HENSCHEL HS-132 B WITH JUMO004

The Henschel Hs 132 was a German low-wing dive prototype bomber from the Second World War. The propulsion was provided by a single jet engine - different depending on the version of the aircraft. Prototype copies of the Hs 132 were built in 1945, but the prototype was never tested, let alone mass production of the aircraft was started. Work on the Hs 132 began in 1943, when the German Ministry of Aviation announced the technical specification for the aircraft to replace the well-deserved, but also more and more well-worn, Ju 87 Stukas. Henschel, adapting to this specification, developed a relatively short plane, with the cockpit placed in the trained nose of the fuselage and the engine on the crest - similar to the He 162 fighter. It was planned to create three versions of the machine. The first is the Hs 132A, which was supposed to be a dive bomber powered by a BMW 003 engine. The second version is the Hs 132B, which is a dive bomber and an anti-tank aircraft. The drive was to be provided by the Jumo 004 engine. Finally, the last version was the Hs 132C, which was to be powered by the HeS 011 engine and had reinforced on-board armament. However, the work on the Hs 132 was significantly prolonged and the first specimen ready for flight did not appear until 1945. The plane never entered mass production.