Focke-Wulf Fw 190 Fw 190 D-9

The performance of the Fw 190 A fell away above six thousand metres, and that limited its value as a high-altitude interceptor. Focke-Wulf attacked the problem along three lines: the B model with a turbocharged BMW 801, the C with a Daimler-Benz DB 603 and a much longer nose, and the D with the Junkers Jumo 213 inverted-V engine. The turbocharger installations of the B and C series proved unreliable and were abandoned; only the D model entered service, in September 1944.

The series began in late 1943, when several Fw 190 A-7 aircraft were modified by installing Jumo 213A engines to create the D-0 prototypes; the first D-0 had already been completed in October 1942 with a pressurised cockpit and other features intended for high-altitude work. The change of powerplant lengthened the nose by some sixty centimetres, so a half-metre plug had to be inserted in the rear fuselage to compensate the centre of gravity, and the fin area was increased as well. Hence the nickname by which the production aircraft became known: the "long-nose 190", or "Dora 9".

The D-9 carried two MG 151/20 cannon in the wings and two MG 131 machine guns above the engine, plus the MW 50 water-methanol injection system that temporarily raised engine output to 2,240 hp, and it could carry a 300-litre drop tank or a 250 kg bomb under each wing. Later aircraft received the bulged canopy introduced with the F series. In practice the D-9 was rarely used against heavy-bomber raids: the circumstances of the war in late 1944 gave priority to fighter-versus-fighter combat and ground attack missions. Its real significance was to serve as the basis for the Focke-Wulf Ta 152, capable of 755 km/h at 13,500 m.