Background The origins of the Ta 154
Moskito is closely linked to the wartime demands of the
Luftwaffe. In 1942, it had become increasing clear that, amid increasingly intense
Allied bombardment of Germany, a new type of
night fighter was desirable to replace both the
Messerschmitt Bf 110 and
Junkers Ju 88. This requirement was received by the German aircraft manufacturer
Focke-Wulf, who quickly decided to undertake work towards fulfilling it. The material composition of the basic design included approximately 57 per cent wood, 30 per cent
steel, and 13 per cent
duralumin. Both single-seat and twin-seat variants were proposed at a relatively early stage. It had a stepped cockpit canopy, the windscreen of which was composed of armoured glass; an additional 150 kg of armour was strategically distributed around the cockpit to protect its occupant(s). Dependent upon the variant, the cockpit contained a single pilot and a radio/
radar operator, the latter just aft of the former. By 14 October 1942, the basic calculations were complete; layout drawings were completed five days later.
Erhard Milch personally requested a purpose-built German answer, and selected the Ta 154. Infighting within German circles started almost immediately, because the RLM and night fighter units — as well as
Ernst Heinkel himself — still wanted the
Heinkel He 219. Milch took this personally, and spent the better part of the next two years trying to have the He 219 program terminated, partly against Ernst Heinkel's wishes. During the aircraft's development, it became apparent that the most suitable engine to power the Ta 154 was the more powerful
Jumo 213, and that Junkers could not deliver the originally-desired Jumo 211R engine on schedule due to technical and production difficulties.
Into flight and production issues On 1 July 1943, the prototype
Ta 154 V1, which was outfitted with Jumo 211F engines and bore the
Stammkennzeichen identification code
TE+FE, performed its
maiden flight in the hands of Kurt Tank. By June 1944, the Jumo 213 was finally arriving in some numbers, permitting the completion of several
Ta 154 A-1s with these engines. However, the Ta 154 received a fatal blow when the only factory that produced Tego-Film, in
Wuppertal, was
bombed out by the RAF, and the plywood glue had to be replaced by an alternative. and a number of the A-0 preproduction aircraft were later modified to production standard. An unknown number of the aircraft served with
Nachtjagdgeschwader 3 (Night Fighter Wing 3), and a few were later used as
training aircraft for jet pilots. ==
Mistel/Pulkzerstörer variants==