The Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke ("falcon") was a German aircraft developed in the late 1930s. It was created by Kurt Tank as a twin-engine, high-performance fighter, but the Luftwaffe never saw a need for the design, which fitted "between" the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110. Later prototypes were adapted as two-seat versions as a competitor to the Bf 110 in the Zerstörer (bomber destroyer) role, but only nine aircraft were built in total.
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The Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke ("falcon") was a German aircraft developed in the late 1930s. It was created by Kurt Tank as a twin-engine, high-performance fighter, but the Luftwaffe never saw a need for the design, which fitted "between" the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110. Later prototypes were adapted as two-seat versions as a competitor to the Bf 110 in the Zerstörer (bomber destroyer) role, but only nine aircraft were built in total.
In the early-to-mid 1930s, developments in airframe design outstripped aircraft engines, allowing large aircraft to be built that existing engines could not power, at least not alone. This led to a period in which multi-engine designs outperformed single-engine designs in almost every way. In air racing in Europe, the Dornier Do 17 outran every single-engine fighter it competed against. In Germany, this led to the idea of the "schnellbomber", fast bombers that were expected to fly right by the defensive fighters. Although this period of twin-engine...
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