Junkers EF 61

EF 61
General information
TypeBomber
ManufacturerJunkers
StatusPrototype
Primary userLuftwaffe
Number built2
History
First flight4 March 1937
Developed fromJunkers Ju 49

The Junkers EF 61 was a German prototype twin-engined high-altitude bomber aircraft of the 1930s. Only two examples were built, but it provided valuable information on pressure cabins which aided the design of later pressurised aircraft.

Design and development

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The pressurised cabin of the Junkers EF 61 was based on that of the Junkers Ju 49. The EF 61 was one of the few German high-altitude bomber and reconnaissance projects before World War II. The project started in September 1935 and the maiden flight took place on 4 March 1937, but on 19 September of that year the EF 61 V1 was destroyed in a crash.[1] The second prototype EF 61 V2 was ready in late 1937 but also crashed in December 1937, even before high-altitude testing had started. After that the project was abandoned.[1] The project eventually led to the high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft of the Junkers Ju 86 type in World War II.

Specifications

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Data from [2][3]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 2
  • Length: 14.34 m (47 ft 1 in)
  • Wingspan: 27 m (88 ft 7 in)
  • Wing area: 65 m2 (700 sq ft)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Daimler-Benz DB 600A V-12 inverted liquid-cooled direct fuel injection piston engines, 670 kW (900 hp) each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 350 km/h (220 mph, 190 kn) at 12,400 m (40,682 ft)
  • Range: 6,000 km (3,700 mi, 3,200 nmi) planned
  • Service ceiling: 15,000 m (49,000 ft) minimum

Armament

  • Guns: provision for a single MG15 machine gun
  • Bombs: internal bomb bay for 4 x 250 kg (551 lb) bombs

References

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  1. ^ a b Green, William, "The Warplanes of the Third Reich", Galahad Books, New York, 1986, Library of Congress card number 86-80568, ISBN 0-88365-666-3, page 447.
  2. ^ "Junkers EF-61" (in German). www.flugzeug-lorenz.de. Archived from the original on 27 April 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2012.
  3. ^ "Junkers EF 61". www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org. Retrieved 7 May 2012.

Book

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