Junkers Ju 90

Ju 90
	Ju 90 V1 Der Grosse Dessauer; with Daimler-Benz DB 600C motors, 1937
Role	Airliner, transport
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Junkers
First flight	28 August 1937
Introduction	1938
Primary users	Deutsche Luft Hansa; Luftwaffe
Number built	18
Developed from	Junkers Ju 89
Developed into	Junkers Ju 290

The Junkers Ju 90 was a four-engined airliner and transport aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Junkers.

Derived from the abortive Ju 89 strategic bomber, it was developed to be used as a long-distance commercial aircraft for the German flag carrier Deutsche Luft Hansa. It drew heavily upon the Ju 89, sharing the same wing and tail unit while adopting an all-new fuselage that could seat up to 40 passengers. The design team was headed by Ernst Zindel,^[1] and Professor Herbert Wagner.^[2]

The first prototype performed its maiden flight on 28 August 1937 and entered service with Deutsche Luft Hansa shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. During the conflict, the Luftwaffe pressed them into service as military transports.

Design and development

Background

The origins of the Junkers Ju 90 are directly connected with that of the Ju 89, a prototype strategic bomber. This aircraft, which had commenced developing during the mid-1930s, was a contender in the Ural bomber programme that was aimed at creating a long-range strategic bombing capacity for the Luftwaffe.^[3] By the time that the Ju 89 programme had made it through to the flight testing phase, the development of four-engined bombers had become an increasing politically contentious matter, particularly following the untimely demise of General Wever (one of the programme's most powerful advocates) as well as rising tensions between Erhard Milch (another proponent) and commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe, Hermann Göring. Recognising that strategic bombing was falling out of favour with the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) in favour of smaller and faster bombers, Junkers approached the RLM with their proposal to reuse the components intended for the third Ju 89 prototype to produce a transport aircraft for the German flag carrier Deutsche Luft Hansa instead.^[4]

The RLM consented to Junkers' proposal, but only on the basis that an alternative engine to the Ju 89's Daimler-Benz DB 600A V-12 engine was used on any subsequent aircraft.^[4] Accordingly, while the aircraft retained the wings and tail unit of the Ju 89, it also incorporated an all-new fuselage that was considerably wider and suitable for the carriage of passengers.^[5]^[6]^[7] This new rectangular section fuselage was primarily constructed of duralumin along with some steel elements,^[8] was relatively generous by the standards of the time, possessing an internal width of 2.83 m (9 ft 3+1⁄2 in).^{[citation needed]}

In terms of its basic configuration, the Ju 90 was a four-engine all-metal low-wing aircraft fitted with twin end-plate vertical stabilizers.^[5]^[9]^[10] The wings were built around five tubular girder spars and covered with a smooth stressed skin. The leading edge was quite markedly swept while the trailing edge was almost straight. The Junkers "double wing", a full-span movable flap/aileron combination, was also present.^[11] The fins and rudders, the latter with prominent horn balances assemblies, were placed at the end of the tailplane; this latter carried the elevators separated by a gap, forming another double wing. The rudders and rear portion of the elevator of the prototypes were the only part of the aircraft to use the traditional Junkers corrugated skin; all other areas had a smooth duralumin covering that was flush-rivetted.^[11]

The interior of the aircraft was could be configured into various cabin layouts; when arranged to maximise occupancy, the carriage of up to 40 passengers was possible.^[11] Aft of the passenger compartments were Toilets, a cloakroom, a storage space for air mail; a baggage hold was located forward of the passenger compartment. The tailwheel undercarriage was fully retractable, the single-wheel main units were raised hydraulically into the inner engine nacelles.^[4]

Into flight and civil usage

On 28 August 1937, the first prototype, the Ju 90 V1, performed its maiden flight;^[4] it was powered by four Daimler-Benz DB 600C liquid-cooled inverted V engines, each one capable of producing up to 820 kW (1,100 hp). These engines were more powerful than both those of its Ju 89 predecessor and subsequent production standard commercial Ju 90s. It was named Der Grosse Dessauer, as had been the earlier Junkers G 38. Deutsche Luft Hansa played a leading role in the long-distance portion of flight testing. On 6 February 1938, following eight months of flight tests, this first prototype was lost while performing over-speed tests.^[5]^[4]

During May 1938, the second prototype (V2) was delivered to Luft Hansa for flight testing. Akin to all production standard commercial Ju 90s, this was powered by four BMW 132 radial engines delivering 620 kW (830 hp).^[11] The move to lower power has been speculated to have been necessitated by the demands on Daimler Benz to produce engines for strategically important front-line aircraft.^[7] This aircraft, named Preussen, was lost during a failed take off for tropical flight tests in November 1938 at Bathurst, Gambia.^[12]

Despite these setbacks, Luft Hansa opted to order eight production standard Ju 90A-1 aircraft. They also flew the next two prototypes, starting with V3 Bayern which flew on the Berlin-Vienna route from July 1938.^[4] This aircraft flew a total of 62,572 km ( mi) in 1938.^[7] Only seven of the Ju 90A-1s were ever delivered to Luft Hansa, the final in April 1940, one going directly to the Luftwaffe.^[10] Full scale passenger services were never introduced due to the outbreak of the Second World War.^[12] The airline's Ju 90s were impressed into Luftwaffe service, although two were subsiquently returned to Luft Hansa.^[12]

The Ju90 attracted some interest from prospective foreign operators. South African Airways (SAA) opted to order a pair of Ju 90A-1s, powered by four Pratt & Whitney Twin Wasp engines that could produce up to 670 kW (900 hp) each.^[12] The delivery of these aircraft were scheduled to take place during the summer of 1939; however, neither aircraft were ever delivered to SAA.^[12]

During July 1941, the fourth prototype V4 entered service with the Luftwaffe; it was fitted with 980 kW (1,320 hp) Jumo 211F/L engines.^{[citation needed]} On the first four Ju 90As, five pairs of rectangular windows were on each side, each double pair lighting a divided-off section of the cabin containing eight seats in facing pairs on either side of a central aisle. On the Ju 90B, whose prototypes were the Ju 90 V5 through the Ju 90 V10 aircraft, adopted round fuselage portholes instead. The Ju 90 V11 became the definitive Ju 290 prototype, featuring smaller rectangular-shaped fuselage windows.^{[citation needed]}

The Ju 90B series were visually distinctive due to their oval tail fins. The Ju 90 V6 was withdrawn from test flights, and rebuilt as the Ju 390 V1 prototype. The Ju 90 V9 was also withdrawn and rebuilt as the Ju 390V2, later redesignated in October 1944 as the Ju 390A-1. The rebuilding of Ju 90 V10 into the Ju 390 V3 bomber prototype was commenced, but was ultimately scrapped at the factory in June 1944. The Junkers firm was paid compensation for seven Ju 390s that were partially constructed when the corresponding orders were cancelled.^{[citation needed]}

Militarisation

In April 1939, the RLM asked Junkers for a further development of the Ju 90 for military transport purposes.^[5]^[10] The Ju 90V5 and V6 were the prototypes of this military design. They got a new wing with a straight inner section leading edge, of greater span (19%) and area (11%). The landing gear was strengthened with twin main wheels and the fins were more rounded, lacking the characteristic horn balance nick of the earlier models. The windows were replaced by 10 small portholes a side. The Ju 90 V5 flew first on 5 December 1939. A special feature of both the V5 and V6 was a powered boarding ramp in the floor of the rear section of the fuselage for loading cars and larger cargo freight.^[10]^[13] This Trapoklappe ramp, when lowered, was powerful enough to raise the fuselage to the horizontal flying position. Both aircraft were retroactively fitted with the much more powerful, unitized Kraftei-mount 1,200 kW (1,600 hp) BMW 801MA radials, with the first suffix letter "M" signifying the initial Motoranlage format of unitized powerplant installation design promulgated by the RLM. Ju 90s were also used as tugs for heavy gliders.^{[citation needed]}

The two last prototypes – the V7 and V8 – fed directly into the Ju 290 development programme. The former had a fuselage extension of 1.98 m (6 ft 6 in) and the addition of dihedral to the tailplane to solve a yaw instability. A reconnaissance prototype aerodynamically similar to the V7, the V8 was armed, however, with two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and up to nine 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns in two dorsal, one ventral, and one tail position.^{[citation needed]}

The Ju 90 was used for the first time operationally during the invasion of Norway.^[14]^[12] Operated as part of the Luftwaffe's transport force, they were deployed to the Eastern Front for a time to help supply the German 6th Army that was besieged at Stalingrad. They were subsequently transferred to the Mediterranean theatre, where they operated into late 1943.^[15]

Ju 290 / 390 development

Several Ju 90s were converted into prototypes of the Ju 290, a larger aircraft intended for transport and reconnaissance duties. The more powerful engines and other modifications to the Ju 90 V5 and V7 were steps in this direction and the latter was converted into the Ju 290 V3. The Ju 90 V8 became the second prototype Ju 290 V2.^[16] The incomplete Ju 90 V11 airframe was converted into the Ju 290 V1.^[10]^[17] The Ju 90 V6 airframe was used in the construction of the Ju 390 V1.

Numbers and survivors

Ultimately, only 18 Ju 90s of all versions were completed. Just two aircraft survived the conflict, both being captured by the Allies and scrapped shortly thereafter.^[5]^[6] The wreck of one Ju 90, which was shot down on 23 July 1943, south of Bastia, North Corsica, is easily accessible to scuba divers; by 2023, two-thirds of the aircraft was supposedly intact.^[18]

Operators

Germany

Accidents and incidents

26 November 1938 (1938-11-26): a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 90V2, registration D-AIVI, named Preussen, crashed on takeoff at Bathurst (now Banjul), Gambia, while on a test flight due to double engine failure, killing 12 of the 15 people on board.
8 November 1940 (1940-11-08): a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 90A, registration D-AVMF, named Brandenburg, crashed in icing conditions at Schönteichen, Germany, killing all 29 on board.
9 August 1944 (1944-08-09): a Deutsche Luft Hansa Ju 90V3, registration D-AURE, named Bayern, was destroyed on the ground at Stuttgart Airport during an air raid; there was no one on board.

Specifications (Ju 90A-1)

Data from Junkers Aircraft and Engines, 1913–1945,^[10] German Aircraft of the Second World War^[19]

General characteristics

Crew: four
Capacity: 38–40 passengers
Length: 26.3 m (86 ft 3 in)
Wingspan: 35.02 m (114 ft 11 in)
Height: 7.5 m (24 ft 7 in)
Wing area: 184 m² (1,980 sq ft)
Empty weight: 19,225 kg (42,384 lb)
Gross weight: 33,680 kg (74,252 lb)
Powerplant: 4 × BMW 132 H-1 nine-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 610 kW (820 hp) each
Propellers: 3-bladed constant-speed propellers

Performance

Maximum speed: 350 km/h (220 mph, 190 kn) at 2,500 m (8,200 ft)
Cruise speed: 320 km/h (200 mph, 170 kn) at 3,000 m (9,800 ft)
Landing speed: 109 km/h (68 mph; 59 kn)
Range: 1,247 km (775 mi, 673 nmi)
Ferry range: 2,092 km (1,300 mi, 1,130 nmi)
Service ceiling: 5,750 m (18,860 ft)

References

Citations

^ Zoeller, Horst. "Junkers – Who is Who? E". The Hugo Junkers Homepage. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Zoeller, Horst. "Junkers Ju90 / Ju290 / Ju390". The Hugo Junkers Homepage. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2016.
^ Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 418-419.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Smith and Kay 1972, p. 419.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e Turner and Nowarra 1971, ^{[page needed]}.
^ ^a ^b "Junkers Ju90". hugojunkers.bplaced.net. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Airbus Group – Airbus Group". Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2008.
^ Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 419-420.
^ Bridgeman 1942, ^{[page needed]}.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Kay 2004, pp. 190–197.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Smith and Kay 1972, p. 420.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Smith and Kay 1972, p. 421.
^ Turner, P. St.J. and Nowarra, H. Ju 290 section
^ Junkers Ju90 Production List (Serials)
^ Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 421-422.
^ "Golden Years home".
^ Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 442-443.
^ "Epave du Junker 90 de l'IGESA - Bastia - EPAVE CORSE - Décembre 2016". 30 December 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2023 – via www.youtube.com.
^ Smith and Kay 1990, pp. 418–422.

Bibliography

Bridgeman, L. (1942). Jane's All the World's Aircraft. London, UK: Sampson, Low, Marston & Co. Ltd.
Kay, Anthony L. (2004). Junkers aircraft and engines, 1913–1945 (1st ed.). London: Putnam Aeronautical Books. ISBN 0851779859.
Smith, John Richard; Kay, Anthony L.; Creek, Eddie J. (1972). German Aircraft of the Second World War. London, UK: Putnam and Company Ltd. ISBN 978-1-55750-010-6.
Smith, John Richard; Kay, Anthony L. (1990). German aircraft of the Second World War (7th impression ed.). London, UK: Putnam and Company Ltd. ISBN 0851778364.
Turner, P. St.J.; Nowarra, H. (1971). Junkers: an aircraft album no.3. New York, US: Arco Publishing Inc. ISBN 978-0-668-02506-5.

External links

Four Miles a Minute Sky Sleeper Sleeps Forty, January 1938, Popular Mechanics article with rare photos of JU-90V1 version and interior photos
WW2 in Color^{[permanent dead link]} very good information on the JU-90 history

[1] Zoeller, Horst. "Junkers – Who is Who? E". The Hugo Junkers Homepage. Archived from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 22 June 2016.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)

[2] Zoeller, Horst. "Junkers Ju90 / Ju290 / Ju390". The Hugo Junkers Homepage. Archived from the original on 1 April 2020. Retrieved 22 June 2016.

[smithkay_4189-3] Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 418-419.

[smithkay_419-4] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Smith and Kay 1972, p. 419.

[T&N-5] Turner and Nowarra 1971, ^{[page needed]}.

[JuPage-6] "Junkers Ju90". hugojunkers.bplaced.net. Retrieved 11 March 2023.

[History_of_Aviation.-7] "Airbus Group – Airbus Group". Archived from the original on 9 January 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2008.

[smithkay_41920-8] Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 419-420.

[JAWA_1942-9] Bridgeman 1942, ^{[page needed]}.

[Kay-10] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Kay 2004, pp. 190–197.

[smithkay_420-11] Smith and Kay 1972, p. 420.

[smithkay_421-12] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Smith and Kay 1972, p. 421.

[Turner_&_Nowarra3-13] Turner, P. St.J. and Nowarra, H. Ju 290 section

[JuPage3-14] Junkers Ju90 Production List (Serials)

[smithkay_4212-15] Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 421-422.

[GY-16] "Golden Years home".

[smithkay_4423-17] Smith and Kay 1972, pp. 442-443.

[18] "Epave du Junker 90 de l'IGESA - Bastia - EPAVE CORSE - Décembre 2016". 30 December 2016. Retrieved 11 March 2023 – via www.youtube.com.

[Smith-19] Smith and Kay 1990, pp. 418–422.

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v t e Junkers aircraft
Company designations	J 1 J 2 J 3 J 4 J 5 J 6 J 7 J 8 J 9 J 10 J 11 J 12 F 13 J 15 K 16 K 17 J 18 T 19 A 20 H 21 / J 21 / T 21 J 22 T 23 G 23 F 24 / G 24 A 25 T 26 T 27 J 28 T 29 K 30 G 31 A 32 W 33 W 34 A 35 S 36 K 37 G 38 K 39 K 47 A 48 J 49 A 50 K 51 K 53 K 85
Company EF designations (experimental aircraft)	EF 29 EF 31 EF 52 EF 61 EF 72 EF 73 EF 74 EF 77 EF 94 EF 126 EF 127 EF 128 EF 130 EF 131 EF 132 EF 140 EF 150
Idflieg designations	CL.I CLS.I D.I E.I E.I (2) J.I
RLM designations	Ju 46 Ju 49 Ju 52 Ju 60 Ju 85 Ju 86 Ju 87 Ju 88 Ju 89 Ju 90 Ju 160 Ju 187 Ju 188 Ju 248 Ju 252 Ju 268 Ju 287 Ju 288 Ju 290 Ju 322 Ju 352 Ju 388 Ju 390 Ju 452 Ju 488 Ju 635

v t e Reich Air Ministry (RLM) aircraft designations (list)
1 to 100	8-1¹ Fi 2 8-3¹ 8-4¹ Fi 5 DFS 6 8-7¹ Gö 8 Gö 9 Do 10 Do 11/Wn 11 8-12⁴/Do 12 Do 13 Do 14 Do 15 Do 16/Wn 16 Do 17 Do 18 Do 19 Do 20 8-21¹ Do 22 Do 23 Do 24 Do 25³/Kl 25 Do 26/Kl 26 8-27/Do 27³/Kl 27⁵ 8-28¹ 8-29/Do 29 Fw 30 Kl 31 Kl 32 Ju 33 Ju 34 Kl 35 Kl 36 He 37³ He 38/Ju 38 DFS 39 BV 40/DFS 40 He 41³ Fw 42/He 42 Fw 43 Fw 44 He 45 He 46/Ju 46 Fw 47/He 47 Ju 48 He 49/Ju 49 He 50/Ju 50 He 51 He 52/Ju 52 Ju 53 DFS 54/NR 54 Fw 55/NR 55 Fw 56 8-57⁴/Fw 57 Fw 58/He 58 He 59 He 60/Ju 60 Fa 61/Fw 61/He 61 Fw 62/He 62 8-63⁴/He 63 Ar 64/He 64 Ar 65/He 65 Ar 66/He 66 Ar 67 Ar 68 Ar 69 He 70 8-71⁴/He 71 He 72 He 73³ He 74 Al 75 Ar 76/FZG 76⁶ Ar 77 Ar 78³ Ar 79 Ar 80 Ar 81 8-82⁴ 8-83¹ Al 84 Ju 85 Ju 86 Ju 87 Ju 88 Ju 89 Ju 90 Ju 91³ Ju 92 Ju 93³ Ju 94³ Ar 95 Ar 96 Fi 97 Fi 98 Fi 99 Fi 100³/He 100
101 to 200	Al 101 Al 102 Al 103/Fi 103 R Fh 104 Kl 105 Kl 106 Kl 107 Bf 108 Bf 109/Bf 109R⁶ Bf 110 He 111/He 111U⁶ He 112 He 113⁶ He 114 He 115 He 116 He 117³/Hs 117 He 118 He 119 He 120 Hs 121 Hs 122 Hs 123 Hs 124 Hs 125 Hs 126 Hs 127 Hs 128 Hs 129 Hs 130 Bü 131 Bü 132³/Hs 132 Bü 133 Bü 134 Ha 135 Ha 136/Hü 136 Ha 137 BV 138 Ha 139 Ha 140 BV 141 BV 142 BV 143 BV 144 Go 145 Go 146 Go 147/Ju 147 Go 148³ Go 149 Go 150 Kl 151 Kl 152/Ta 152 Kl 153³/Ta 153 Kl 154³/Ta 154 BV 155/Kl 155³/Me 155 Fi 156 Fi 157 Fi 158 Fw 159 Ju 160 Bf 161 Bf 162/He 162 Bf 163/Li 163/Me 163 Me 164/MeC 164 Bf 165 Fi 166/FK 166 Fi 167 Fi 168 Fi 169³ He 170 He 171³ He 172 He 173³ He 174³ 8-175⁴ He 176 He 177 He 178 He 179⁵ Bü 180/He 180 Bü 181 Bü 182 Bü 183³/Ta 183 Fl 184 Fl 185 Fw 186/Ju 186 Fw 187/Ju 187² Fw 188³/Ju 188 Fw 189 Fw 190 Fw 191 Ao 192 Ao 193³/DFS 193 DFS 194/Me 194 Ar 195 Ar 196 Ar 197 Ar 198 Ar 199 Do 200^4,6/Fw 200
201 to 300	Si 201 Si 202 DFS 203 Si 204 8-205¹ Fw 206 8-207¹ Me 208 Me 209 (I)/Me 209 (II) Me 210 Hü 211 8-212⁴/Do 212 8-213¹ Do 214 Do 215 Do 216 Do 217/Hs 217 Do 218³ He 219 He 220 Do 221³ BV 222 Fa 223 Fa 224 Ao 225/Fa 225 BV 226/Ho 226 FGP 227 DFS 228 Go 229/Ho 229 8-230/DFS 230 Ar 231 Ar 232 Ar 233 Ar 234 Do 235⁵ Fa 236³ BV 237 BV 238 8-239¹ Ar 240 Go 241 Go 242 Me 243³ Go 244 Go 245³ BV 246 8-247¹ Ju 248 BV 250/Ho 250 Ho 251 Ho 252 Ju 252 Fi 253/Ho 253 Ho 254/Ta 254 8-255¹ Fi 256 SK 257 8-258¹ Fw 259 8-260¹ Me 261/Me 261w Me 262 Me 263 (1941)/Me 263 (1942)/Me 263 (1945) Me 264 Fl 265/Me 265 Fa 266/Go 266³ Ho 267 Ju 268 Fa 269 He 270 We 271 He 272³ He 273³ He 274 He 275⁵ He 276³ He 277 He 278 He 279³ He 280 He 281³ Fl 282 Fa 283 Fa 284 Fl 285 Ju 286 Ju 287 Do 288^4,6/Ju 288 Ju 289³ Ju 290 Hs 291 As 292/Hs 292³ Hs 293 Hs 294 Hs 295 Ar 296/Hs 296 Hs 297 Hs 298 Ju 299³ Fw 300
301 to 349	DFS 301 8-302¹ 8-303¹ 8-304¹ 8-305¹ 8-306¹ 8-307¹ 8-308¹ Me 309 Zwilling Me 310 8-311¹ 8-312¹ 8-313⁴ 8-314¹ Hs 315 8-316¹ Do 317 Do 318 He 319 Me 320³ Me 321 Ju 322 Me 323/ZMe 323 8-324¹ Fa 325/Fw 325³ 8-326¹ Me 327 Me 328 Me 329 Fa 330 DFS 331 DFS 332 Fi 333 Ar 334³/Me 334 Do 335 Fa 336 Ju 337³ 8-338¹ Fl 339 Ar 340 8-341 WNF 342 He 343 Rk 344/So 344⁵ Go 345 DFS 346 Rk 347 8-348¹ Ba 349
Post-349 (non-sequential)	Ju 352 Fi 356/Ju 356 Me 362 Me 364² Me 368³ Ju 388 Ju 390 Fw 391 Ar 393³ Ar 396 Ta 400 Me 409 Me 410 Do 417 He 419 ZMe 423 Ar 430/Ka 430 Ar 432 Do 435 Ar 440 8-445⁴ DFS 446 Ju 452 Me 462² DFS 468 Ju 488 Fw 491 He 500 Me 509 Me 510 He 519 8-520⁴ ZSO 523 Ar 532 8-534⁴ Do 535/He 535 Me 600² Me 609 Ar 632 Do 635/He 635/Ju 635
¹ Not assigned ² Unofficial/proposed ³ Assigned, but not used before RLM was dissolved ⁴ Assigned to captured aircraft ⁵ Unconfirmed ⁶ Propaganda/cover designation Note: Official RLM designations had the prefix "8-", but this was usually dropped and replaced with the manufacturer's prefix.