Ju 88 A-4

Ju 88 A-4

Ju 88 A-1

He 111 H-6

Ju 88 A-4

Ju 88 A-1

He 111 H-6

Germany

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.0	3.0	2.7

Class:

Bomber

Dive bomber

Research:5 600

Purchase:22 000

Show in game

This page is about the German medium bomber Ju 88 A-4. For other uses, see Ju 88 (Family).

Description

The Ju 88 A-4 in the garage

The Ju 88 A-4 is a rank II German medium bomber with a battle rating of 3.0 (AB/RB) and 2.7 (SB). This bomber has been in the game since the start of the Open Beta Test prior to Update 1.29.

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 88A is a decent attack aircraft and fantastic fast medium bomber.

General info

Flight Performance

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 5,600 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
430	415	9800	31.8	32.7	2.9	4.1	530
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 5,600 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
480	455	9800	28.3	30.0	12.5	6.8	530

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
0	310	480	~4	~4

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 350	< 360	< 400	> 230

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
5,400 m	2,360 hp	2,761 hp

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

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

• 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (500 kg)
• 28 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (1400 kg)
• 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (1,000 kg)
• 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs + 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (1500 kg)
• 28 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs + 4 x 250 kg SC250JA bombs (2400 kg)
• 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs (1000 kg)
• 10 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs + 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs (1500 kg)
• 28 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs + 2 x 500 kg SC500K bombs (2400 kg)
• 1 x 1000 kg SC1000L2 bomb + 1 x 500 kg SC500K bomb (1500 kg)

Defensive armament

• 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 an aircraft, the features of using vehicles in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but 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	Not controllable	Controllable	Combined	Not controllable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator		Turret 7 mm	ITX 50/IX
II		Compressor	Airframe	New 7 mm MGs (turret)	ETC 250/IV
III	Wings Repair	Engine		Offensive 7 mm	ETC 500/II
IV		Engine Injection	Cover	New 7 mm MGs	ETC 1000/I

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Highest variety of payload from any bombers in the German tech tree
• Decent speed
• Ability 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:

• Unfavorable 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

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to an article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.

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 armored 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

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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

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• topic on the official game forum;
• encyclopedia page on aircraft;
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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