Even before the outbreak of World War II, the Third Reich paid great attention to aviation, including bombers. One of the most prominent representatives of the German aircraft fleet was the high-altitude Ju 86 by Junkers, assembled back in 1939. This aircraft is noteworthy if only for the fact that during the war years in the Soviet Union they could not oppose anything to it.
The Junkers Ju 86 high-altitude twin-engine bomber was developed over several years on the basis of the old German Ju.60 single-engine bomber. The new aircraft was assembled in the form of an all-metal monoplane and had a two-fin tail. The fuselage of the celestial vehicle had an oval cross-section, and the wing received a smooth skin. This "Junkers" made its first flight in 1934, and already in 1936 it was adopted by the Luftwaffe.
At the time of its introduction, the Ju.86 was literally stuffed with a variety of innovations. It was a modern and advanced machine. True, at the very beginning of operation, German pilots discovered a number of serious shortcomings in the new Junkers. The crew was frankly dissatisfied with the view from the cockpit, the aircraft's engines were not powerful enough, in addition, the controllability of the bomber suffered, especially during takeoff and landing.
The aircraft fuselage was 16.5 meters long. The wingspan was 32 meters, and the vehicle's height reached 4.1 meters. The maximum take-off weight of the bomber is 11 540 kg. The volume of the fuel tanks is 1,935 liters. The celestial vehicle was set in motion by a pair of Jumo-207B-3 engines with a total output of 2,000 horsepower. The cruising speed of the Junkers was 250 km / h at an altitude of 13 km. The maximum height could reach 14 km, and the maximum speed was 420 km / h. The aircraft could carry a combat load in the form of four 250-kilogram bombs or sixteen 50-kilogram bombs.
In the course of subsequent aircraft, the aircraft was repeatedly modernized, although the 86 did not manage to get rid of congenital diseases. As a result, some of the aircraft were removed from the front from the role of bombers at the very beginning of World War II. Although the British were never able to achieve any significant results in countering Ju.86 in the Battle of Britain, the Germans still transferred most of the bombers to the position of high-altitude reconnaissance. Only piece aircraft in 1942 made single raids on the British Isles and dropped one 100 kg bomb during the raids. There was very little practical benefit from such bombing. Rather, the Ju.86 raids had a powerful psychological impact, as each time they left unpunished.
This was the case on the Eastern Front. A squadron of four Ju.86s took part in the bombing of Moscow. Due to the fact that the bomber flew at an altitude of 10 kilometers or more, neither Soviet air defense, nor Soviet fighters could oppose anything to it. Each time the Junkers left unpunished. Until 1944, the USSR was developing a new fighter to destroy the high-altitude bombers of the Reich. However, by the summer they were abandoned as unnecessary. Moreover, in the summer of 1944, the Luftwaffe removed the Ju.86 from service.
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Continuing the topic, read "In the air Pokryshkin": why German pilots were afraid of the Soviet pilot.
A source: https://novate.ru/blogs/060821/60055/
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