Focke-Wulf Fw 159

The Focke-Wulf Fw 159 was an experimental German fighter of the 1930s, designed by Kurt Tank, that never reached production because it was judged inferior to the Heinkel He 112 and the Messerschmitt Bf 109. It was a heavier development of the Focke-Wulf Fw 56 Stosser trainer, keeping the parasol wing but adding a retractable undercarriage, an enclosed cockpit and a Junkers Jumo 210 engine. Focke-Wulf entered it in the 1934 Armed Aircraft IV fighter competition. The first prototype, ready in spring 1935, was destroyed in a crash landing after the complicated rearward-retracting undercarriage failed to deploy. The second prototype had a reinforced undercarriage and good flying qualities, but its climb, turn rate and drag were worse than the rivals, and the Bf 109 won the contest.