This rare ground attack variant of the Fw 189 will be joining the German air tree in the next major update!

Introducing the Fw 189 С!

The Fw 189 С prototype ground attacker will soon be arriving with the next major update as a Golden Eagle premium vehicle. Let’s see what it's all about!

Using the Fw 189 С in Battle

The C variant is armed with four 7.92 mm MG 17 machine guns and two 15 mm MG 151/15 cannons. The Fw 189 C is perfect for early ground battles, since the AP rounds from the 15 mm guns have just over 30 mm of penetration at 500 meters, more than enough to pop early light tanks with ease. Pilots should aim to perform low, straight passes over the battlefield, avoiding loops and harsh turns to maintain speed. Once out of combat, you can safely turn in for another run. The armor will keep you relatively safe from roof-mounted machine guns, but keep in mind that sustaining damage will severely impact your already meager flight performance, and you should consider returning to base for repairs after taking some hits.

Feature Spotlight: Armored Cabin

The Fw 189 C’s unusual cockpit is certainly a distinguishing feature. The entire cockpit nacelle is protected by 12 mm of steel and features 75 mm armored glass. It’s very well protected but quite cramped for the crew, even the gunsight had to be moved outside the cockpit! The pilot and gunner sit literally back to back, which makes controlling the aircraft and moving the defensive machine guns fairly challenging. Let’s have a closer look:

This fantastic Fw 189 modification was a collaborative effort, and we’d like to thank War Thunder players Vitaliy “NovA29” Vostokov who worked on the exterior model, and Daniil “Joy_Division__” Zaytsev who made the cockpit. Thanks a lot fellas!

Developer comment: This collectible attacker will arrive at rank I for Germany, costing a very small amount of Golden Eagles. It’s well armed and very well armored, but the fairly weak engines lead to poor flight performance across the board. Historically, the aircraft was designed to operate in environments where air superiority had already been achieved, so armor and firepower were the only vital considerations. In the contested skies of War Thunder, however, you’ll rarely have such a luxury!

Vehicle History

The story of the Fw 189 C begins in April 1937, when the Technical Bureau of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) issued a request for a new ground attack aircraft, which had to be relatively small, with heavy frontal armament and armor. The aim of this proposed aircraft was to operate in the ground attack role in environments where air supremacy had already been achieved, which put the focus on frontal armor protection rather than speed and agility.

The submission by Focke-Wulf was accepted for trials, alongside Henschel. Focke-Wulf used a modified Fw 189 airframe for the trial, replacing the large glazed cockpit for a small, well-protected and very cramped alternative. The first V1b test vehicle was unarmed, and primarily used to gauge the flight performance of the new cockpit. During an evaluation flight in Bremen, however, the aircraft struck a hangar and was lost, which prompted a redesign.

The final V6 test vehicle was fully armed with four machine guns and two cannons, along with a strengthened center wing and undercarriage. The V6 along with Henschel’s design took part in various trials for the RLM, in which both aircraft were considered extremely poor. They were sluggish, slow, and underpowered. Test pilots were slightly more in favor of the Focke-Wulf design, though Henschel’s project, which would eventually become the Hs 129, proved to be much cheaper to produce, and thus won the contest. The Fw 189 C project was soon abandoned after the trials, with the prototype scrapped sometime after.

Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.