The first new design that required Kurt TankĀ“s attention was a former Albatros reconnaissance Aircraft project which now became the S39 later the Fw 39. The S 39 prototype was built shortly after Tank's arrival and the company's reorganisation. It was a highwing monoplane powered by an aircooled 510 hp Siemens Jupiter VI Engine wrapped in the stream-lined cowling invented by the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) in the US just four years earlier in 1927. It received the civilian registration D-1708 in 1932 but failed to perform satisfactorily despite Tank's best efforts to amend the original design. It was damaged during testing and scrapped.
Type Two seat reconnaissance aircraft
Engine 1 Siemens  Jupiter VI
Dimensions Length  , height  ,  span  , wing area   ,
Weights Empty , loaded  , max. take off weight  
Performance Max. speed 265 km/h  endurance 3 h range 600 km
Type Werk.Nr Registration History
98 D-1708, D-IQIM Tested at Lipetsk 1932.  To Rechlin 1937 Modified to Fw 39B Damaged during training flight, scrapped