Fw 200 Condor
Focke-Wulf · Germany · first flew 1937 · bomber
The Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor was a four-engine maritime patrol bomber adapted from a pre-war airliner, feared as a long-range convoy raider.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, tapered |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 4 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Long, slender airliner-derived fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Long, slender airliner-derived fuselage
- Four engines on a high-aspect-ratio low wing of considerable span
- Ventral gun and bomb gondola under the forward fuselage on military marks
The slim airliner fuselage, four engines and long-span low wing distinguish it; military examples add the under-fuselage gondola.
Specifications
- The Fw 200 Condor has a length of 23.45 m (77 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 32.85 m (108 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 380 km/h (236 mph).
- Typical crew: 6.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
First flown in 1937 as a civil transatlantic airliner, the Condor was militarised for long-range ocean reconnaissance and anti-shipping work. Its airliner structure was never truly stressed for combat, and airframe fatigue plagued the type.
Variants
The maritime C-series, including the C-3 and C-4, added the ventral gondola, defensive guns and bomb load. Civil airliner versions preceded them.
Where you'll see it
An enemy aircraft never operated by Britain, the Condor preyed on Allied convoys in the Atlantic, earning Churchill's epithet the 'Scourge of the Atlantic' for the shipping it sank and the U-boats it directed onto convoys.
Related aircraft
- Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke
- Focke-Wulf Fw 62
- Focke-Wulf Fw 189 Uhu
- Focke-Wulf Fw 57
- Aero A.104
- Amiot 350 family
- Arado Ar 195
- CANT Z.1007 Alcione
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.