 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2011) |
| Jumo 222 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Preserved Jumo 222E, with aftercoolers fitted | |
| Type | Multiple bank in-line piston aero-engine |
| Manufacturer | Junkers |
| First run | 1939 |
| Major applications | Junkers Ju 288 Focke-Wulf Fw 191 |
| Number built | 289 |
The Jumo 222 was a German high-power multiple-bank in-line piston aircraft engine from Junkers, designed under the management of Ferdinand Brandner of the Junkers Motorenwerke.
Such was the projected performance of the engine compared to contemporary designs that many developments of wartime Luftwaffe piston-engined aircraft designs were based on it, at least as an option. These included the entire Bomber B program, which looked to replace all existing Luftwaffe bombers with a new twin-engine design that was larger, faster and more heavily armed than any aircraft in their inventory.
The design failed to mature even after years of intensive development and several major design changes. The Bomber B program failed along with it, leaving the Luftwaffe with hopelessly outdated designs during the second half of the war. Fewer than three hundred 222s were built. They never left the prototype phase, but the design nevertheless continued appearing on proposals for new Luftwaffe multi-engined designs long after most had given up hope it would ever work.