Nicknamed Dora-9 (Dora being the phonetic "D" of Luftwaffe radio traffic), the Fw 190D was intended as a high-altitude performance version of the Fw 190A-series. It was a reengined and reengineered development of the widely-used Fw 190A, the first Fw 190 production model. The Fw 190D was viewed by its designer, Kurt Tank, as an interim design pending availability of the Ta 152.