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 | 480 | 480 | 280 | ~7 | ~7 |
| 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 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
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
Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
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
- Decent speed
- Able to dive bomb*, is equipped with air brakes
- Better and more reliable defensive armaments than that of the He 111 H-3
- Extremely manoeuvrable at low speeds (RB & SB)
- Airframe can withstand high speed during a dive
- Fairly resistant to small (.30) bullets
- One of the few bombers that can reliably destroy enemy airfields at lower rank battles (AB)
- Possesses the largest payload (2,400 kg) of any rank I bomber
- The 50 kg bombs are very efficient in taking out individual ground targets
- Carrying the maximum payload doesn't have that much penalty in overall performance
- Very useful in precision bombing
- Can simply outrun lower-ranked foes
- Can perform exceptionally well even in some early rank II battles
Cons:
- Unfavourable matchmaking in arcade battles
- Defensive armament consists of only 7.92 mm machine guns and are only reliable against lower ranked foes
- .50 calibre and cannon fire will quickly tear it apart
- Take off from short runways is difficult
- Less durable than the He 111 H-3
- Water cooled engines and large radiator means that any shots to the engine in RB or SB will usually result in engine failure
- Cannot reliably fly with one engine
- Big target, can easily be ripped to shreds by SPAAs when flying low
- Level bombing from a high altitude can be a challenge
- Severely handicapped by being at Rank I because of its low SL multiplier of 0.5, which inhibits it from being a good money maker
- *In some cases, you might break an engine's propeller while dive bombing, leaving you on one engine or none
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 |
