Junkers Ju 288

File:Ju288-1.jpg

Ju 288 prototype with Junkers Jumo-222 engines

The Junkers Ju 288 was a German bomber aircraft project designed during World War II, but which only ever flew in prototype form. The first of 22 development aircraft flew on November 29, 1940.

Development

File:Ju288.jpg

Junkers 288 prototype

Prior to the opening of World War II, the Luftwaffe bomber force was primarily aircraft of limited performance, some originally developed with civilian uses in mind as well. The only truly modern design in the inventory was the Junkers Ju 88, and although it outperformed the other designs it had numerous problems of its own. Perhaps most notable among these was its very small internal bomb bay that forced it to carry some of its load externally, slowing performance.

Junkers had been experimenting with a variety of improved models of the Ju 88 since 1937, powered by the Jumo 222 or 223 engines of greatly increased power. No serious work was undertaken on these versions, but after Heinrich Hertel left Heinkel and joined Junkers in 1939, the EF.74 design was submitted to the RLM in May 1939. The EF.74 entry was essentially a scaled-up Ju 88, sharing its general layout and most of its fuselage and wings with extensions in various places. The nose was completely redesigned, however, and featured a pressurised cockpit. All of the defensive armament was remotely controlled, allowing it to be located in useful positions as well as eliminating "breaks" in the fuselage pressurization. The fuselage was also "deepened" along its length to allow for a much larger bomb bay that would allow for an 8,000 lb (3630 kg) payload to be carried internally, eliminating the need to carry ordinance on outside hardpoints. Performance would be greatly improved over the Ju 88, both due to the all-internal bombload and the greatly improved power.

Accordingly the RLM sent out the specifications for Bomber B in July 1939, the Ju 88 retroactively becoming Bomber A. The Bomber B program aimed at replacing all of the medium bombers in the Luftwaffe inventory with a new design based on the EF.74 or something with equal performance. Bomber B was intended to have even better speed than the Ju 88, high altitude cruising with a pressurised cockpit, heavier defensive armament, range allowing it to cover any point in the British Isles, and a massive 4,000 kg warload, double that of the earlier generation bombers. A number of companies returned proposals, but these were to some extent a formality, the EF.74 had already been selected as the winner, and of the rest of the designs submitted, only the Focke-Wulf Fw 191 and Dornier Do 317 progressed even as far as prototypes.

Work began on building prototypes soon after, and the first example was completed by mid-1940. Power was supposed to be supplied by two 24-cylinder Jumo 222 radials but problems with 222 development meant that the first prototypes flew with BMW 801 engines instead. The first flight-quality 222's did not arrive until October 1941, and even at this point it was clear that they were nowhere ready for full-scale production. When it became apparent that the 222 was not likely to become a viable powerplant, in May 1942 Junkers proposed replacing them with the much heavier Daimler Benz DB 606s instead.

As these technical difficulties were being addressed, the lack of a strategic bombing doctrine within the Luftwaffe meant the mission and purpose of the Ju 288 remained nebulous throughout its development. As an interim measure, RLM ordered the Junkers Ju 188, which was a fairly minor upgrade of the original Ju 88 incorporating the basic cockpit design of the 288. Work continued on the 288 throughout, but in 1944 the project was finally abandoned as Luftwaffe priorities became more intensely focused on homeland defense.

Variants

• Ju 288A - first seven prototypes with BMW engines
• Ju 288B - seven prototypes with slightly enlarged airframes and better defensive armament
• Ju 288C - final eight prototypes (of which only four were completed) with Daimler-Benz engines. This version was selected for serial production in 1944, but the programme was abandoned before that could take place.
• Ju 288D - mock-up of a Ju-288C with improved tail armament
• Ju 288G - design for an anti-ship version armed with a 355 mm recoilless cannon

Specifications (Ju 288B)

General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Length: 58 ft (17.8 m)
• Wingspan: 74 ft 4 in (22.7 m)
• Height: 14 ft 9 in (4.50 m)
• Wing area: 696 ft² (64.6 m²)
• Loaded weight: 46,186 lb (20,950 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 46,300 lb (21,000 kg)
• Powerplant: 2× Daimler-Benz DB606 V12 inverted engines, 2,700 PS (2,663 hp, 1,985 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 388 mph (620 km/h)
• Range: 1,678 miles (2,700 km)
• Service ceiling: 30,500 ft (9,300 m)
• Rate of climb: 1,420 ft/min (435 m/s)

Armament

• 4 × 13 mm MG 131 machine guns
• 1 × 15(20) mm MG 151 cannon
• 3,000 kg (6,610 lb) of bombs

References

Bibliography

• Hitchcock, Thomas H. Junkers 288 (Monogram Close-Up 2). Acton, MA: Monogram Aviation Publications, 1974. ISBN 0-914144-02-2.

See also

Related development
Ju 88 - Ju 188 - Ju 388 - Ju 488

Designation sequence
Fl 285 - Ju 286 - Ju 287 - Ju 288 - Ju 290 - Me 290 - As 292 Related lists
List of World War II military aircraft of Germany - List of military aircraft of Germany - List of bomber aircraft - List of WW2 Luftwaffe aircraft prototype projects

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