Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-3

Focke-Wulf · DE · first flew 1941 · fighter

The A-3 was the first fully refined production Fw 190, standardising the four-cannon wing armament and the uprated BMW 801D engine that would remain the powerplant baseline through the A-8.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, tapered
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	No bomb rack or ETC fittings under fuselage (that comes with A-4/A-5)
T — Tail	Conventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

BMW 801D-2 with longer cowl than A-1/A-2, cowl cooling slots visible around circumference
Four-cannon wing armament (two MG FF/M in outer wing, two MG 151 in inner wing root) — heavier than A-1's two-gun fit
No bomb rack or ETC fittings under fuselage (that comes with A-4/A-5)

The A-3 and A-5 are visually very similar. The A-3 has a shorter engine mount than the A-5 (which lengthened the nose by 15 cm). Look at nose length relative to the cockpit — if the cowl seems flush and compact, likely A-3. The absence of a centreline ETC rack separates early A-3 from A-4/A-5 ground-attack fits.

Specifications

The Focke-Wulf Fw 190 A-3 has a length of 8.84 m (29 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.51 m (34 ft).
Its maximum speed is 660 km/h (410 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Around 509 A-3s built from late 1941. It shocked RAF Fighter Command when first encountered over the Channel in 1941-42, outperforming the Spitfire Mk V. Served on the Eastern Front and in North Africa as well as France.

Variants

A-3/U1 (single two-seater conversion for training), A-3/U7 (high-altitude trials).

Where you'll see it

Luftwaffe Channel Front (JG 2, JG 26), Eastern Front 1941-43. No airworthy A-3 exists; surviving Fw 190As are almost all late-production or A-8 variants.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.