DCS: Fw 190 A-8 Anton

[maskasuba]

Quick question regarding the A-8 in DCS… is it supposed to be such a sloppy performer? You hear about the fear and respect the allied pilots had of the butcher birds.. but this thing is lucky to maintain 450 kph. Is the A-8 we have in DCS heavily armored or something? I can’t help but feel like this thing has been neutered. Can’t climb. Can’t run. It’s armament is good, but it still leaves a lot to be desired in actual use https://192168ll.link/ .

Edited November 24, 2023 by maskasuba

[razo+r]

The A8 is just heavy, compared to the earlier versions of this bird. By the time the A8 came out, the allied had already fighters around that were more than capable with dealing it.

[DD_Fenrir]

The A-0 to A-4s (the lightest versions) garnered their well deserved reputation going against the Spitfire Mk.V. They were indeed better climbers and faster at all altitudes than the majority of the RAF Spitfire Mks during 1941-1943.

However, as the A-5 to A-7 variants are introduced, they see progessively heavier armament (to make them more effective against allied bombers) and armour added but with no increase in the baseline engine power. Erhöhte Notleistung (smililar to the War Emergency Power setting available in the P-51) was becoming available in mid-1944 to help mitigate some of this falling power-to-weight trend but this is not currently not available in the DCS variant we have.

Unfortunately for the Fw 190A, at this time the Allies see the introduction of a number of fighter types (Spitfire IX, P-51D, P-47D) with improved turbo- or supercharger technology, not only allowing them to out-power the Fw 190A variants at higher altitudes but also providing improved performance at low altitudes as well.

Add to that the fact that the A-7/8 was developed to make the aircraft more effective against heavy bombers and sacrificed lighter weight performance for added hitting power at a time when the Luftwaffe didn't have to worry about Allied fighter escorts roaming around Germany. By the time the A-7s and -8s actually start their operational career the 8th Air Force have their P-51Bs suddenly appearing deep in the Reich, compounded by developments with the P-47 giving it far longer legs also.

The Fw 190A-8 represents a type whose development was starting to fall behind the curve technologically. Focke-Wulf had been trying to develop improved performing Fw 190s, either by added turbos to the BMW 801 (which never happened) or by re-engining the 190 with Daimler-Benz or Jumo, but thanks to the wonders of Nazi politics, dire material shortages and a high demand but poor availabilty across the board for high altitude performance aero engines, you don't see this till the Fw 190D-9 and the Ta 152, both of which come too late.

Edited November 22, 2023 by DD_Fenrir