The Coolest 'Radical' Aircaft of World War II

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Um you are not describing the Ju-287. The Ju-287 was not the predecessor of the Ju-87. The Ju-287 (picture below) was a jet bomber design. It was a very radical design for WW2 however.

It was pieced together by parts from different aircraft.The nosewheels from two B-24 Liberators, the fuselage of an He 177, mainwheels off a Ju 352, and the tail was constructed of Ju 388 parts.

What you are talking about is the Ju-187 and it canceled before a prototype was even built in 1943 because the performance was expected to be no better than the Ju-87.

[HealzDevo]

I know it wasn't the predecessor of the Ju-87. I never suggested it was. It was originally designated Ju-187 and 287 was one development of it but then it got stripped of that and the 287 was officially in October 1943 given to a forward-swept wing jet bomber that Junkers was designing. The feature that makes it radical is that tail that swings. I have yet to hear of a modern aircraft where the tail swings around like that... Have you? Information obtained from Luft '46 - WWII German aircraft projects.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

There is no need for a modern plane let alone any plane to have a tail do that.

[Matt308]

He means this one I think.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

Yes I know which one he is talking about.

[HealzDevo]

That is what makes it a radical aircraft. The fact that it is so different from the norm. It is a feature that no other aircraft has. It is a unique feature and thus a cool radical aircraft the Ju-187/287. It may be unnecessary but then so is an aircraft like the Osprey when you look at it.

[DerAdlerIstGelandet]

I dont argue with you that it was radical but it was pointless...

The Osprey is actually far from pointless and very innovative design.

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by HealzDevo

That is what makes it a radical aircraft. The fact that it is so different from the norm. It is a feature that no other aircraft has. It is a unique feature and thus a cool radical aircraft the Ju-187/287. It may be unnecessary but then so is an aircraft like the Osprey when you look at it.

Better not let mkloby here you say that!

INCOMING!!!!!

[Matt308]

[HealzDevo]

Also the Messerschmitt Me-323 Gigant was a radical concept probably for its time as I don't ever remember the Allies having anything like this as a heavy lifter. It is radical as being such a large and superheavy aircraft. Even today there are only three types defined as superheavy aircraft: the C-5 Galaxy, the Antonov An-124 Condor or the Antonov An-225 Mriya otherwise known as Cossack. These are not common types of aircraft. They are very large and can shift large amounts of cargo anywhere in the world.

[Chocks away!]

Since most of my favorite German designs have been mentioned, how about this monster of an aircraft.
It didn't make it in time for world war two but was in fact in service from 1946 to 1950: In order to counter the introduction of German turbojet-powered aircraft such as the Me-262, the Soviet Union began a crash program in 1944 to develop a high-performance fighter which resulted in the Mikoyan-Gurevich I-250 (N). It was equipped with a thermojet, a piston engine driving a tractor propeller, which was in turn connected via an extension shaft to a compressor which powered a booster jet engine in the tail. It could reach 825km/h.


Technical data
Type /I-250/N MiG-13/N
Function fighter
Year 1945 1947
Crew 1 1
Engines 1*1500/1650hp Klimov VK-107A(R?) 1*300kg Khalshchevnikov VRDK
Length 8.18m 8.20m
Wing Span 9.5m 9.5m
Wing Area 15.0m2 15.0m2
Empty Weight 2935kg 3028kg
Loaded Weight 3680kg 3931kg
Wing load 245kg/m2 262kg/m2
Power load 2.23kg/hp 2.38kg/hp
Speed at 0m 670km/h ?
Speed at 7800m 825km/h ?
Speed without VRDK ? 600km/h
Climb to 5000m 4.6min ?
Ceiling 11900m ?
Range 1380km 1818km

[Matt308]

I wonder if they sufferred a bit of erosion on the upperside of the exhaust structure. C'mon. Coolest?

[FLYBOYJ]

Originally Posted by HealzDevo

Also the Messerschmitt Me-323 Gigant was a radical concept probably for its time as I don't ever remember the Allies having anything like this as a heavy lifter. It is radical as being such a large and superheavy aircraft. Even today there are only three types defined as superheavy aircraft: the C-5 Galaxy, the Antonov An-124 Condor or the Antonov An-225 Mriya otherwise known as Cossack. These are not common types of aircraft. They are very large and can shift large amounts of cargo anywhere in the world.

The Me-323 just looked like a heavy lifter - compare it with a C-47...

Specifications (Me 323)
General characteristics
Crew: 5
Capacity: 130 troops or 10–12 tonnes equipment
Length: 28.2 m (92 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 55.2 m (181 ft 0 in)
Height: 10.15 m (33 ft 3.5 in)
Empty weight: 27,330 kg (60,260 lb)
Loaded weight: 29,500 kg (65,000 lb)
Max takeoff weight: 43,000 kg (94,815 lb)
Powerplant: 6× Gnôme-Rhône 14N , 700 kW (950 hp) each


Specifications (C-47B)
General characteristics
Crew: 3
Capacity: 28 troops
Payload: 6,000 lb (2,700 kg) of cargo
Length: 63 ft 9 in (19.43 m)
Wingspan: 95 ft 6 in (29.11 m)
Height: 17 ft 0 in (5.18 m)
Wing area: 987 ft² (91.70 m²)
Empty weight: 18,135 lb (8,225 kg)
Loaded weight: 26,000 lb (11,800 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 31,000 lb (14,000 kg)
Powerplant: 2× Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90C "Twin Wasp" 14-cylinder radial engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW) each

C-47 usefull load = 12865 Me 323 useful load = 13500

Compare performance....

Me 323
Performance
Maximum speed: 270 km/h (170 mph)
Range: 800 km (500 miles)
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,100 ft)
Rate of climb: 216 m/min (710 ft/min)
Ferry range: 1,100 km (684 miles)

C-47
Performance
Maximum speed: 224 mph (195 knots, 360 km/h)
Cruise speed: 160 mph (140 knots, 260 km/h)
Range: 1,600 mi (1,400 nm, 2,600 km)
Service ceiling: 26,400 ft (8,050 m)
Rate of climb: 1,130 ft/min (5.75 m/s)

The only advantage the Me 323 had over the C-47 was the font loading door and wide fuselage. Aside from that I think it could be seen the thing was a flying pig that couldn't get out of it's own way....

[Matt308]

Good post!!!

[Chocks away!]

Are you by any chance the master of duplicate posts??