World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe Fw 58 Weihe multi-role aircraft was designed in the early 1930s and the prototype took flight in 1935. They were intrroduced into German Air Force service in 1937. Their fuselage were made of welded steel tubes with covering made of mixed material. The semi-cantilever wings were primarily metal and were mounted relatively low. They were each powered by two Argus As 10C V-8 inverted air-cooled piston engines rated at 240 horsepower. Procured in large numbers by the German Air Force, Fw 58Bs and Fw 58Cs variant models were used as advanced trainers, transports, communications aircraft, and ambulances. A very small number were specially modified to spray pesticides on the Eastern Front to prevent the spread of disease among German servicemen. Prior to the war, between 1938 and 1939, a small number of them were sold to buyers in the civilian market (eg. the Deutsche Luft Hansa airline) and a number of military forces abroad operated license-built examples of the Fw 58 design (eg. Brazil, Bulgaria, and Hungary). During the design's production life, the firm Focke-Wulf built 1,350 examples of this aircraft.

SPECIFICATIONS

Fw 58B

Machinery	Two Argus As 10C V8 inverted air-cooled piston engines rated at 240hp
Armament	2x7.92mm MG15 machine guns
Crew	4
Span	21.00 m
Length	14.10 m
Height	4.20 m
Wing Area	47.00 m²
Weight, Empty	2,000 kg
Weight, Maximum	2,930 kg
Speed, Maximum	254 km/h
Speed, Cruising	238 km/h
Rate of Climb	4.67 m/s
Service Ceiling	5,400 m
Range, Normal	690 km

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