Junkers Ju 160

Junkers Ju 160
Type:	single-engine high-speed airliner
Design country:	German Empire
Manufacturer:	Junkers Flugzeugwerke AG
First flight:	January 30, 1934
Number of pieces:	46

The Junkers Ju 160 was a German airliner designed as a single - engine low- wing aircraft manufactured by Junkers Flugzeugwerke AG .

history

The Ju 160 was developed as an express airliner from the Ju 60 and took off for the first time on January 30, 1934 . A total of only 46 pieces (serial numbers 4202 to 4247) were built, even if the literature speaks of 48 pieces.

A 660 hp BMW 132 A radial engine was selected as the drive . In addition to the two crew members, six passengers could be carried. The third prototype of the Ju 60 with the serial number 4202 was used as a prototype for the improved Junkers. This sample machine received the D-UNOR mark.

The Ju 160 essentially corresponded to its predecessor. However, some crucial aerodynamic changes made for a much better cruising speed. So the wings were now also planked with smooth sheet metal. They also received a strongly swept leading edge. All openings such as doors and windows as well as handles, rivets and steps were attached so that they were flush with the outer skin.

Civilian use

Like the Heinkel He 70 already ordered by Lufthansa , the Ju 160 also reached a top speed of 340 km / h. Lufthansa used a total of 21 Ju 160s, with the V1 flying as a Reich-owned aircraft only as part of a test from October 1934 to December 1935 at DLH. Lufthansa bought nine Ju 160s in 1935 and eleven in 1936. They were mainly used on secondary routes, as the passenger capacity for the main routes was too low. Between 1935 and 1939, 3.5 million kilometers were flown on scheduled services. The D-UVUX flew in the fourth quarter of 1935 as Eu XVI for Eurasia, but retired after a break and was returned to the DLH for repair. The Ju 160 was considered a difficult aircraft to fly. Between 1936 and 1938 there was a total of four total losses. Three of these accidents resulted in casualties. When the war began, the aircraft were parked and gradually handed over to the air force . There they were scrapped in 1941. Two Ju 160s were exported to Japan, one of which was registered as J-DAAF in 1939, but had an accident on October 7, 1939.

In addition to Lufthansa, the German Aviation Research Institute also operated a total of three Ju 160s. The V2 D-UFUX was tested as a makeshift combat aircraft in Rechlin in 1935 .

Technical specifications

Parameter	Data
crew	2
Passengers	6th
length	12.30 m
span	14.30 m
height	3.92 m
Wing area	34.80 m²
Empty mass	2180 kg
Takeoff mass	3550 kg
Cruising speed	315 km / h
Top speed	335 km / h
Service ceiling	5200 m
Range	1100 km
Engine	1 × BMW 132 A-2 with 660 PS (490 kW)

See also

• List of aircraft types

literature

• Herbert Ringelstetter: Junkers Ju 60 and Ju 160 . In: Flugzeug Classic . No. 11 , 2005, ISSN  1617-0725 , p. 45-48 .
• Helmut Schneider: Airplane Type Book Reprint of the original edition from 1939/40 . ISBN 3-8112-0627-3 , pp. 87 .

Web links

Commons : Junkers Ju 160  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• ( Page no longer available , search in web archives: Junkers Ju 160 at Junkers.de )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Compilation of aircraft production from 1931 to 1940, Professor Hertel, Federal Archives / Military Archives, RL 2.
2. ↑ AIR International. Volume 12 No. 3 March 1977, Plane Facts
3. ↑ Aviastar page (accessed on May 2, 2009)
4. ↑ Lufthansa archive, Cologne: performance statistics, inventory lists, accident reports.