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EF-132

EF-132 (EF - Entwicklungs Flugzeug = "experimental aircraft") was a project for a strategic bomber developed at Junkers, and later in OKB-1, which consisted of Germans interned in the USSR. The EF132 jet bomber had a sweptback wing, with six jet engines were integrated within the wing structure. This design later became typical for Russian aircraft designs, such as the Tupolev Tu-16 Badger and the Myasishchev M-4 Bison. Despite the fact that this machine never left the drawing board, it managed to become famous. The Junkers EF 132 went down in history as the last aircraft developed by this company during the war years. And despite the fact that it was developed at the very dawn of jet aviation, its project was very mature and clearly outperformed its time. Already in the project the machine had arrow-shaped wings, located at an angle of 35 ° to the body. Six Junkers jet engines Jumo 012 were hidden in the root of the wing, as was done on jet planes of the 1950's.

But the EF132 program was stopped before the construction of a prototype began. An unpowered example was constructed to gather additional data, but only slow progress was made before the project was terminated in 1948. The EF132 was the final Junkers-Dessau development.

In the autumn of 1944 Reichsmarschall Goring instructed the Junkers and Messerschmitt works to design and produce the very long-range bombers which would be capable of delivering 4000kg bomb load, at high speeds and over extreme distances, onto a target and then returning safety. The object of the exercise was to attack distant convoys and to mount strategic air strikes against the USA and the Soviet Union.

In early 1945, at the Junkers firm, based on the results of the creation of jet bombers, in particular Ju 287, a sketch design of a strategic bomber with six Jumo 012 turbojet engines was started. Junkers was working on the EF-132 design which was improved upon their Ju-287 by incorporating a new fuselage and new sweep-wing. A wind-tunnel model was tested in early 1945, and a full-scale wooden mockup was also built.

The development stage had progressed and a mock-up was already built at Dessau when the Red Army reached the Junker facility and took possession of the Junkers Ju-287, EF-131 and EF-132 designs. At the time of Dassau's occupation by Soviet troops, the project did not come out of the preliminary stage: the overall shape of the aircraft was formed and its individual components were worked out, and a scale model was completed in a wind tunnel. It was already an airplane with a high swept wing. This arrangement of the wing allowed the lower fuselage to organize a capacious and long bomb bay.

The most outstanding invention of German designers in this project was the placement of the jet engines in the root of the wing where they created a blow-off effect that reduced the overall resistance. At the end of the war, when this project was born on the culms in Dessau, the most powerful jet engine of the Germans was the Jumo 012 with a thrust of two and a half tons. The EF-132 required six such engines, placed three at the root of the wing. To do this arched spars were invented. At the root of the wing, the spars of the spars turned into arches, bypassing the engines and channels of their air intakes. The apertures of the air intakes were in the form of a horizontal ellipse. The German strategic bomber was supposed to fly at a maximum transonic speed for a distance of three and a half thousand kilometers and with a powerful fire protection to carry a bomb load of one and a half tons. The estimated take-off weight exceeded ninety tons.

In 1945, no one in the world developed such a project. But this program required huge investments. In the concern Junkers under the Nazis, this project was developed in the hope of a "miracle weapon" and an unexpected victory. And the Soviet victors were interested in the strategic bomber project as a storehouse of new ideas and design solutions suitable for borrowing.

In early 1946, the NKVD conducted an operation to collect and recruit German aviation engineers. In 1946 the whole Dessau complex and the German engineers were transferred to the Soviet Union to continue the development of both the Ju 287 and EF 132 in organized OKB-1. According British DPD News Service 25 October 1946, persons deported from Berlin included 1500 staff from Junkers airplane factory in Dessau. There appeared to be no doubt that deportations were forced. It seemed to be true, however, that deportees are travelling in comfort and are well fed.

The US Government Kommandatura protested against forced deportation of German labor by Soviet authorities. The US believed reported forced removal not only represented flagrant violation of fundamental human rights but also was contrary to general principles of international law existing prior to and reaffirmed by Nuremberg judgment.

A significant portion of aviation engineers were taken to Podberezye near Moscow where they provided comfortable conditions for life and work. The production base for an unnamed OKB was the aerodrome plant No. 256.

At the end of 1946, German specialists were divided into OKB-1 and OKB-2. OKB-1, consisting of employees of the firm Junkers, was headed by Dr. Brunolf Baade, a wing sweep specialist, who previously worked at the design bureau of the firmJunkers, the field of activity of this bureau was heavy aircraft. It was OKB-1 and carried out further work on the EF-132.

The development of drawings of the most problematic aggregates and project systems began. According to the drawings were built wooden layouts, which clearly demonstrated to the customer the design decisions made by the Germans. The layout of the root of the wing with three installed engines answered all questions. It was shown how the wing's strength is maintained at the cost of minimum weight on the edging of holes in the members under the motors and how the approach for maintenance and replacement of engines is provided. Why these engines create "active fairing". The model of the suspension slatted flaps with a rotary drive has left no doubt in their reliable operation.

The development of the EF-132 was resumed by a decree of the Council of Ministers No. 874-266 in April 1946, similar to another German project, EF-131. During 1946, a check of German calculations confirmed the high design characteristics of the aircraft, a wind tunnel test of the model was carried out in TsAGI and a detailed study of the machine components began. According to calculations, the maximum speed of the first variant was to reach 950 km / h, the range at a bomb load of 4000 kg is 2250 km. After moving to the Sub-Rivers, the project was re-designed for six Soviet AM-TKKD-01 Mikulina turbojet engines, as a result, the design characteristics of the aircraft improved. At the same time, the project replaced four defensive 15-mm machine guns with six 20-mm guns.

The Soviets tested the EF 132 design, using Mikulin jet engines and later evolved the plane by placing two AL-5 engines in nacelles under the wings and giving it a T-tail. The plane was assessed favorably by the Soviet leadership, in 1947 construction of a full-scale mock-up began, but it became clear that by the summer of 1948 the aircraft would not fly into the air.

When all the design decisions of the project were fully disclosed and substantiated, and the German designers had the hope that they would see their creation in the metal and even in the air, unexpectedly comes an order from the ministry. It declares the decision SM of the USSR on June, 12th, 1948 on termination of works under the German project EF-132. Baade announced that their work was considered irrelevant. As a result, the project was closed as redundant, OKB-1 concentrated its efforts on finishing aircraft of a lighter class.