Junkers J 2
| J 2 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Third-built example of the Junkers J.2, E.252/16 | |
| Role | Fighter prototype |
| National origin | German Empire |
| Manufacturer | Junkers und Companie |
| First flight | 11 July 1916 |
| Introduction | 1916 |
| Retired | 1916 |
| Primary user | Luftstreitkrafte |
| Number built | 6 |
| Developed from | Junkers J 1 |
The Junkers J 2 was the first all-metal aircraft intended as a dedicated military aircraft design, the first all-metal aircraft meant to be a fighter aircraft, and was the direct descendant of the pioneering J 1 all-metal aircraft technology demonstrator design of 1915.
Only some two weeks after the last known recorded flight, on 18 January 1916, of the J 1 "technology demonstrator" design of 1915, the Junkers firm had impressed Hauptmann Felix Wagenführ, head of IdFlieg' Prüfanstalt und Werft der Fliegertruppe ("Test Establishment and Workshop of the Aviation Troops") department, enough for him to contract the Junkers firm to build six all-metal monoplanes, intended as fighter prototypes. Each was to be powered by the Mercedes D.II inline engine (as the J 1 had been), and armed with one 7.92 mm (.312 in) lMG 08 Spandau synchronized machine gun. The aircraft were allocated IdFlieg serial numbers E.250/16 to E.255/16. The specification was for an aircraft that had:
The contract also specified that "the greatest maneuverability and nimbleness in flight must be achieved by the aircraft", expressing a possible concern of the German governmental agency concerning the use of the heavy electrical steel sheet that made up the earlier J 1's structure. Junkers began wind tunnel and design work promptly upon receipt of the contract, and by the end of the spring of 1916 the first example was completed.
The J 2 differed from the J 1 in having a cowling thet almost entirely enclosed the engine, a rounded upper and lower fusalage section instead of the rectangular section of the J 1., and a narrower and deeper ventral radiator enclosure, and had a horizontal stabilizer planform shape that would become familiar on later, all-duralumin Junkers monoplane designs to be built during 1917-18. The "all-moving" rudder still possessed no fixed fin, like the J 1. A faired-in headrest was provided for, as well as the possibly pioneering appearance of a "roll bar" for an open-cockpit aircraft, placed above the headrest for additional pilot protection in case of the aircraft overturning during landing. The landing gear was of the usual vee-type, but taller than that of the J 1's, and having the upper ends of the legs anchored not onto the lower longerons as on the J 1, but to the first wing rib bay beyond the wing root, with a long tailskid that emerged from the lower rear fuselage directly below the stabilizer's leading edge root. The wings had at least three different airfoil changes between root and tip, and had sections of them electrically roll-welded for stronger, more continuous bonding for greater strength. The resulting aircraft was intended to be smaller than the J 1 demonstrator, but with its steel structure, it almost equalled the J 1's completed weight.
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