https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Junkers_Ju_86
The Junkers Ju 86 was a German monoplane bomber and civilian airliner designed
in the early 1930s, and employed by various air forces on both sides during
World War II. The civilian model Ju 86B could carry ten passengers. Two were
delivered to Swissair and five to Deutsche Luft Hansa. In addition a single
civilian Ju 86Z was delivered to Sweden's AB Aerotransport.
In 1934, a specification for a modern twin-engined aircraft, capable of
operating both as a high speed airliner for the German airline Luft Hansa and as
a medium bomber for the nascent Luftwaffe, was issued to both Junkers and
Heinkel. Five prototypes were ordered from each company; the Junkers Ju 86 and
Heinkel He 111. Junkers' design was a low-winged twin engined monoplane, of
all-metal stressed skin construction. Unlike most of Junkers' previous designs,
it discarded the typical corrugated skinning in favour of smooth metal skinning
which helped to reduce drag. The craft was fitted with a narrow track
retractable-main gear conventional undercarriage with a fixed tailwheel, and
twin fins and rudders. It was intended to be powered by Junkers Jumo 205 diesel
engines, which although heavy, gave better fuel consumption than conventional
petrol engines.
wing, much as the Ju 52 always used, were hinged below the wing's trailing edge,
with the outboard section on each side functioning as an aileron, and the inner
section functioning as a wing flap. The bomber aircraft had a crew of four; a
pilot, navigator, radio operator/bombardier and gunner. Defensive armament
consisted of three machine guns, situated at the nose; at a dorsal position; and
within a retractable ventral position. Bombs were carried vertically in four
fuselage cells behind the cockpit. The airliner version replaced the bomb cells
with seating for ten passengers, with fuel tanks being moved from the fuselage
to the wings.
Early use of the Jumo-powered Ju 86 bomber in the Spanish Civil War showed that
it was inferior to the He 111, with the diesel engines being unsuitable for
rough treatment during combat; and production plans were cut back. One Ju 86 had
already been converted to use radial engines as a testbed for possible export
versions, and this showed much improved reliability. Production switched to a
version powered by the BMW 132 engine, the Ju 86E, production continuing until
1938.
Role
Bomber, Airliner, Reconnaissance aircraft
Manufacturer
Junkers
Designer
Ernst Zindel
First flight
1934
Introduction
1936
Status
retired
Primary user
Luftwaffe
Number built
~900
The bomber was field tested in the Spanish Civil War, where it proved inferior
to the Heinkel He 111. Four Ju 86D-1s arrived in Spain in early February 1937,
but after a few sorties one of them was shot down on 23 February by Republican
fighters with the loss of three crewmen killed and one captured. A replacement
aircraft was sent from Germany, but in the summer of 1937 another was lost in an
accident, and the three remaining aircraft were sold to the Nationalist air
forces. Ju 86s were again used in the 1939 invasion of Poland, but retired soon
after. In January 1940, the Luftwaffe tested the prototype Ju 86P with a longer
wingspan, pressurized cabin, Junkers Jumo 207A-1 turbocharged two-stroke,
opposed-piston diesel engines and a two-man crew. The Ju 86P could fly at
heights of 12,000 m (39,000 ft) and higher on occasion, where it was felt to be
safe from enemy fighters. The British Westland Welkin and Soviet Yakovlev
Yak-9PD were developed specifically to counter this threat.
Junkers developed the Ju 86R for the Luftwaffe, using larger wings and new
engines capable of even higher altitudes - up to 16,000 m (52,500 ft) - but
production was limited to prototypes.
Specifications (Ju 86 R-2)
General characteristics
Crew: 2 (pilot and radio operator)
Length: 16.46 m (54 ft)
Wingspan: 32 m (105 ft)
Height: 4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
Empty weight: 6,758 kg (14,900 lb)
Max. takeoff weight: 11,530 kg (25,420 lb)
Performance
Maximum speed: 420 km/h (261 mph) above 9,000 m (29,527 ft)
Range: 1,580 km (980 mi)
Service ceiling: 14,400 m (47,244 ft)
Rate of climb: 4.67 m/s (920 ft/min)
Armament
Guns:
1 x 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 17 machine gun remotely controlled in rear fuselage,
firing aft
Bombs: Up to 1,000 kilograms (2,200 lb) of ordnance in four internal ESAC 250
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