Bmw German Aircraft
By the Editorial Staff
March 16, 2026
The BMW 801 was a powerful German 41.8-litre (2,550 cu in) air-cooled 14-cylinder- radial aircraft engine built by BMW and used in a number of German Luftwaffe aircraft of World War II. Production versions of the twin-row engine generated between 1,560 and 2,000 PS (1,540-1,970 hp, or 1,150-1,470 kW). It was the most produced radial engine of Germany in World War II with more than 61,000.
In the early 20th century, BMW originated as an aircraft manufacturer before events led them to pivot toward cars. However, they temporarily returned to making airplane powerplants during World War II at the Nazi government's behest. So did BMW ever truly make complete planes or just aircraft engines? Let's delve into BMW's little known aviation history.
BMW has a long history of manufacturing cars and motorcycles, but did it ever make airplane engines? If the answer is yes, do they still make them? The BMW 801 was the first German high-performance, air-cooled radial engine of new design introduced after the start of World War II. Introduction of a cooling fan in the cowl nose opening, operating at approximately three times propeller speed and with internal baffles, made it possible to eliminate all external cowling enlargements.
In most installations, the exhaust pipes were grouped to. The BMW 801 was a potent German 14-cylinder air-cooled 41.8-liter (2,550 cu in) radial engine that was produced by BMW and utilized in a number of German Luftwaffe aircraft during World War II. The BMW 801 was a powerful German air-cooled radial aircraft engine built by BMW and used in a number of German military aircraft of World War II.
The engine's cylinders were in two rows of seven cylinders each, the bore and stroke were both 156 mm, giving a total capacity of 41.8 litres (2,560 in3). The engine generated between 1,600 and 2,000 metric horsepower (1,176 and 1,471 kW). The unit.
The BMW 801 was a powerful German air-cooled 14-cylinder-radial aircraft engine built by BMW and used in a number of German Luftwaffe aircraft of World War II. Production versions of the twin-row engine generated between 1,560 and 2,000 PS (1,540-1,970 hp, or 1,150-1,470 kW). BMW was German aircraft and engine manufacturer founded in 1916, BMW also had a few prototype aircraft designs.
Aircraft and engines built by BMW include. BMW IIIa was an inline six-cylinder SOHC valvetrain, water-cooled aircraft engine, the first-ever engine produced by BMW, who, at the time, were exclusively an aircraft engine manufacturer. Its success laid the foundation for future BMW engine designs.
It is best known as the powerplant of the Fokker D.VIIF, which outperformed any allied aircraft. The BMW 801 radial engine, developed in the late 1930s and first produced in 1940, was one of the most advanced aircraft engines of World War II (WW2). It powered iconic German aircraft such as.