The Ju 290 was originally designed as a development of the Ju 90 transport and was test flown in 1941. Subsequent development was undertaken to enable it ultimately to supersede the Fw 200C for long-range over-sea anti-shipping and U-boat cooperation work, but it failed to achieve this.
Nevertheless seven versions of the A series were produced as transport (A-1 with BMW 801D engines), reconnaissance (A-2, A-3 and A-5), transport (A-6), reconnaissance-bombing (A-7), and reconnaissance (A-8) aircraft – the latter with provision for carrying two Hs 293 anti-shipping glider missiles.
Production totalled about 55 aircraft.
The Ju 290B was a projected heavily armed long-range bomber. It was followed by the Ju 290C reconnaissance and transport aircraft, Ju 290D long-range bomber and Ju 290E night bomber: all of which failed to enter production.
In April 1944 three Ju-290A-9 of KG200 had been stripped of their armament, except for their nose and tail machine-gun turrets, so they could carry auxiliary fuel tanks containing thousands of gallons of fuel. They now had a range of almost 5500 miles. Flying at an altitude of about 38,000 ft, they crossed the Soviet Union and Mongolia undetected, and after some 20 hours of flight they landed at a base near Mukden, Manchuria. On their incoming flight the Ju 290s carried some four tons of essential munitions to the Japanese. Things like weapon sights and other optical equipment. The next day they would make their return flight, with cargo including molybdenum raw material, back to Germany. They landed back at Mielec northeast of Krakow.
On 10 April 1944 the Germans were forced to evacuate Odessa and shifted their take-off base to Mielec too.
Ju.290 V-1
Ju.90 W/no 4918/0011 / BD+TX re-engined and fitted with a loading ramp.
First flew 16 July 1942
Crashed Stalingrad 19 January 1943.
Ju.290 V-2
W/no 0151 / CE+YZ / SB+QA
First flew 7 December 1942
Ju.290 V-3
W/no 0152 / GF+GH / SB+QB
The rebuilt Ju.90 V-7
Crashed and destroyed 5 October 1944
Ju.290 A-0
Two pre-production aircraft
Engines: 4 x BMW 801L-2, 1600 hp
Props: 3 blade
Armament: 3 x 20mm MG151 cannon, 2 x 7.9mm MG81 mg
Bombload: 2 x Henschel Hs 293 glider bombs
Troop capacity: 40
Transport load: 18,700 lb
Winch loading ramp: 15ft 9in long x 7fyt 8in wide
Ju.290A-1
Five aircraft similar to the V-8
W/no 0152 SB+QC / Wno 0153 T9+FK – to Luftwaffe March 1943
W/no 0154 / J4+AH – to Luftwaffe May 1943
W/no 0155 & 0156 – to Luftwaffe for structural testing purposes
Ju.290A-2
Three aircraft as long range maritime patrol aircraft
First flew Summer 1943
W/no 0157 SB+QG
Went to Britain as AM-57
Scrapped 1950
W/no 0158 SB+GH / 9V+AH
Armament: 20mm MG151 cannon in dorsal turret
Ju.290A-3
Five armed maritime / reconnaissance types during 1943
Engines: 4 x BMW 801D, 1700 hp
Fitted with extra dorsal turret and a 20mm MG 151 cannon, + another in tail position.
2 x 13mm MG 131 in each waist position + 1 in forward firing gondola.
W/no 0160 & W/no 0161
W/no 0162 9V+GK
Shot down 20 November 1943 by a DH Mosquito
W/no 0163
Destroyed 3 May 1945
W/no 0154
Ju 290A-4
Five long range reconnaissance types
W/nos 0165 – 0169
Engine: 4 x BMW DB 801 L-2, 1,500 hp
Max speed: 243 mph at 18,000 ft
Service ceiling: 19,000 ft
Max range: 790 miles
Weight loaded: 90,000 lb
Wingspan: 138 ft
Armament: one forward-firing 20-mm MG 151 cannon in forward fuselage; one 20-mm MG 151 cannon in dorsal position; two MG 131 13-mm machine guns in lateral emplacements; one MG 131 13-mm machine gun in forward ventral position; one MG 151 20-mm cannon in rear ventral position; one MG 151 20-mm cannon in tail; bomb load of 19,000 lbs or 90 men.
W/no 0165
Used in testing the Hs 293 guided bomb, fitted with Fritz X radio controlled equipment.
Ju-290A-7
Engine: 4 x BMW 801D, 1268kW
Max take-off weight: 46000 kg / 101413 lb
Empty weight: 33005 kg / 72764 lb
Wingspan: 42.0 m / 137 ft 10 in
Length: 29.15 m / 95 ft 8 in
Height: 6.83 m / 22 ft 5 in
Wing area: 203.60 sq.m / 2191.53 sq ft
Max. speed: 440 km/h / 273 mph
Ceiling: 6000 m / 19700 ft
Range w/max.fuel: 6090 km / 3784 miles
Armament: 7 x 20mm cannon, 1 x 13mm machine-guns, 3000kg bombs or 3 missiles
Crew: 3
All Aero 