Chapter 727: Axis Central Powers Inter Continental Transport Planes and Bombers
During the Second Great War the Axis Central Powers and the Co-Prosperity Sphere both planned inter continental transport planes (ICTP) and bombers (ICB), either to supply and reinforce their far away and isolated troop frontlines and garrisons, or bomb and destroy far away allied cities and infrastructures (mainly meaning those ones in America, as the Allies already had bases for that with England in Europa and China in Asia). With these new Americabombers or Pacificbombers the Axis Central Powers and the Co-Prosperity Sphere hoped to even the odds, as the Allied (British and American) already were able to bomb parts of Germany, Japan and the rest of the Axis Central Powers and the Co-Prosperity Sphere core regions. To archive this the German led Axis Central Powers tried out airplanes like the Junkers Ju 390, as a long-range derivative of the Junkers Ju 290 aircraft, intended to be used as a heavy transport aircraft, maritime patrol aircraft and long-range bomber. It was one of the aircraft designs submitted for the Amerika Bomber project, along with the Messerschmitt Me 264, the Focke-Wulf Ta 400 and the Heinkel He 277 and the Horthen H IX (Gotha Go 229). As the fuselage section of the Ju 390 was expanded 2.5 m (8.2 ft) for a total of length of 33.5 m (110 ft), it could reach a range of 8,000 km (4,970 mi, 4,320 nmi)and as the Ju 390 V1 with 10,000 kg (22,046 lb) typical freighter payload and 34,096 l (9,007 US gal; 7,500 imp gal) fuel at 330 km/h (210 mph; 180 kn) and 2,000 m (6,500 ft). It contained a FuG 200 Hohentwiel ASV (Air to Surface Vessel) radar and the ju's defensive armament consisting of five 20 mm MG 151/20 cannon and three 13 mm (.51 in) MG 131 machine guns. Later versions would also have the 4 x MG 131 Hecklafette HL 131V quadmount manned turrets, one in tail and one in nose. The Ju 390 could also carry missiles to target enemy ground and sea forces like defensive positions, tanks and ships, including four times Henschel Hs 293, Henschel HS 294 or FX 1400 Fritz-X. The Messerschmitt Me 264 was a long-range strategic bomber that could reach 546 km/h (339 mph, 295 kn) at 36,000 kg (79,366 lb) at 6,101 m (20,015 ft), 470 km/h (290 mph; 250 kn) at 34,400 kg (75,840 lb) at 8,300 m (27,230 ft), 565 km/h (351 mph; 305 kn) at 8,300 m (27,230 ft) with GM-1 operating and had four BMW 801D (or BMW 801G) 14-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engines, 1,300 kW (1,700 hp) each for take-off, 1,070 kW (1,440 hp) at 5,700 m (18,700 ft) a range of 15,000 km (9,300 mi, 8,100 nmi) 333 km/h (207 mph; 180 kn). It was armed with four 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine guns and two 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons and could carry 3,000 kg (6,614 lb) bombload in internal bomb bay at 14,400 km (8,947 miles). 6,000 kg (13,200 lbs) bombload in internal bomb bay at 8,600 km (5,343 miles).
Then there was the Focke-Wulf Ta 400 a large six-engined heavy bomber that had a gross weight of 60,000 kg (132,277 lb) carried by a powerplant of six BMW 801D 14-cyl. air-cooled twin-row radial piston engines, 1,300 kW (1,700 hp) each and two Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet engines, 8.8 kN (2,000 lbf) thrust each that allowed for a maximum speed of 720 km/h (450 mph, 390 kn) and a range of 9,000 km (5,600 mi, 4,900 nmi). It was armed with six MG 151/20 in three twin turrets, four MG 131 machine guns mounted in the tail turret and two MG 131 machine guns in two remote-controlled turrets under the nose. It could carry a load of 10,000 kg (22,000 lb) to 5,589 miles or a maximum of 24,040 kg (53,000 lb) and was developed alongside the Focke-Wulf Fw 300 that would become a very-long-range civil airliner, transport, reconnaissance aircraft and anti-ship aircraft, that would replace the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor during the last year of the Second Great War. Then there was the Heinkel He 277 was a four-engine, long-range heavy bomber design, that used two DB 610 "power system" engines, each of which consisted of two combined Daimler-Benz DB 605 engines, each DB 610 weighed 1.5 tons. Due to problems with both the DB 606 and the DB 610, the He 277 was intended to use four unitized BMW 801E 14-cylinder radial engines, each mounted in an individual nacelle and each turning a three-blade, four-meter diameter propeller. It had a maximum speed of 570 km/h at 5,700 m (354 mph at 18,700 ft) with a range of 6,000 km (3,728 mi, up to 11,100 km/6,900 mi in Amerika Bomber role) and was armed with two 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151/20 autocannon in remotely operated, undernose Fernbedienbare Drehlafette FDL 151Z "chin" turrets, four 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151/20 autocannon in twin dorsal turrets, one FDL-type remotely operated forward and one aft Hydraulische Drehlafette HDL 151Z hydraulically powered manned turret, two 20 mm (0.79 in) MG 151/20 autocannon in FDL-style remotely operated, ventral turret facing aft, behind bomb bay, four 13 mm (0.51 in) MG 131 machine guns in Hecklafette HL 131V "quadmount", manned tail turret while it could carry up to 3,000 kg (6,612 lb) of offensive ordnance stores for Amerika Bomber trans-Atlantic missions, and a maximum of 5,600 kg (12,345 lb) internally for shorter ranges, with a combat radius of up to 4,300 km (2,670 mile). Nearly all of this inter continental bombers were mainly used as transport planes between the Axis Central Powers and the Co-Prosperity Sphere to transport diplomats, planes and sometimes even rare resources trough the Second Great War, as their coverage by own fighters was non-existing and their bombload was to low to promise any satisfying results. However some of the Axis Central Powers military leaders and even more on side of the Co-Prosperity Sphere suggested that the few bombers would be worth the trip to America if they would be used for biological and chemical attacks instead.