Junkers Ju 488

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The Ju 488 was a proposed heavy strategic bomber, to be used by Germany in World War II, the project never got past the prototype stage.

In an effort to produce an advanced four-engine strategic bomber for the Luftwaffe, a proposal was made during 1944 to create a simplified design by combining sub-assemblies of the Ju 188, Ju 288, and Ju 388 to new wing and fuselage assemblies. This would result in a sleek aircraft with a length of almost 67 feet and a wingspan of nearly 103 feet. The Ju 488 was to be powered by four BMW 801TJ radial engines. Later versions were to be powered by four Jumo 222A-3/B-3 engines. The first two prototypes, Ju 488 V401 and V402 had fuselage sections constructed at the Lactecoere factory in France, while the other components were being prepared at Junkers factories in Germany. The Ju 488 V401 and V402 fuselages were completed by July of 1944, but were damaged by French resistance on July 16, 1944. Construction of four more prototypes (V403 to V406) continued, but were not finished by the end of the war.

[edit] Specifications (Ju 488 A)

General characteristics

Crew: 3
Length: 23.24 m (76 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 31.28 m (102 ft 7 3/4 in)
Height: 6.09 m (20 ft)
Wing area: 88 m2 (947.223 ft2)
Empty weight: 21,000 kg (46,297 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 36,000 kg (79,366 lb)
Powerplant: 4× Jumo 222A-3/B-3 24-cylinder liquid cooled engines, 1,864 kW (2,500 hp) each