Junkers Ju 268
| Industry | Aerospace, Defense |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1895 |
| Headquarters | Dessau , Germany |
The Junkers Ju 268 functioned as the unmanned bomber segment within the German Mistel V parasite bomber initiative developed in 1944.
Development
The Mistel V combined a piloted Heinkel He 162 A-2 unit with a custom-built Arado E.377 glider bomb. Facing resource constraints at Arado’s design bureau, multiple alternative composite configurations were evaluated to substitute the Arado model. By late 1944, Junkers introduced the Ju 268 as a potential bomber element for the Mistel VI project, which incorporated the Arado Ar 234.
Characterized by a straightforward wooden airframe, the Ju 268 featured a reusable and detachable Flatbed trolley dolly serving as its landing gear, assisted by Walter-powered booster rockets. Its armament options included either a 2,000 kilograms (4,400 lb) hollow-charge warhead or an 1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb) SC1800 bomb stripped of tail fins, both installed in the nose section. Another proposed payload for striking ground targets combined a specially designed high-explosive bomb in the front with 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of liquid explosive housed in the rear.[1]
The design of the Ju 268 did not advance beyond preliminary planning stages.
References
- ↑ Forsyth, p. 147
Bibliography
- Forsyth, Robert (2020) [2001]. Mistel: German Composite Aircraft and Operations (Revised ed.). Crecy Publishing. ISBN 978-1-91080-981-5.
- Forsyth, Robert & Creek, Eddie J. (2008). Heinkel He 162 Volksjager: From Drawing Board to Destruction: The Volksjäger. Classic Publications. ISBN 978-1-90653-700-5.
- Sharp, Dan (2020). Heinkel He 162. Secret Projects of the Luftwaffe Close Up. Vol. 1. Tempest Books. ISBN 978-1-911658-24-5.
External links
Template:Junkers aircraft Template:RLM aircraft designations