Junkers Ju 390 (New York Bomber)

The Junkers Ju 390 was of a long range heavy bomber aircraft design. It was made to fulfill the German ambition to attack the eastern coast of the USA. It is also called as “The New York Bomber”. Ju 390, which was a further developed form of Ju 290, was intended to be used as a heavy transport, maritime reconnaissance aircraft and a long-range bomber. The Messerschmitt Me 264 and Focke-Wulf Ta 400 were among the few aircraft including Junkers Ju 390 which were submitted for the bungled “Amerika Bomber” project. It is one of the largest aircraft to be built in Germany.

The Ju 390 was the modified version of the Ju 290 airframe with extensions fitted into the wings to elongate them and accommodate the added power plants, 6 of them. The base fuselage was also elongated in the new design.

Some of the planned versions of the Junkers Ju 390 were:

Ju 390 A: Transporter
Ju 390 B: See-und long-range reconnaissance aircraft
Ju 390 C: Long-range bomber
The prototypes flew in August and October 1943. It was rumored that by flying from Mont-de-Marsan to a point 20km from New York, and back, Ju 390 almost displayed its full potential.

Specifications

Crew: 10
Engine: 6 X 1268 kw BMW 801D Radial Engines
Take-Off Weight: 75500 kg (166450 lbs)
Height: 6.89 m (22 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 254 m² (2,730 ft²)
Wingspan: 50.30 m (165 ft 0 in)
Length: 34.00 m (111 ft 7 in)
Height: 6.90 m (22 ft 8 in)
Max. Speed: 505 km/h (314 mph)
Ceiling: 6100 m (20000 ft)
Range: 9700 km (6027 miles)
Armament: 5 X 20mm Cannon, 3 X 13mm Machine-Guns