Focke-Wulf Fw 42 - Development and Design

Development and Design

Designed by Heinrich Focke in response to a 1929 specification issued by the Air Department of the Reichswehr, the design of the Fw 42 was based on that of Focke's earlier F 19 Ente (German: "Duck") light transport.

The aircraft's design featured a long, slender fuselage with gun positions at each end, an aft-mounted wing with a "tail-first", or canard, configuration, fully retractable tricycle landing gear, and an internal bomb bay. The aircraft was planned to be operated by a crew of six.

Early versions of the Fw 42 design featured vertical stabilisers mounted on the end of the wing, with additional fins located just outboard of the engine nacelles, for a four-tail arrangement. In addition, these early concepts featured the canard being mounted above the fuselage in a parasol arrangement, which had been used on the F 19. As the design was developed between 1931 and 1933, the canard was moved from the top to the bottom of the fuselage, to improve vision for the pilot and fields of fire for the forwards gunner. In addition, wind tunnel tests of the four-fin configuation showed that it did not provide a significant advantage over a single, large fin, and so the latter configuration was adopted for simplicity.

The Fw 42 was intended to be powered by two 560-kilowatt (750 hp) BMW VI 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled engines, which were expected to provide a top speed of nearly 300 kilometres per hour (190 mph), and a range of over 1,200 kilometres (750 mi).