Bomber B

Bomber B project
The Junkers Ju 288 V2 (Second prototype Ju 288)
General information
Project forSecond-generation high-speed bomber
Issued byReich Air Ministry
ServiceLuftwaffe
ProposalsArado, Dornier, Focke-Wulf, Junkers and Henschel
PrototypesDornier Do 317
Focke-Wulf Fw 191
Henschel Hs 130
Junkers Ju 288
History
PredecessorsSchnellbomber

Bomber B was a German military aircraft design competition organised just before the start of World War II intended to develop a second-generation high-speed bomber for the Luftwaffe. The new designs would be a direct successor to the Schnellbomber philosophy of the Dornier Do 17 and Junkers Ju 88, relying on high speed as its primary defence. Bomber B would be a much larger and more capable aircraft, with range and payload far greater than the Schnellbomber, surpassing the largest conventional designs then under consideration. The winning design was intended to form the backbone of the Luftwaffe's bomber force, replacing the wide collection of semi-specialized designs then in service. The Reich Air Ministry was so optimistic that more modest projects were generally cancelled; when the project failed the Luftwaffe was left with hopelessly outdated aircraft.[citation needed]