Junkers Ju 89

Strategic Heavy Bomber Prototype

Nazi Germany | 1938

"The Junkers Ju 89 appeared in the period just before World War 2 as a possible heavy bomber prototype - it was not furthered."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/28/2022 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The German rearmament initiatives of the 1930s laid the groundwork for total war in Europe as all-new tank, warships, small arms, and aircraft designs took root. In the latter part of the 1930s, the Luftwaffe was on the lookout for a new, all-modern bomber aircraft of heavy classification for the strategic-level role. This led aeroplane maker Junkers to design, develop, and construct a pair of flyable forms for the requirement resulting in the "Ju 89". With a first-flight in April 1937, the short-lived bomber was put through its paces in 1938 though abandoned and cancelled in 1939 - the first year of World War 2 (1939-1945) - as the Luftwaffe decided to invest in tactical-level medium bomber types and compact direct-attackers going forward.

Designed under the idea of the "Ural Bomber" - a long-range performer capable of excellent range and war loads - this monoplane-winged "heavy" held new fewer than four engines in its arrangement with two engines seated in nacelles at each mainplane member. The flight deck sat over the short nose assembly and the fuselage was slab-sided with tapering towards the empennage. The tail unit utilized a split-rudder-fin tailplane arrangement for the needed control and a retractable "tail-dragger" undercarriage gave the aircraft the needed ground-running capabilities.

Junkers squared off directly with a competing design being put forth by Dornier, the similar "Do 19".

The Ju 89 V-1 prototype took to the air for the first time on April 11th, 1937 and the second prototype, V-2 (D-ALAT), followed in July 1937. The aircraft had an impressive showing even when compared to modern Allied strategic bombers of the day. However, with the Luftwaffe's fateful decision to concentrate on smaller bomber forms, the Ju 89 was wholly stalled and essentially left unfinished. The pair of prototypes was taken into service by the Luftwaffe indeed - though only to serve in the heavy transport role for the duration of their flying days.

This service appears to have been short-lived as the airframes are believed to have been scrapped before, or during, 1940. Nothing more came from the Ju 89 project other than the design influencing the Ju 90 airliner which, in turn, gave birth to the multirole Ju 290 and the Ju 390 "Amerika Bomber".

As completed, prototype V-2 wad an operating crew of five. Its wingspan reached 115.8 feet with a running length of 86.10 feet and a height of 24.11 feet. Empty weight was 37,840lb with a gross weight of 50,265lb and an MTOW rating of 61,300lb.

Power was served from 4 x Daimler-Benz DB600A V-12 inverted, air-cooled radial piston engines delivering 960 horsepower for take-off, these units driving three-bladed constant speed-propeller. With this, the aircraft could reach a maximum speed of 242 miles-per-hour, cruise at 195mph, range out (ferry) to 1,240 miles, and attain up to 23,000 feet of altitude.

Its planned armament involved a mix of defensive-minded machine guns and cannons: 2 x 20mm MG FF automatic cannons and 2 x 7.92mm MG 15 machine guns at various vulnerable locations about the airframe. The offensive load was limited to 3,500 lb of internal drop ordnance.

Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Junkers Ju 89 V2 Strategic Heavy Bomber Prototype.

4 x Daimler-Benz DB600A V-12 inverted-Vee air-cooled radial piston engines developing 960 horsepower each driving three-bladed propeller units.
Propulsion

242 mph
390 kph | 211 kts
Max Speed

22,966 ft
7,000 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

994 miles
1,600 km | 864 nm
Operational Range

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Junkers Ju 89 V2 Strategic Heavy Bomber Prototype.

5
(MANNED)
Crew

86.9 ft
26.50 m
O/A Length

115.7 ft
(35.27 m)
O/A Width

24.9 ft
(7.60 m)
O/A Height

37,842 lb
(17,165 kg)
Empty Weight

61,289 lb
(27,800 kg)
MTOW

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Junkers Ju 89 Strategic Heavy Bomber Prototype .

PROPOSED:
2 x 20mm MG FF automatic cannons.
2 x 7.92mm MG15 machine guns.

Up to 3,500lb of conventional drop bombs held internally.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Junkers Ju 89 family line.

Ju 89 - Base Series Designation.

Ju 89 V1 - First Prototype of April 1937.

Ju 89 V2 - Second Prototype of July 1937.

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Junkers Ju 89. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 2 Units
Contractor(s): Junkers - Nazi Germany

[ Nazi Germany (trialed) ]

1 / 1

Image from the German Federal Archives.

Going Further...
The Junkers Ju 89 Strategic Heavy Bomber Prototype appears in the following collections:

HOME

AVIATION INDEX

AIRCRAFT BY COUNTRY

AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURERS

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Scale Military Ranks of the World U.S. Department of Defense Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols Breakdown U.S. 5-Star Generals List WWII Weapons by Country World War Next

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2024 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2024 (21yrs)