in the Luftwaffe was riding high and in his honor, and at his request, the plane was designated the Ta-152 instead of being included in the FW-190 lineage. Ra-2 was dubbed Ta-152B and Ra-3 became Ta-152H. Meanwhile, the Ra-4D model, or Ta-153 as it was now known, had begun development out of the FW-190C project. Of particular note was it's wing, which although it offered only marginal aerodynamic improvements, was much simpler and easier to build and had a much greater internal capacity for fuel tanks. Because of these advantages it was decided that this wing would be transferred over to the Ta-152 project, with the H version having extended wing panels.

A Ta-152H production line was setup at Cottbus and the first two production prototypes were produced in June and July 1944. Joining them on the production line were the five remaining FW-190C prototypes, which were slated for conversion to the Ta-152H. Conversion and testing of these prototypes continued through November while twenty pre-production Ta-152H-0s were also built and delivered, these differing from the production H-1s only in having their wing tanks deleted.

The Ta-152H was armed with a single engine-mounted Mk 108 with 90 rounds and a pair of 20mm MG 151s with 175 rpg in the wing roots. Internal fuel capacity could be increased by mounting an ETC-503 rack on the fuselage, which could hold a 300 liter tank. The H-0 weighed in at 10,420 lbs. loaded while the H-1 with its internal tanks weighed 11,502 lbs.

No records indicate the complete conversion to the Ta 152 of any of the Jagdgruppen. Several Jagdstaffeln operated the Ta 152 H, alongside the Fw 190 D and other types, mostly in the close support role, and others, such as the Stabsschwarm of JG 301, employed the Ta 152 to provide top cover for Me 262 bases, and a small number of Ta 152 H-1s were also allocated to the Mistel-programme, but by far the majority of fighters of this type were destroyed by ground-stafing attacks while still awaiting Luftwaffe acceptance.

Sources

Green, William; Warplanes of the Third Reich; Doubleday and Company, Garden City, NY; 1970.

See Also

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

Focke-Wulf Flugzeugbau G.m.b.H.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II