Development
Henrich Focke had been removed by the Nazi regime from the company he had co-founded in 1936. Though the ostensible reason was that he was "politically unreliable", the RLM's decision to phase Focke-Wulf into the production program of the almost ready Bf-109 necessitated an influx of capital to fund the immediate expansion of the company's production capabilities. Focke Wulf was reorganized into a limited company (G.m.b.H.) in June 1936.
After Focke-Wulf formally signed a contract to produce the Bf-109C in November 1937, the American company International Telephone & Telegraph (ITT), through its German subsidiary C. Lorenz, bought a 28 percent share into Focke-Wulf in 1938, making it the controlling interest.
However, the Air Ministry was so impressed by the Focke-Wulf Fw 61 helicopter that it suggested Focke establish a new company dedicated to helicopter development and issued him with a requirement for an improved design capable of carrying a 700 kg (1,500 lb) payload. Focke established the Focke-Achgelis company in 1937 in partnership with pilot Gerd Achgelis, and began development work at Delmenhorst in 1938.
They first produced an enlarged, six-occupant version of the Fw 61, designated Fa 226 "Hornisse" ("Hornet"), while contracting out development of the engine, transmission, and rotor hub to BMW's Berlin works. The Fa 226 was the world's first transport helicopter and was ordered by Lufthansa in 1938.
The Fa 226 attracted the attention of the Air Ministry, who redesignated it Fa 223 in 1939 before the first prototype flew. The Navy was also interested in the Hornisse and briefly considered it as a replacement for their Schnellboote.
In September 1939 the first prototype, the V1, left the Delmenhorst factory. Now nicknamed Drache ("Dragon") it had a twin-rotor layout similar to the Fw 61, but had a fully enclosed cabin and load bay, with the single Bramo engine mounted in the middle of the tubular-steel body.
Initial hovering tests showed problems and the V1 was not to fly until 1940. The engine initially specified, a BMW Bramo 323D proved too fragile when run at high speed for any length of time, and was replaced with a more robust 1,000 hp Bramo 323Q3 in the later prototypes to improve reliability and lifting capability. The biggest problem, however, was the severe vibration caused by unbalanced driveshafts when the rotors moved out of phase, and this could only be fixed by greater attention to detail on the part of BMW.
Read more about this topic: Focke-Achgelis Fa 223
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