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Junkers Ju 187

1943 SECRET WEAPONS OF THE LUFTWAFFE WORLD WAR 2

Juncker Family History Ju 187

From the second half of the 1930s to the early 1940s, the Junkers Ju 87 "Stuka" dive bomber claimed to be one of the most feared Luftwaffe aircraft in European skies. The type was used very well in German attacks on Poland, Norway, the Netherlands and France before turning its attention to the invasion of Britain. It also played a role in Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union through Operation Barbarossa to begin the "Eastern Front" as well as targeting targets in North Africa and the entire Mediterranean.

While the type proved to be well suited for its intended role, its effectiveness was reduced during head-to-head engagements with enemy fighters, suggesting its apparent weakness on a large stage - particularly in the Battle of Britain During the summer of 1940. As it stands, the Ju 87 is a slow, immobile mount with severely limited defenses.

The Junkers team was therefore tasked with developing a like-minded modern dive bomber that would incorporate some of the great qualities of the Ju 87 system. The key to this was to retain the two-person crew arrangement (including the tail gunner) and the recognizable inverted "gull-wing" wing design (with reverse and V-angles).

A new fuselage design was developed that used a sloping front for improved downward visibility of the engine mounts. The cockpit is concentrated along the spine of the fuselage, with a tapered tail. Both the wings and the fuselage will be required to bear the brunt of the intended bomb load. Like the Ju 87, the new design will use a tail gunner to protect the aircraft's vulnerable "six" area.

The three-blade propeller will be powered by a front-mounted Junkers Jumo 213A series 12-cylinder inverted-V in-line piston engine rated at 1,776 hp (the engine is already in production and powers the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter and Junkers Ju 88 bomber). Overall dimensions include a wingspan of nearly 60 feet and a barrel length of 38.8 feet. Two crew members will sit in tandem (back to back) under a closed frame cockpit. Armor will be incorporated into the design to protect the crew, engines and fuel depots from low-level threats.

The fuselage will consist of an all-metal base and skin.

The proposed stationary armament became a pair of 20mm MG 151/20 series cannons fired from the wing roots. In addition, a 13mm MG 131 series machine gun and a 15mm MG 151/15 series cannon will be mounted on the aft dorsal turret.

In terms of bomb load, the Ju 187 is expected to carry 1,100 pounds of bombs along its fuselage centerline and smaller diameter bombs under the wings for an extremely powerful and well-armed dive bomber design.

The new aircraft underwent major improvements and eventually received the designation "Ju 187". Unlike the previous Ju 87, the Ju 187 will feature retractable landing gear to increase airflow and improve aerodynamics.

This is a traditional configuration with two main landing gear legs and a tail wheel. One of the more ambitious aspects of the Ju 187's design was its "swivel" fin, which, when fixed in place, acted like a regular fin unit.

However, the swivel nature of its design will allow the tail to point the vertical tail downward (while retaining the horizontal tail), allowing unobstructed views of oncoming enemies from the rear gunner's seat - thus creating an unobstructed arc of fire. Improvements provide the aircraft's Self-defense ability.

Work on the project has begun, and wind tunnel testing of several model shapes is underway. When the Imperial Aviation Ministry cancelled the Ju 187 project in 1943, full-scale models were also being built. Obviously, the projected maximum speed of the bomb-laden aircraft was never expected to significantly exceed the current Ju 87 in service, and coupled with the technical hurdles posed by the rotating tail unit, the plan raised too many questions about further flight.

Fund and promote development. The Ju 187 project was further hampered by the fact that the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter jets - available in large numbers at this point in the war - had been successfully converted to stand-alone dive bombers, hampering this need A new, expensive, purpose-built dive bomber design.