Junkers Ju 88

what is it?

The Junkers Ju 88 is a twin-engined multirole combat aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works. It was used extensively during the Second World War by the Luftwaffe and became one of the most versatile combat aircraft of the conflict. The Ju 88 originated from a Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) requirement issued in 1934 for a new multipurpose aircraft.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · mid wing · retractable tailwheel (taildragger) · 20 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 470 km/htop speed
• range 1,790 kmwithout refuelling
• size 14 tmax take-off weight
• built 14,882made in total

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 90 years ago, in 1936.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.6× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 20 m: about 4 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 2 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 1,790 km: 10× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1936-12-21

introduced

1939

retired

1951

status

retired

number built

14,882

role

multi-role combat aircraft

origin

German Reich

makers

AEG, Heinkel, Junkers, Henschel & Sohn, Dornier, Arado Flugzeugwerke, Siebel, Junkers Motorenbau und Junkers Flugzeugwerk

engines

2× Junkers Jumo 211J-1 or 211J-2

crew

4

length

14.4 m

wingspan

20 m

height

4.8 m

max take-off weight

14 t

top speed

470 km/h

cruise speed

370 km/h

range

1,790 km

ceiling

8,199 m

wings

mid wing

landing gear

retractable conventional landing gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.