The Junkers Ju 290 was a long-range, maritime patrol aircraft, which was used by Germany during World War II. It rendered an excellent service to the Luftwaffe at a time when the force capacity was stretched to the limit. It was also employed as a transport and missile launcher aircraft, being the flying platform for the Fritz X missile. It was the first German military plane to be fitted with the Hohentwiel radar.
The Junkers Ju 290 was developed from the Lufthansa´s commercial airliner Ju 90, which in turn used the wings of the Ju 89 bomber. The prototype Ju-290-V1 made its maiden flight on July 16, 1942; it was in fact the Ju 90-B1 model, which had been modified. It would enter service with the Luftwaffe on August 20, 1942, with the designation Ju 290A-0, the first version. The 290A-2 and A-5 were maritime reconnaissance variants and they were the most widely used, while the A-1 was a transport aircraft and the A-7 was a bomber, specially designed to launch the Fritz X missile.
Technical Description
The Junkers Ju 290 was a four-engine, large monoplane built with an all-metal fuselage. It was fitted with straight, cantilever, low wing. Both the leading and trailing edge of wing inner portion were straight, but they both tapered towards the tip on the outer portion, which had 7 degree dihedral angle. The 290A-5 version was powered by four BMW 801D, 14-cylinder, air-cooled, radial piston engines, each one being able to deliver 1,700 horsepower.
Specifications
Type: long-range, maritime reconnaissance/transport aircraft.
Length: 28.64 m (93 feet, 11 inches)
Wing Span: 42 m (137 feet, 8 inches)
Wing Area: 203.6 m2 (2,213 square feet)
Height: 6.83 m (22 feet, 5 inches)
Power Plant: four 1,700-HP, BMW 801D, 14-cyl., air-cooled, radial engines.
Maximum Speed: 440 km/h (273 mph)
Range: 6,150 km (3,813 miles)
Service Ceiling: 6,000 m (19,700 feet)
Crew: 9
Armament: two 20-mm, MG-151 cannons mounted on dorsal turrets; one 13-mm machine gun set up in tail.
Below, ventral view of the prototype Ju 290 V1 in flight.
The Ju 290A-5 version flying over Tunisia in 1943.
Below, the Ju 290A-7 variant in 1944.
The Junkers Ju-90 Lufthansa airliner, from which the 290 was developed.
