Nicknamed

‘Dreifinger’ (Three Fingers - due to its long
engine cowlings)

Manufacturer

Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke AG

Designed by

Ernst Zindel, W. H. Evers, and Alfred Gassner (1935 - 1936)

Role

Tactical / dive / torpedo bomber,
night / heavy fighter, reconnaissance aircraft

Crew

4 (pilot, bombardier/front gunner,
radio operator/rear gunner,
navigator/ventral gunner)

Engine

2 × Junkers Jumo 211J-1 or 211J-2
V-12 liquid-cooled inverted piston engines

Engine Power

Takeoff power: 1,000 kW (1,340 hp) each
790 kW (1,060 hp) at 5,200 m (17,000 ft)

Max level speed

470 km/h (290 mph) at 5,300 m (17,390 ft)

Cruising speed

370 km/h (230 mph, 200 kn) at 5,300 m (17,390 ft)

Climb rate

• Initial:
  6.66 m/s (1,320 ft/min)
• At sea level:
  7.0 m/s (1,378 feet/min)
• At 3,000 m (9,843 ft):
  5.1 m/s (1,004 feet/min)
• At 6,000 m (1,9685 ft):
  3.4 m/s (669 feet/min)

Time to altitude

5,400 m (17,700 ft) in 23 minutes

Service Ceiling

8,200 m (26,900 ft)

Range

1,790 km (1,112 miles) on internal fuel

Empty Weight

9,860 kg (21,737 lbs)

Max. Takeoff Weight

14,000 kg (30,865 lbs)

Wing Span

20 m (65ft 7.5 in)

Wing Area

54.5 m² (586.6 ft²)

Length

14.4m (47 ft 2.75 in)

Height

4.85m (15 ft 11 in)

Armament

1 × 7.92 mm MG 81J machine gun on flexible mount in front windscreen, firing forward with 1,000 rounds: velocity of 705 meters per second (2,310 feet per second)

1 × 7.92 mm MG 81J machine gun on flexible mount in lower fuselage nose glazing, firing forward with 1,000 rounds: velocity of 705 meters per second (2,310 feet per second)

2 × 7.92 mm MG 81J machine guns on flexible mount in the rear of the cockpit canopy, firing aft with 1,000 rounds: velocity of 705 meters per second (2,310 feet per second)

1 × 7.92 mm MG 81Z twin machine gun on flexible mount in the rear ventral Bola position with 1,000 rounds: velocity of 705 meters per second (2,310 feet per second)

Up to 1,400 kilograms (3,100 lb) of ordnance internally in two bomb bays rated at 900 kg (2,000 lb) and 500 kg (1,100 lb) OR up to 3,000 kg (6,600 lb) externally.

Data for version

Junkers Ju 88A-4

First combat mission

The Invasion of Poland
(1 September – 6 October 1939)

End of Production

1945

Total production

15,183

ICAO Code

JU88

Production Variants

Ju 88A-0/A-17, Ju 88B/B-0 (bomber), Ju 88C-1,
Ju C-2, Ju C-4, Ju C-5, Ju C-6a, Ju C-6b,
Ju C-6c, Ju C-7a, Ju C-7b, Ju C-7c, Ju 88R-1, Ju R-2, Ju 88D-1 to D-5 (reconnaissance), Ju 88G (night fighter), Ju 88H, Ju H-1, Ju H-2, Ju 88P-1 to P-4, Ju 88S (bomber),
Ju 88T (reconnaissance).