Junkers Ju 352 (Herkules)

Junkers Ju 352 (Hercules) History

While the Junkers Ju 252 has proven to be an expected improvement over the original three-engine Ju 52 transport aircraft, it arrived at a time when the German war was in full swing. Restrictions on the use of war materiel meant that only 15 Ju 252s saw the light of day, as attention shifted to the development of Ju 352 "Herkules" of similar form and function - albeit with far less war materiel used in them. building.

The design of the Ju 352 came directly from the German Aviation Ministry authorities who understood the value of the previous Ju 252 but did not understand its full material use. Junkers was approached in early 1942 as the Ju 252 program gained momentum. Much of the Ju 252's metalwork was replaced by wood, and the important Junkers Jumo 211F engine was dropped in favor of an off-the-shelf BMW Bramo 323R radial engine. Compared to the original Ju 252, the aircraft took on an entirely new look compared to the tail wheel mounts retained in the Ju 352, with the main wing aircraft moved further aft.

Defensive armament will consist of 1 x MG 151 cannon mounted in the back turret and 2 x MG 131 machine guns in the beam position (one unit per window).

The first flight of the prototype took place on 18 August 1943, with 10 pre-production aircraft ordered and built. 33 production-grade Ju 352A models followed, until the Germans' attention shifted from transport types to fighter jets and more advanced jets. In total, only 50 Ju 352s entered the competition.

One was built by Letov for the Soviet Union after the war, and the other was operated by the Czech Air Force.

The Ju 352 proved to be better armed than the proposed Ju 252, but lacked performance. Top speed is 230 mph and cruising speed is 150 mph. By comparison, the Ju 252 hits close to 275 mph and can cruise in the 210 mph range.

Specification

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Performance

Armor

Changes