Junkers Ju 89

Ju 89
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Type	Heavy bomber
Manufacturer	Junkers
Maiden flight	11 April 1937
Introduced	1938
Retired	1939
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	2

The Junkers Ju 89 was a heavy bomber aircraft designed for the Luftwaffe prior to World War II. Two prototypes were constructed, but the project was abandoned without the aircraft entering production. Elements of its design were incorporated into later Junkers aircraft.

Development

From the very beginnings of the Luftwaffe in 1933, General Walther Wever, the chief of staff, realised the importance that strategic bombing would play in any future conflict. Under the Ural bomber program, he began secret talks with two of Germany's leading aircraft manufacturers, Dornier and Junkers, requesting designs for a long-range bomber. The two companies responded with the Dornier Do 19 and the Junkers Ju 89 respectively, and the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium, "Reich Aviation Ministry") ordered prototypes for both aircraft in 1935.

The Ju 89 and its competitor both proved promising, but fell victim to a change of direction within the Luftwaffe. Wever was killed in a plane crash in 1936 and his successor, Herman Goering did not see the value in such aircraft, emphasising instead the need for tactical bombers to act in an army support role. While Goering's beliefs seemed validated by Germany's early successes in the Blitzkrieg, the lack of strategic bombing capability severely hampered the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain. While the Allied air forces went on to prove Wever right about the importance of this role in air warfare, Germany never had a chance to catch up.

The first prototype of the Ju 89 flew on April 11 1937, and the RLM cancelled the strategic bomber requirement just two and a half weeks later, on April 29. Junkers completed a second prototype in July, and continued flight tests to learn more about the flight control of large aircraft. During these tests, the Ju 89s set two payload/altitude records, first by carrying 5,000 kg (11,000 lb) to 9,312 m (30,500 ft) and then 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) to 7,242 m (23,750 ft). Both aircraft were later impressed into the Luftwaffe for use as heavy transports. During testing, Lufthansa expressed an interest in an airliner to be developed from the type, which led Junkers to rebuild the incomplete third prototype as the Junkers Ju 90.

Both Ju 89 prototypes seem to have been scrapped by the end of 1939, although some sources claim that they were still in use the following year in Norway.

Specifications (Ju 89 V2)

General characteristics

• Crew: Five
• Length: 26.49 m (86 ft 11 in)
• Wingspan: 35.25 m (115 ft 8 in)
• Height: 7.60 m (24 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 184 m² (1,979 ft²)
• Empty weight: 17,000 kg (37,480 lb)
• Loaded weight: 20,800 kg (50,266 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: 27,800 kg (61,160 lb)
• Powerplant: 4× Daimler-Benz DB 600A , 560 kW (750 hp) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 386 km/h (241 mph)
• Range: 2,980 km (1,862 miles)
• Service ceiling: 7,000 m (22,960 ft)
• Wing loading: 11.2 kg/m² (25.4 lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: 0.06 hp/lb ()

Armament

(proposed)

• 2 x MG FF cannons
• 2 x MG 15 machine guns
• 1,600 kg (3,520 lb) bombload

See also

Related development
Ju 90 - Ju 290 - Ju 390 Comparable aircraft

• Dornier Do 19
• Vickers Wellington

Related lists
List of military aircraft of Germany - List of bomber aircraft

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Junkers Ju 89".