The same Luftwaffe requirement that produced the short-lived Junkers Ju 287 four-engined, jet-powered fast bomber also led the Heinkel concern to try their hand at the specification. In the end, just two Ju 287 airframes (one flown, the other left incomplete by war's end) were realized and the competing Heinkel design never made it past its proposal stage. Nevertheless, the Heinkel He P.1068.01-78 provided an interesting insight into the company's approach into a "what might have been" bomber.
Heinkel engineers elected for a streamlined, tubular fuselage with the crew compartment held at the extreme front end of the design. This left the entirety of the fuselage free for fuel and a war load. The engines themselves were slung under in individual nacelles at each wing mainplane. The mainplanes were low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage (almost at midships) and given slight dihedral. The tail unit was conventional, featuring a single vertical fin with low/medium set horizontal control surfaces. For ground-running, a rather modern wheeled (and retractable) tricycle undercarriage would be used, this providing enough clearance for the engine nacelles.
Internally, a crew of two would have been carried. Due to the expected operating altitudes, a pressurization and oxygen system - and perhaps ejection seats - would have been standard on this German wartime bomber design.
Power would most likely have come from the company's own HeS 011 turbojet engine. However, since these remained in development, the already-available Junkers Jumo 004C series would take their place in the interim.
Dimensions included a running length of 65.7 feet, a wingspan of 62.4 feet, and a height of 6.11 feet. Empty weight (estimated) was 28,285lb against an MTOW of 49,165lb. With its four-engined configuration, the fast bomber was expected to reach a maximum speed of 530 miles-per-hour in ideal conditions up to an altitude of 36,500 feet out to a range of 1,380 miles. With these exceptional qualities (built largely around speed for escaping potential trouble), the bomber would most likely have saved weight by not carrying any defensive-minded armament for protection.
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Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represents the most popular modern mainplane arrangement.
Low-Mounted
Mainplanes are low-mounted along the sides of the fuselage.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.
4 x Junkers Jumo 004C OR Heinkel HeS 011 turbojet engines developing an estimated 2,000lb of thrust each. Propulsion
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