Junkers Ju 390 (New York Bomber)

History of the Junkers Ju 390 (New York Bomber)

The long-range German Junkers Ju 390 heavy bomber was designed to be able to attack remote areas of the US East Coast during World War II - Germany's attempt to bring war to America's doorstep. The Ju 390 was a development of the previously proposed Junkers Ju 290 multi-engine heavy bomber, 65 of which were eventually built.

The Ju 390 is designed to perform several other roles besides strategic bombing, such as: B. Maritime patrol/reconnaissance and long-distance transport. The Ju 390 - also known as the "New York Bomber" - was completed in only two working prototypes - V1 and V2. Its development made the idea of ??transatlantic bombing a theoretical possibility for the Luftwaffe, but nothing more than another failed submission in the "American Bomber" project the Germans were considering at the time.

The project includes Messerschmitt Me 264 and Focke-Wulf Ta 400 designs.

Interestingly, the Junkers Ju 390 heavy bomber appeared during the war, when German efforts and ideas in general were still focused on the use of medium bombers and various hybrid fighter-bombers. As a result, the full development resources for the Ju 390 never really materialized, and the entire program faltered. Derived from the Ju 290 fuselage, the Ju 390 was essentially the same aircraft with wings lengthened by extensions to accommodate additional engines (three engines were mounted on one wing, for a total of six). The hull was also lengthened for long-range bombing.

Defense is provided by a pair of 13mm machine guns in the ventral nacelle position and 2 x 13mm machine guns in the beam (waist) position. A pair of 20mm guns will be mounted in the dorsal turret and a 20mm gun will be mounted aft.

Complementing the operator is the tenth among the required flight crew and a dedicated gunner. The heavy transport aircraft was designated Ju 390A-1, while the maritime patrol aircraft and long-range heavy bomber were designated Ju 390B and Ju 390C, respectively.

The Ju 390V1 prototype is powered by 6 BMW 801D radial piston engines, each producing 1,700 hp. This provides a top speed of 315 mph and a range of 6,030 miles. The plane's service ceiling is only 19,700 feet.

Empty weight is reported to be 87,100 pounds, while maximum takeoff weight reaches 166,400 pounds. Structurally, the Ju 390 is 112 feet long, with a wingspan of 165 feet and a height of 22.6 feet.

The first flight of the V1 prototype was recorded on October 20, 1943, and revealed a rather promising launch of the large bomber. The Ju 390 V2 first flew the same month, and testing is believed to have continued until 1945, the last year of the war. 26 Ju 390s were originally ordered, although the program was canceled in June 1944 to reallocate critical wartime resources and developments to other more pressing projects - especially those as Germany began to wage a defensive war in nature Defense-oriented projects above.

So there is little need for a large offensive bomber like the Ju 390. The Ju 390 was officially withdrawn from combat in the Luftwaffe in 1945, and the V1 prototype was destroyed on the ground by the Germans as the Allies approached the development facility.

Although the program was sunk, the idea of ??a transatlantic "New York bomber" is interesting, both as a tool of psychological terror for American cities and as a strategic warfare resource. The Ju 390 would bring war to the Americans, just as the Germans brought the "Blitzkrieg" to London or the Americans bombed Tokyo with the "Doolittle Raid".

It is said that the Ju 390 may have made a test flight across the Atlantic into North American airspace, although this event has been controversial for some time. Nonetheless, the availability of two airworthy Ju 390 prototypes has undoubtedly made the 32-hour overseas flight possible - although it may seem far-fetched for the plane to fly into North American airspace undetected.

When the Japanese authorities were granted local production rights for the Ju 390 by the Germans in the autumn of 1944, the Japanese Empire would also take over serial production of the Ju 390. At the time of the surrender in August 1945, it had not been completed on Japanese soil.

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