JUNKERS JU-287 V-1

The Junkers Ju 287 was a prototype German WWII jet bomber in a spine-wing configuration. The drive - depending on the prototype version - was to be provided by four engines Junkers Jumo 004B-2 or six BMW 003A-1 engines. The prototype's flight took place in August 1944, but the machine never entered mass production. Work on a new bomber using jet engines began at the Junkers plant as early as 1942 under the leadership of Heinrich Hertel and Hans Wocke. However, the German aviation ministry did not commission the construction of a prototype until 1944. Junkers Ju 287 was characterized by an avant-garde design at that time, assuming not only the use of jet engines, but also the use of wings with a negative slant, which was an absolute novelty. At the same time, however, it used many components and elements known from other aircraft, including: the He 177, Ju 352 or Ju 388. Flight tests of the new aircraft showed, on the one hand, excellent maneuverability and relatively high ease of piloting, but also problems with strength of the entire structure - especially with the mounting of the wings to the fuselage. Work on the Ju 287 continued in 1945, but due to the change in Luftwaffe priorities, problems with engine supply and organizational problems, the machine never entered mass production. Two Ju 287 prototypes were intercepted by the Soviets at the end of World War II, who worked on the structure until the late 1940s.