2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. D-OBRA Ju46hi W34 'Bremen' in Pörtschach Sommer 1939c: Erwyn· CC BY-SA 3.0
- 2. Ju46 D-2244 Europa Katapultstart 1932: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
what is it?
The Junkers Ju 46 was a German shipborne catapult-launched seaplane derivative of the W 34, constructed for pre-war Luft Hansa's mail service over the Atlantic Ocean. The first production models were delivered in 1932 and replaced the Heinkel He 58, which, along with the He 12, had pioneered these ship-to-shore mail delivery flights.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 17.8 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 94 years ago, in 1932.
- Top speed is 1.8× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 17.8 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
- Range of 1,700 km: 9× Amsterdam to Brussels.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1932
- introduced
- 1932
- number built
- 5
- role
- mail plane
- makers
- Junkers Motorenbau und Junkers Flugzeugwerk
- engines
- 1× BMW 132E
- crew
- 2
- length
- 11.1 m
- wingspan
- 17.8 m
- height
- 3.9 m
- max take-off weight
- 3,200 kg
- top speed
- 230 km/h
- cruise speed
- 200 km/h
- range
- 1,700 km
- ceiling
- 4,240 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
family
Sources: Wikidata Q314106, Wikipedia: Junkers Ju 46 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.