The Junkers Ju 287 was the first forward swept-wing, jet aircraft to take to the air. Designed during World War II, it was a German advanced project of a fast jet bomber, which was to be capable of flying faster than conventional enemy, piston-engine interceptors. Junkers engineers developed two prototypes; a V1 and V2. However, it never entered mass production. It was too late, as Allied bombing had destroyed infrastructure and resources to produce it in quantities.
The Junkers Ju 287 was the most unique and remarkable aircraft of World War II. It stemmed from work that had begun in early 1943 by Hans Wocke, who had been charged with the design and development of a heavy bomber, with speeds higher than those of contemporary piston-engine fighters and interceptors. Hans Wocke came out with a satisfactory model. It was an inverted swept-wing, jet-engine aircraft; the Ju 287 V1 protoype, which was powered by four Junkers Jumo 004B-1 jet engines, each one developing 1,984 pounds of thrust. The V2 prototype, on the other hand, was powered by six BMW 109-003 A-1 jet engines. Nevertheless, the latter one was never completed and it was never flown. The project also included a V3, V4, V5, and V6 prototypes, which remained in the drawing, as projects on a sheet of paper.
The Junkers Ju 287 V1 made its maiden flight on August 16, 1944. It would complete seventeen uneventful flights, proving the basic perfection of the concept. For take-off, a pair of Walter 501 rocket packs were lightly attached to the engine nacelles, being jettisoned right after the aircraft got aloft. Although the V1 did not show major technical issues in its first flights, it could not develop speeds fast enough to be superior to the speeds of the best Allied WW2 fighters as the maximum speed it could reach was 558 km per hour (347 mph). The V2 prototype, however, was projected to fly at 780 km per hour, but it never took to the air.
Specifications
Type: heavy bomber prototype
Length: 18.30 m (60 feet, 1/2 inch)
Wing Span: 20.11 m (65 feet, 11 and 3/4 inches)
Wing Area: 61 m2 (656.6 square feet)
Height: 4.7 m (15 feet, 5 inches)
Weight: 12,500 kg (27,557-lb) empty
Power Plant: four 1,984-lb-thrust, Junkers Jumo 004B-1 jet engines.
Maximum Speed: 558 km/h (347 mph) at 6,000 m (19,685 feet).
Range: 1,570 km (980 miles)
Service Ceiling: 9,400 m (30,800 feet)
Crew: two
Below, the Ju 287 V1 prototype in flight in September 1944.
A close-up photograph of the V1, which was being refitted and maintained at a German airfield.
Below, the drawn plan of the V1 prototype.
The V2 prototype drawing. Notice the two triple sets of engines, one under each wing.
