Ju 87 D-5

Ju 87 D-5

Ju 87 D-3

Me 410 A-1/U4

Ju 87 D-5

Ju 87 D-3

Me 410 A-1/U4

Germany

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.7	3.3	3.3

Class:

Bomber

Dive bomber

Research:5 600

Purchase:22 000

Show in game

This page is about the German bomber Ju 87 D-5. For other uses, see Ju 87 (Family).

Description

The Ju 87 D-5 is a rank II German dive bomber with a battle rating of 3.7 (AB) and 3.3 (RB/SB). This dive bomber was introduced into the game sometime prior to Update 1.27.

General info

Flight performance

The Ju 87 D-5 is not as fast as most, if not all the fighters at its battle rating, but it is surprisingly maneuverable at low speeds compared to them.

Since this plane typically gets an air start in RB at around 3,500 meters, gaining altitude is generally not a major problem at the beginning of matches on this plane. Be careful though, as if the D-5 reaches speed of anything above 450 km/h, it will start to get extreme lock-ups in the horizontal axis and slightly less in the vertical. However, staying around the 300 km/h can have the D-5 be able to out-maneuver opponents.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 4,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
369	361	7500	32.4	33.2	0.2	1.6	513
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 4,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
402	385	7500	29.7	31.0	9.9	4.2	513

Details

Features
Combat flap	Take-off flap	Landing flap	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
730	800	550	~12	~5

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 270	< 270	< 350	> 230

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
3,500 m	1,210 hp	1,425 hp

Survivability and armour

• 4-8 mm of armour in the fuselage.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Ju 87 D-5 is armed with:

• 2 х 20 mm MG 151 cannons, (500 rpg = 1,000 total)

The stock two 20mm is not very effective with the aircraft's role or aerodynamics.

Players who often play earlier Ju-87's probably did their best to not engage enemies, as you only had two 7.92mm machine guns to fight with alongside the rear gunner's machine guns. However, with this Ju-87 comes new and improved armament of 20 mms. As a result, this opens up a whole new world as a fighter.

If battling fighters, try to head on them as the Ju-87 is a relatively tough plane, and with the gun pods attached, any pilot foolish enough to head on you will most likely end up as mincemeat. If they don't do so, try to bleed their energy and speed, and then swoop in for the target.

Suspended armament

The Ju 87 D-5 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• 1 х 250 kg SC250JA bomb
• 4 х 50 kg SC50JA bomb + 1 х 250 kg SC250JA bomb
• 2 х 250 kg SC250JA bomb + 1 х 250 kg SC250JA bomb
• 1 х 500 kg SC500K bomb
• 4 х 50 kg SC50JA bomb + 1 х 500 kg SC500K bomb
• 2 х 250 kg SC250JA bomb + 1 х 500 kg SC500K bomb
• 12 х 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun, suspended (250 rpg = 3,000 total)
• 4 х 20 mm MG 151 cannon, suspended (200 rpg = 800 total)

The suspended 12x 7.92 mm deals with enemy aircraft pretty well, though runs out of ammo quickly. It is most suited for beginners since the traces are more visible. The suspended four 20 mm downs bombers and fighters sufficiently.

Defensive armament

The Ju 87 D-5 is defended by:

• 2 х 7.92 mm MG 81 machine gun, dorsal turret (700 rpg = 1,400 total)

Turret 7.92 mm is somewhat useful in distracting enemies but does not deal a lot of damage.

Usage in battles

Ju-87 D series are mainly adapted for ground attack roles and has shed their dive brakes feature. The D-5 variant has two 20mm MG 151 cannons which are suitable for attacking light-medium tanks. In addition in the research tree, you can get an additional WB 151 gun pods (4 MG 151/20 cannons) or the WB 81B (12 MG 81 machine guns).

The Ju 87 D-5 should not be used as a bomber since its maximum bombload of 2x 250kg and 1x 500kg does not hold up at its BR. It is excellent for ground strikes however, both with the 7.92 mm guns and the 20 mm cannons. The 20 mm is recommended because the 7.92 mm runs out of ammo fairly fast. The best use of the Ju 87 D-5 is bomber hunting. It spawns at the bomber altitude of 3,000-3,500 m (10,000-12,000 ft). One burst of the 20 mm cannons, especially with the suspended armaments and while using the air target belt, is enough to destroy a bomber and even fighters.

If you decide to play the role of a fighter instead of the historic role of the attacker, it is recommended that you climb to around 5.5k meters, which you should easily be able to do before reaching your enemies at the halfway point. As noted in the flight performance, staying at speeds greater than 400 km/h can lock up the control surfaces, meaning dogfighting at high speed is not in the plane's favour. Get the enemy to bleed speed to the more favourable 300 km/h-range, at which you will be able to outturn them.

Stock ammo belts are pretty bad, so try to get air target belts ASAP. Armoured target ammo is not able to take out medium tanks (unlike air target ammo, which can take out medium tanks on some select maps), and it is less effective against aircraft.

With the additional 20 mm cannons in the suspended armaments, the Ju 87 D-5 becomes a worthy opponent in head-ons. With this loadout, one should make sure not to be caught at less than 350 km/h. At speeds higher than this, the D-5 can still manage to do a quick turn around to lay the guns on a target from nearly every angle. The gun pods damage the roll rate quite significantly, so heavy use of the rudder is recommended.

Because of their low speed, non-retractable landing gear and reasonable durability, all the Ju 87 series are quite good for capturing airfields in the Airfield Domination mode.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable	Not controllable	Controllable	Combined	Not controllable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator			Turret 7 mm	ETC 50/IV
II		Compressor	Airframe	Offensive 20 mm	New 7 mm MGs (turret)	ETC 250/II
III	Wings Repair	Engine			Offensive 7 mm	WB 81B
IV		Engine Injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons	New 7 mm cannons	WB 151

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Two MG 151 20mm cannons which are decent for taking out aircraft after unlocking air target belts
• Large ammo reserve for its armament, equating to 1000 rounds between each MG 151/20 cannon, even peaking most German Zerstörer aircraft
• Can equip either 20 mm WB 151 or 7.92 mm WB 81B gun pods below the wing, increasing armament size by two 20 mm MG 151/20 or six 7.92 mm MG 81 for frontal firepower
• Tail gun has one of the best RoF (Rate of Fire) in-game and covers a generous portion of the aircraft's rear
• Decent bomb loads
• Great manoeuvrability at lower speeds, can turn on a dime at a high speed
• Pilot and gunner are protected with all-around armour
• Has air brakes
• Very efficient radiator
• Tolerant flaps
• Air start in most RB maps
• Additional guns simply destroy enemy bombers and fighters in about two seconds, and are amazingly good.

Cons:

• Maximum bomb load is lower than the D-3
• Low roll rate when not using the rudder
• Slow, and loses energy quite easily, especially in turns
• Takes some time to climb
• Overheats easily with WEP, use of WEP is not advised until in combat
• High Parasite drag, imposed by the wheel spats
• Control Stiffening (lock-up) is severe at moderate to high speeds
• Very Low Wing-Lift Co-efficient making the aircraft highly susceptible to stalling
• Very low manoeuvrability compared to predecessors
• Radiator is damaged easily by enemy fire
• Horrible ROC (rate of climb)

History

In early 1943, a new variant of the Stuka, the Ju 87 D-5, was launched into full-scale production. The D-5 variant was originally conceived of as a ground-attack aircraft, as opposed to the previous D-3 version, for which ground attacks were thought to be only one of its possible combat uses.

From the start, no speed brakes were mounted under the D-5's wings, and as full-scale production continued, the fittings to fix the brakes to the drive gear were also eliminated. The aircraft's wings were redesigned, with the wingspan significantly increased. The enlarged area significantly reduced the load on the aircraft's wings and improved the Stuka's takeoff and landing characteristics.

The aircraft's armament was reinforced: the wing-mounted 7.92 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 17 machine guns were swapped out for two 20 mm Mauser MG 151/20 cannons with 500 rounds each.

The 1,000/500/IXb bomb rack was used to suspend aerial bombs weighing 1,000 kg or more under the fuselage, and the 500/IXc rack was used for bombs weighing 500 kg or less. Underwing ETC 50/VIIIdTp bomb racks allowed bombs and containers weighing up to 300 kg to be suspended from the middle pylon; bombs and other loads weighing up to 70 kg could be hung from the two side pylons.

When acting as a ground-attack aircraft, Stukas most often had wooden containers for ninety-two 2 kg fragmentation SC 2 aerial bombs; however, these had little effect against protected targets. Aerial bombs of a larger size, 250 and 500 kg, were used to attack such targets.

The engine's exhaust pipes were not covered with fairings, and die-stamped, corrugated steel strips for the crew were riveted to the centre wing section instead of rubber "tracks." The fork of the fuselage-mounted bomb rack was reinforced.

A system to jettison the main landing gear struts was introduced on the D-5 to enable an emergency landing on uneven terrain.

As the full-scale production of the D-5 variant continued, a number of changes were introduced to the structure to improve visibility from the cockpit, increasing the crew's safety, and make the aircraft easier to pilot at low altitudes. The following was added to the covering of the cockpit canopy: an additional strut in the structure of the side glass panels, an additional direct-vision window in the sliding section of the canopy, and a convex blister over the armoured windscreen panel, for mounting the Revi C/12D gunsight.

The Ju 87 D-5 was the last variant of the Stuka whose full-scale production was significant. This variant was manufactured until the Stuka's production was discontinued in the late summer of 1944. A total of 1,190 aircraft were produced. A simplified variant of the D-5 named the D-6, was developed but never entered full-scale production.

In-game description

"In early 1943, a new variant of the Stuka, the Ju 87D-5, was launched into full-scale production. The D-5 variant was originally conceived of as a ground-attack aircraft, as opposed to the previous D-3 version, for which ground attacks were thought to be only one of its possible combat uses.

From the start, no speed brakes were mounted under the D-5's wings, and as full-scale production continued, the fittings to fix the brakes to the drive gear were also eliminated. The aircraft's wings were redesigned, with the wingspan significantly increased. The enlarged area significantly reduced the load on the aircraft's wings and improved the Stuka's takeoff and landing characteristics.

The aircraft's armament was reinforced: the wing-mounted 7.92 mm Rheinmetall-Borsig MG 17 machine guns were swapped out for two 20 mm Mauser MG 151/20 cannons with 500 rounds each.

The 1000/500/IXb bomb rack was used to suspend aerial bombs weighing 1,000 kg or more under the fuselage, and the 500/IXc rack was used for bombs weighing 500 kg or less. Underwing ETC 50/VIIIdTp bomb racks allowed bombs and containers weighing up to 300 kg to be suspended from the middle pylon; bombs and other loads weighing up to 70 kg could be hung from the two side pylons.

When acting as a ground-attack aircraft, Stukas most often had wooden containers for ninety-two 2 kg fragmentation SC 2 aerial bombs; however, these had little effect against protected targets. Aerial bombs of a larger size, 250 and 500 kg, were used to attack such targets.

The engine's exhaust pipes were not covered with fairings, and die-stamped, corrugated steel strips for the crew were riveted to the centre wing section instead of rubber ""tracks."" The fork of the fuselage-mounted bomb rack was reinforced.

A system to jettison the main landing gear struts was introduced on the D-5 to enable an emergency landing on uneven terrain.

As the full-scale production of the D-5 variant continued, a number of changes were introduced to the structure to improve visibility from the cockpit, increase the crew's safety, and make the aircraft easier to pilot at low altitudes. The following were added to the covering of the cockpit canopy: an additional strut in the structure of the side glass panels, an additional direct-vision window in the sliding section of the canopy, and a convex blister over the armored windscreen panel, for mounting the Revi C/12D gunsight.

The Ju 87 D-5 was the last variant of the Stuka whose full-scale production was significant. This variant was manufactured until the Stuka's production was discontinued in the late summer of 1944. A total of 1,190 aircraft were produced. A simplified variant of the D-5, named the D-6, was developed but never entered full-scale production."

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

• [Devblog] Ju 87 Stuka - new models