Junkers Ju-187

Historical information

The Junkers Ju-187 was designed to replace the ageing Junkers Ju-87D Shtuka, which by the time of the Battle of Britain had proved very vulnerable to enemy fighters. It kept some of the features of the earlier Ju-87, such as the inverted gull wing and two man crew, but added retractable landing gear and a rotating vertical tail.

When rotated down it would give the air gunner, armed with a rear gun position, a full field of fire. It is not known how the aircraft would have handled with the tail rotated. Although an extremely radical design, the Ju-187 project never made it to production. The Ju-187 would have been of all-metal construction with improved armour and armament.

The project was cancelled by the Reich Air Ministry in autumn 1943 because the aircraft's projected performance, when fully loaded, was estimated to be no better than the latest Ju-87D variant.