Ju 88 A-4
| This page is about the German bomber Ju 88 A-4. For other versions, see Ju 88 (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Ju 88 A-4 is a rank II German bomber with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB) and 2.7 (SB). It has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.27.
The Ju 88A-4 is very diverse with the ability to dive bomb and regularly bomb with large payloads. Its defensive armament is a little disappointing, but the two backwards-facing heavy machine guns can deal with light planes very quickly. However, the front is only covered by a light machine gun. Overall, the Ju 88 A-4 is a decent attack aircraft and fantastic fast medium bomber.
General info
Flight performance
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 5,600 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 432 | 416 | 9800 | 31.4 | 32.7 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 530 |
| Upgraded | 479 | 455 | 28.7 | 30.0 | 10.2 | 6.8 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 0 | 310 | 457 | 428 | 280 | ~8 | ~8 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 350 | < 360 | < 370 | > 330 |
Survivability and armour
- 58 mm and 60 mm Bulletproof glass around the dorsal turret
- 12 mm Steel plate behind the pilot
- 12 mm Steel plates around the ventral turret
- 20 mm Steel plate behind the cockpit
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The Ju 88 A-4 is armed with:
- 1 x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun, nose-mounted (750 rpg)
Suspended armament
The Ju 88 A-4 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (500 kg total)
- 28 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (1,400 kg total)
- 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (1,000 kg total)
- 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs + 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (1,500 kg total)
- 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs + 28 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (2,400 kg total)
- 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs (1,000 kg total)
- 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs + 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (1,500 kg total)
- 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs + 28 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (2,400 kg total)
- 1 x 1,000 kg SC1000L2 bomb + 1 x 500 kg SC500K bomb (1,500 kg total)
Defensive armament
The Ju 88 A-4 is defended by:
- 1 x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun, 2 x dorsal turret (1,000 rpg = 2,000 total)
- 2 x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun, ventral turret (900 rpg = 1,800 total)
Usage in battles
With great payloads and great speed, the Ju 88 A-4 can be a fun aircraft to play, whether you are playing in Ground Battles or Air Battles.
If you are playing in Air Realistic, you can go base bombing or attack other targets, like light pillboxes, howitzers and AAA. To attack bases, the best payload would be the SC50JA x 28 and SC500K x 2. This payload is quite useful, as it can take out 3 bases and even lightly damage the airfield. For attacking ground targets, you can either load the SC 50JA x 28 or SC250JA x 4.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Not controllable | Controllable Auto control available |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Separate | Not controllable 1 gear |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Highest variety of payload from any bombers in the German tech tree
- Fast bomber, can outrun lower-ranked foes
- Better and more reliable defensive armaments than the He 111 H-3
- Extremely manoeuvrable at low speeds (RB & SB)
- Airframe can withstand high speed during a dive and is equipped with air brakes
- Fairly resistant to small calibre bullets (.30 cal)
- One of the few bombers that can reliably destroy enemy airfields at lower rank battles (AB)
- Possesses a large payload (2,400 kg) that doesn't have that much penalty in overall performance
- The 50 kg bombs are very efficient at taking out individual ground targets
- Very useful in precision bombing
- Can perform exceptionally well even in some early rank II battles
- Defensive armament has a high rate of fire combined with AP-T ammunition that can easily start fires
Cons:
- Unfavourable matchmaking in arcade battles
- .50 calibre and cannon fire will quickly tear it apart
- Take-off from short runways is difficult
- Water-cooled engines and large radiator mean that any shots to the engine in RB or SB will usually result in engine failure
- Cannot reliably fly with one engine
- Big plane, ideal target for SPAAs when flying low
History
In-game description
The Ju 88 high-speed horizontal and dive bomber was one of the most versatile aircraft of WWII, and the Ju 88A-4 was the most well-known and highly mass produced of all the variants. Unlike its predecessors, the plane had a new 1,400 PS engine, letting the bomber move around at high speed. After experiencing difficulties in the Battle of Britain, the aircraft received additional metal sheeting in the cockpit walls and floor, as well as an armoured pilot's seat, shielding the pilot's back and sides. New MG 81 belt-fed machine guns replaced the older MG 15s that had previously been fitted. The increased aircraft mass also necessitated stronger landing gear with a bigger wheel diameter.
The Ju 88A-4 was used against the Soviet Union in their maiden flights, and remained in the ranks until the end of the war. During WWII, nearly 15,000 Ju 88 bombers were built in different variations.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
External links
| Junkers Aircraft and Motor Works (Junkers Flugzeug- und Motorenwerke Aktiengesellschaft) | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Ju 88 C-6 · Ju 388 J |
| Strike Aircraft | |
| Ju 87 | Ju 87 G-1 · Ju 87 G-2 |
| Bombers | Ju 88 A-1 · Ju 88 A-4 · Ju 188 A-2 · Ju 288 C |
| Ju 87 | Ju 87 B-2 · Ju 87 D-3 · Ju 87 D-5 · Ju 87 R-2 · Ju 87 R-2 Libya |
| Export | ▄Ju 87 D-3 · ▄Ju 87 R-2 · ▄Ju 88 A-4 |
| Germany bombers | |
|---|---|
| Arado | Ar 196 A-3 |
| Blohm & Voss | BV 138 C-1 · BV 238 |
| Dornier | Do 17 E-1 · Do 17 Z-2 · Do 217 E-2 · Do 217 E-4 · Do 217 K-1 · Do 217 M-1 |
| Focke-Wulf | Fw 189 A-1 · Fw 200 C-1 |
| Henschel | Hs 123 A-1 |
| Heinkel | He 111 H-3 · He 111 H-6 · He 111 H-16 · He 115 C-1 · He 177 A-3 · He 177 A-5 |
| Junkers | Ju 87 B-2 · Ju 87 R-2 · Ju 87 R-2 Libya · Ju 87 D-3 · Ju 87 D-5 · Ju 88 A-1 · Ju 88 A-4 · Ju 188 A-2 · Ju 288 C |
| Messerschmitt | Me 264 |
| Savoia-Marchetti | ▀S.M.79 serie 1 · ▀S.M.79 B · ▀S.M.79 serie 4 · ▀S.M.79 serie 8 |
| ▀S.M.79 AS · ▀S.M.79 bis/N · ▀S.M.79 bis/T.M | |
| Trophies | ▀Wellington Mk Ic |
