Junkers Ju 87

Le close support, spécialement dévolu aux versions D & G

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Le canon de 37 bien visible sur ce Gustav . Efficace mais rendant l'avion encore plus lent et moins maniable

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Variants

Ju 87 A

The second prototype had a redesigned single vertical stabiliser and a 610 PS (449 kW, 602 hp) Junkers Jumo 210 A engine installed, and later the Jumo 210 Da.

The first A series variant, the A-0, was of all-metal construction, with an enclosed cockpit.

To ease the difficulty of mass production the leading edge of the wing was straightened out and the ailerons' two aerofoil sections had smooth leading and trailing edges.

The pilot could adjust the elevator and rudder trim tabs in flight, and the tail was connected to the landing flaps, which were positioned in two parts between the ailerons and fuselage.

The A-0 also had a flatter engine cowling, which gave the pilot a much better field of vision. In order for the engine cowling to be flattened, the engine was set down nearly .25 m (10 in).

The fuselage was also lowered along with the gunner's position, allowing the gunner a better field of fire.

The RLM ordered seven A-0s initially, but then increased the order to 11.

Early in 1937 the A-0 was tested with varied bomb loads.

The underpowered Jumo 210 A, as pointed out by von Richthofen, was insufficient, and was quickly replaced with the Jumo 210 D power plant.

The A-1s differed from the A-0s only slightly.[32] As well as the installation of the Jumo 210 D, the A-1 had two 220 L (60 US gal) fuel tanks built into the inner wing, but it was not armoured or protected.

The A-1 was also intended to be fitted with two 7.92 mm (.312 in) MG 17 machine guns in each wing, but this was dropped due to excessive weight.

The two that remained were fed a total of 500 rounds of ammunition, stored in the undercarriage "spats".

The pilot relied on the Revi C 21C gun sight for the two MG 17s.

The gunner had only a single 7.92 mm (.312 ) MG 15, with 14 drums of ammunition each containing 75 rounds.

This represented a 150-round increase in this position over the Ju 87 A-0.

The A-1 was also fitted with a larger 3.3 m (10.8 ft) propeller.

The Ju 87 was capable of carrying a 500 kg (1,100 lb) bomb, but only if not carrying the rear gunner/radio operator as, even with the Jumo 210 D power plant, the Ju 87 was still underpowered for operations with more than a 250 kg (550 lb) bomb load.

All Ju 87 As were restricted to 250 kg (550 lb) weapons (although during the Spanish Civil War missions were conducted without the gunner).

The Ju 87 A-2 was retrofitted with the Jumo 210Da fitted with a two-stage supercharger. The only further significant difference between the A-1 and A-1 was the H-PA-III controllable-pitch propeller.

By mid-1938, 262 Ju 87 As had been produced, 192 from the Junkers factory at Dessau, and a further 70 from Bremen.

The new, more powerful, Ju 87 B model started to replace the Ju 87 A at this time.

A1

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Proto N°3

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A 2

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Prototypes

* Ju 87 V1 : W.Nr 4921 Flown on 17 September 1935
* Ju 87 V2 : W.Nr 4922, registration D-IDQR. Flown on 25 February 1936. Flown again as registration D-UHUH on 4 June 1937
* Ju 87 V3 : W.Nr 4923 Flown on 27 March 1936
* Ju 87 V4 : W.Nr 4924 Flown on 20 June 1936
* Ju 87 V5 : W.Nr 4925 Flown on 14 August 1936

Production variants

* Ju 87 A-0 : Ten pre-production aircraft, powered by a 640 PS (471 kW, 631 hp) Jumo 210C engine.

* Ju 87 A-1 : Initial production version.

* Ju 87 A-2 : Production version fitted with an improved 680 PS (500 kW, 671 hp) Jumo 210E engine.

Ju 87 B

The Ju 87 B series was to be the first mass produced variant.

The first variant, the Ju 87 B-0, was produced in small numbers.

A total of six Ju 87 B-0s were produced, built from Ju 87 A airframes.

Test flights began from the summer of 1937. A small number, at least three, served as conversion Cs or Es for potential naval variants. Most of the prototypes were conversions from the Ju 87 A-1.

The next major variant was the Ju 87 B-1 with a considerably larger engine, its Junkers Jumo 211D generating 1,200 PS (883 kW, 1,184 hp), and the fuselage and landing gear were completely redesigned.

This new design was again tested in Spain, and after proving its abilities there, production was ramped up to 60 per month.

As a result, by the outbreak of World War II the Luftwaffe had 336 Ju 87 B-1s on hand.

The B-1 was also fitted with "Jericho trumpets", essentially noise-making propellers with a diameter of 0.7 m (2.3 ft).

This was used to damage enemy morale and enhance the intimidating effect of dive-bombing. After the enemy became used to it, they were to be withdrawn.

The devices also caused a loss of some 20–25 km/h (10-20 mph) through drag. Instead some bombs were fitted with whistles installed on the fin of the bomb to produce the noise after release.

The trumpets were a suggestion from Generaloberst Ernst Udet (but some authors say they were an idea from Adolf Hitler himself).

The Ju 87 B-2s that followed had some improvements and were built in a number of variants that included ski-equipped versions (the B-1 also had this modification), and at the other end, with a tropical operation kit called the Ju 87 B-2 trop.

Italy's Regia Aeronautica received a number of the B-2s and named them the Picchiatello, while others went to the other members of the Axis, including Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania.

The B-2 also had an oil hydraulic system for closing the cowling flaps.

This continued in all the later designs.

Jumo 211D et son bâtit sur 87 B 2

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Production of the Ju 87 B started in 1937. 89 B-1s were to be built at Junkers' factory in Dessau and another 40 at the Weserflug plant in Bremen by July 1937.

Production would be carried out by the Weserflug company after April 1938. But another 352 Ju 87 B-1s were built at Junkers up until March 1940.

From August 1938 to March 1940 the Weserflug company produced 740 Ju 87s.

In total an estimated 700 Ju 87 B-1s and 230 B-2s were delivered to the Luftwaffe of which 550 were built at Junkers.

The remaining machines were built at Weserflug's Bremen factory.