This model was produced in greatest numbers of the all of the F series planes. It was produced based on the A-8 plane airframe. Production started in March 1944 in the Arado factory in Warnemunde and in the April 1944 in the NDW-Wismar factory.
The Fw 190F-8 was powered by a BMW 801 D-2 engine variant adapted for C3 (96 octane) fuel. An additional injector in the left supercharger inlet for emergency short term (10-15 min) engine power increase during flight under 1000 m altitude was standard equipment. Most of the equipment was the same as in the Fw 190A-8. From April 1944, the FuG 16 ZS radio set, adapted for direct communication with units on the battlefield was introduced in place of the FuG 16 ZY . Only a few planes (compared with previous versions) had a desert equipment including an anti-dust filter. In the second half of 1944, a widened rear cockpit canopy was added with the A-8 plane. The purpose of this modification was to improve the pilot's side-forward visibility, important during fighterbomber missions. Armament consisted of two 13 mm MG 131 machine guns mounted in the fuselage and two 20 mm MG 151/20 E cannons in the wings.
Most of the early production series F-8 planes had the additional armor used since the F-3 airframes. For weight reduction and improvement in flight characteristics it was not used in later F-8s. These planes had only the standard Fw 180 A-8 armor. Because the under-fuselage ETC 501 bomb rack was a standard item in A-8 planes all F-8 planes got it as well but without the stabilizers for the droppable fuel tank.
In the beginning of 1944, due to the difficult situation on the Eastern Front, the Luftwaffe was in desperate need of an attack plane with armament capable of destroying armored vehicles including heavily armored tanks (heavy tanks). In this situation, it became vital to arm Fw 190F planes with offensive armaments other than bombs. This was not an easy task, because the Luftwaffe had not developed weapon systems adaptable for mounting in light fighter planes. The only way to solve this problem was by trial and error until the proper armament could be find. First tested on the Fw 190F was the 280 mm mortar W.Gr. 28/32 with high explosive warhead. This missile was judged as unusable because of it's unstable and highly curved flight path that made it impossible to aim them into the targets. Next tested was the Panzerschreck 1 missile launcher combined into two three barreled units mounted under wings on ETC 50 or ETC 70 bomb racks. Each missile had a hollow-charge warhead. They were soon replaced by the more modern Panzerschreck 2 (PD 8.8) launchers combined in units consisting of two launchers with 88 mm missiles with hollow-charge warheads that could be fired individually or in salvos. Equipped in this manner, a Fw 190F-8 (W.Nr. 580383) was tested by Major Eggers at Udetfeld Air Base. The results obtained were satisfactory but there were also some disadvantages like the missile's short (137 m) range and limited accuracy. Despite this, in October 1944 a small number of Panzerschreck 2 equipped planes were delivered to service units on the Eastern Front.
In December 1944, the highly efficient missile Panzerblitz 1 (Pb 1) system consisting of six and, more often, eight R4M air-to-air missiles. They were adapted for tank destroying by mounting an 80 mm M8 type warhead for an armor penetration of up to 90 mm. Using the Pb 1 unit it was possible to destroy tanks at a 200 m distance. The only limitation was a maximum speed of 490 km/hr, not to be exceeded during missile firing (in a salvo of eight or in pairs). Up to February 1945 the Luftwaffe received 115 Fw 190F-8/Pb 1 planes.
The successor to the Pb 1 unit was the Panzerblitz 2 (Pb 2) unit. The main difference between them was the replacement of the M8 warhead by a hollow-charge warhead able to penetrate up to 180 mm armor. Also developed was the new missile system Panzerblitz 3 (Pb 3) with a 210 mm hollow-charge warhead, but it was not operational by the end of the war. The same situation applied with the AG 140 (Abschussgerat 140) missile system consisting of units with two 210 mm missile launchers different from Pb 3. The AG 140 system was tested on the following three Fw 190F-8 planes designated as prototypes: V78 (W.Nr. 551103), V79 (W.Nr. 583303) and V80 (W.Nr. 586600).
Apart from the previously described missile systems on the Fw 190F-8 plane, other weapon systems for ground attack were tested (e.g. doubled SG 113 A Forstersonde missile launchers mounted obliquely inside the wings directed downward. Firing performed automatically using Forestersonde magnetic field detection principle, when the plane flew over the tank. In October 1944, at the research facility FGZ (Forschungsansalt Graf Zeppelin) this device was mounted on the prototype Fw 190 V75 (W.Nr. 582071) and W.Nr. 586586 planes. In December 1944, system was also mounted on the Fw 190 (W.Nr. 933452). This system was found to have low accuracy, so development was abandoned shortly.
In June 1944, the development team commanded by Col. Haupt (Versuchsgruppe Oberst Haupt) prepared a special Gero II type flamethrower in three versions: A, B and C. The device was for attacking ground targets. In February 1945, preparatory work began, by the application of additional fuselage bottom cowlings, on a Fw 190F-8 to mount the flame-thrower. There is still no evidence that this project was realized.
Authorities decided that flight tests with the wire guided air-to-air Ruhrstahl X-4 (Ru 322) missile, probably with modified ground attack warheads, would be carried out on F-8 planes. For the test two prototypes were used: Fw 190 V69 (W.Nr. 582072), V70 (W.Nr. 580029) and three serial production F-8 planes: W.Nr. 583431, 583438 and 584221. During these flights the more modern Ruhrstahl X-7 (Ru-374) Rotkappchen and Henschel 298 missiles were tested as well. Tests were carried out with the unpowered BV 246 (LT 950) Hagelkorn flying bomb. Probably by Fw 190V20.
An F-8 plane was selected to transport the special bomb SB 800 RS known also as Prismen Rollbombe "Kurt" 1 and 2 for attacking the dams of water reservoirs. This bomb was tested in Deba air base in Pommeren, but we have no evidence that an Fw 190F plane was used for these tests. One of the missions FW 190F-8 was used on was marine target attack. Unlike the previously described plane variants, torpedo armament was provided in some of the following Umrustbausatz kits:
Fw 190F-8/U1 - long range fighter-bomber (provided as replacement for the Fw 190G-8 withdrawn from production). The plane had underwing pylons installed from the Bf 110 V.Mitt-Schloss (Verkleidetes Messerschmitt Schloss) for mounting two 300 liter fuel tanks and additional fuel pumps inside the wings. Some planes had ETC 503 bomb racks in place of the pylons that gave the capability of carrying two additional 250 kg bombs (in this case the fuel tank was mounted under the fuselage) on ETC 501 racks. It was possible was to mount bombs on all points (2x250 kg and 1x500 kg), this reduced range but made the Fw 190A dangerous plane carrying 1000 kg of bombs.
Fw 190F-8/U2 - torpedo plane with two underwing ETC 503 racks or under-fuselage mounted ETC 504 (previously ETC 501) bomb rack. The plane was equipped with a special sight system, TSA 2A (Tiefsturzangle 2A) for precise aerial torpedo BT (Bombentorpedo) aiming. Using this torpedo it was possible to attack targets from a higher altitude and from a higher angle than in the case of an ordinary aerial torpedo LT (Lufttorpedo). It was planned to use two BT 400 or one BT 700 torpedo. Other armament was reduced to two fuselage mounted MG 131 machine guns. A small number of these planes were in service with 11./KG200.
Fw 190F-8/U3 - torpedo plane adapted for transportation of the heavy BT 1400 torpedo on an under-fuselage mounted ETC 502 pylon designed specially for this in TWP Gotenhafen-Hexengrund (see the section "Operational use"). His plane had a lengthened tail wheel strut to eliminate the possibility of striking the ground with the torpedo. The plane was equipped with the TSA 2 sight system coupled with a FuG 101 radio altimeter. This version was powered by the more powerful 2000 hp (1470 kW) BMW 801 TS engine. The Ta 152 tail was also mounted.
Fw 190F-8/U4 - night fighter-bomber powered by a BMW 801 TS engine with exhaust flames dampers. Standard equipment was: PKS 12 autopilot device, FuG 101 radio altimeter, TSA 2A sight system and other devices to aid night navigation and flight. Armament consisted of aerial torpedoes and bombs that could be carried on two underwing ETC 503 bomb racks. Other armament was reduced to two MG 151/20 E cannons in wings. Probably only one plane built (W.Nr. 586596). Admittedly, NSGr 20 used numerous Fw 190F-8 with flame dumpers and underwing mounted bomb racks but it was not a F-8/U4 but rather field adapted, standard G-8 or F-8/U1 planes.
Fw 190F-8/U5 - simplified variant of F-8/U2 modification, without some of the external equipment.
During the process of modifying serial production Fw 190F-8 planes (generally done by cooperants and licence production factories) the decision was made to adapt nearly all Umrustbausatz modifications to Rustsatz kit standards. In this way, some U variants were doubled in documentation as R variants. There are six known variants:
Fw 190F-8/R1 - fighter-bomber with four underwing mounted ETC 50 bomb racks for 50 kg bombs, later replaced by ETC 71 dispensers for 70 kg bombs (e.g. AB 70 cluster bomb). There are planes known with both dispenser types mounted in pairs of the different types (2x ETC 50 + 2x ETC 71) under the wings.
Fw 190F-8/R3 - attack plane with two MK 103 30 mm cannons, similar to the A-5/U11 variant. Only two planes built.
Fw 190F-8/R13 - plane adapted for night operations, equivalent to the F8/U4.
Fw 190F-8/R14 - torpedo plane adapted to carry aerial torpedoes LT F 5b and LT 1B on the ETC 502 bomb rack. It was a development of Fw
190 A-5/U14 plane. It was equipped with the lengthened tail wheel strut and enlarged Ta 152 tail. Powered by the more powerful BMW 801 TS engine.
Fw 190F-8/R15 - equivalent to F-8/U3.
Fw 190F-8/R16 - equivalent to F-8/U2.
