| Junkers Ju 52
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|
| Description
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| Role | Troop carrier
|
| Crew |
|
| First Flight |
|
| Entered Service | 1935
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| Manufacturer | Junkers Flugzeug & Motorenwerke AG
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| Dimensions
|
| Length | 18.9 m | 62 ft
|
| Wingspan | 29.3 m | 96 ft
|
| Height | m | ft
|
| Wing area | m² | ft²
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| Weights
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| Empty | kg | lb
|
| Loaded | 9,200 kg | 20,270 lb
|
| Maximum takeoff | kg | lb
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| Powerplant
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| Engine | 3 × BMW 132A
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| Power (each) | 485 kW | 650 hp
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| Performance
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| Maximum speed | 265 km/h | 165 mph
|
| Combat range | 870 km | 540 miles
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| Ferry range | km | miles
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| Service ceiling | 6,100 m | 20,000 ft
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| Rate of climb | m/min | ft/min
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| Wing loading | kg/m² | lb/ft²
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| Power/mass | 160 W/kg | 0.096 hp/lb
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| Armament
|
| Guns |
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The Junkers Ju 52 nicknamed "Tante Ju" (Auntie Ju) and "Iron Annie" was a civilian airliner and military transport aircraft and bomber manufactured between 1932 and 1945 by Junkers.
Originally prototyped in 1930 with one engine by Ernst Zindel in the Junkers works at Dessau, its corrugated metal fuselage gave a characteristic boxy appearance. Three BMW Hornet engines improved performance and load carrying abilities. As a Lufthansa airliner, the Ju52 could seat seventeen, reaching Rome from Berlin in 8 hours. Export models were also built with Pratt & Whitney Wasp and Bristol Pegasus engines.
The Ju 52 first saw military service in the Spanish Civil War with roles as a bomber and as a transport, including paratroop drops. The Luftwaffe relied on the Ju52 for transport roles during World War II. Compared to fighters, it was slow (top speed 165 mph) and lightly armed, so an escort was always necessary; many were shot down.
While most were destroyed following war's end, a small number was manufactured after 1945 in France and Spain. Some continued in productive service by the Swiss air force until the 1980s. Quite a few are still airworthy and in regular use today.
See also: List of airworthy Ju 52
External links
www.ju52-3m.ch (http://www.ju52-3m.ch/about.htm)
www.compsoc.man.ac.uk (http://www.compsoc.man.ac.uk/~wingman/ju-52.html)
www.oldprops.f9.co.uk (http://www.oldprops.f9.co.uk/Junkers%20Ju52%20Census.htm)
www.constable.ca (http://www.constable.ca/ju52.htm)
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