German twin-engined utility aircraft Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe (Kite).
History, development, service, specifications, pictures and 3D model.
Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe (Kite)
Table of Contents
Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe (Kite).
Type: German twin-engined utility aircraft.
The Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe (Harrier) was a German aircraft developed in the 1930s.
Overview
Purpose: It was designed as a multi-purpose aircraft for various roles including transport, reconnaissance, and training.
Design: The Fw 58 was a twin-engine, low-wing monoplane with a conventional tail configuration.
First flight: The aircraft made its maiden flight in 1935.
Production: It was produced from 1937 to 1942, with around 1,400 units built.
Crew: The standard crew consisted of two pilots and could accommodate up to six passengers or cargo.
Engines: It was powered by two Argus As 10 air-cooled inverted V8 engines.
Performance: The Fw 58 had a maximum speed of about 255 km/h (158 mph) and a range of up to 850 km (528 miles).
Variants: Several versions were produced, including a training variant and a maritime patrol version.
Users: The aircraft was primarily used by the Luftwaffe, but it was also exported to several countries, including Bulgaria, Hungary, and the Netherlands.
Post-war use: After World War II, some Fw 58s continued to serve in various roles in countries like Czechoslovakia and Bulgaria.
The Focke-Wulf Fw 58 Weihe was considered a successful design for its time, proving to be versatile and reliable in its various roles throughout its operational life.
History
Kurt Tank‘s Fw 58, preferred to Arado’s Ar 77 design, became the Luftwaffe‘s apÂproximate equivalent of Britain’s Airspeed Oxford: an aircrew trainer, ambulance and general-purpose hack transport. Several hundred were built by four German facÂtories, and others were licence-built in Brazil and Hungary.
There were 13 prototypes, of which the V1 first flew in spring 1935; the V 2, V 4 and V 11 were, respectively, the basic development aircraft for Fw 58A, B and C production series.
Only a few Fw 58As were built, the Fw 58B being essentially an improved A with a glazed nose mounting for one 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun. A second MG 15 was ring-mounted aft of the crew cabin, and the Fw 58B could also carry twelve 10 kg bombs, some being used in an anti-partisan role in Bulgaria in 1944.
The solid-nosed Fw 58C, the main wartime production variant, was a six-passenger transport with 260 hp Hirth HM 508D engines.
Users: Germany, Argentina, Austria (prewar), Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Hungary, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Turkey.
Animated 3D Model Focke-Wulf Fw 58B Weihe
Specifications Focke-Wulf Fw 58B Weihe
Specifications:
Fw 58B | Specification |
|---|---|
Type | Utility aircraft |
Power plant | 2 x 240 hp As10C-3 |
Accommodation | 4 |
Wing span | 21.00 m (68 ft 10.8 in ) |
Length overall | 14.00 m (45 ft 11.2 in ) |
Height overall | 4.20 m (13 ft 9.4 in ) |
Wing area | 47.00 m² (505.90 sq ft) |
Weight empty | 1.870 kg (4,123 lb) |
Weight loaded | 2.900 kg (16,809 lb) |
Max wing loading | 61.70 kg/m² (12.64 lb/sq ft) |
Max power loading | 6.04 kg/hp (13.32 lb/hp) |
Max level speed | 255 km/h (158 mph) |
Cruising speed | 238 km/h (148 mph) |
Initial climb | 330 m/min (1,083 ft/min) |
Service ceiling | 5,400 m (17,715 ft) |
Range | 600 km (373 miles) |
Armament:
Fw 58B | Specification |
|---|---|
in glazed nose | 1 x 7.92mm MG 15 |
in aft cabine | 1 x 7.92mm MG 15 |
Machine-guns total | 2 |
Bomb load | 12 x 10 kg bombs (120 kg total) |
Service statistics:
Fw 58 Weihe | figures |
|---|---|
First flight | spring or summer of 1935 (V 1) |
Production delivery | ? |
Service delivery | ? |
Final delivery | ? (c. 1944) |
Unit costs | ? |
Total production figure (all) | 1,668 for Germany and 319 for export (total 1,987). Additional licensed construction in Brazil and Hungary. |
References and literature
German Aircraft of World War 2 in Colour (Kenneth Munson)
Warplanes of the Luftwaffe (David Donald)
