NOTE: RADIO CONTROL AIRPLANES ARE ON THE BOTTOM HALF OF THE PAGE.
The Junkers Ju-87 Stuka is one of the best known and most easily recognized German World War II war birds. It was an effective precision dive bomber that was successfully used to support rapidly advancing columns of German tanks in their Blitzkreig tasks.
"Stuka" is a contraction of sturzkampfflugzeug, the German word for dive bomber.
The origins of the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka date back to the late 1920's. That is when the
first dedicated dive bomber was developed by Junkers. It was done is secrecy due to the restrictions placed on the production of
weapons by Germany as a condition of their surrender in World War I. However, realizing the value of a tactical support dive bomber, Germany went ahead with full development program in the early 1930's.
Interestingly, the first Junkers Ju 87 Stuka, a prototype that first flew on May 15, 1935, was powered by a Rolls Royce Kestrel engine. It was an instant success.
Production Junkers Ju 87 Stuka aircraft differed from the prototypes in that they were
equipped with dive brakes. A more powerful Junkers Jumo replaced the Rolls Royce engine.
These aircraft saw action starting in 1937 over Spain during the Spanish Civil War.
As a result of combat experience, the Ju 87 Stuka was further modified with an
automatic dive control system, enabling the pilot to predetermine the
pull out altitude of a dive. More powerful engines and additional
armor for crew protection were also added to the aircraft.
The Junkers Ju 87 Stuka pictured above was introduced in early 1942. It was equipped with two 37 mm
cannons for use against tanks, primarily on the Eastern Front. Other Stukas were used against ground forces in night operations.
Although a successful dive bomber, the Junkers Ju 87 Stuka was an easy, slow target for
modern fighter aircraft. It had large losses during attacks against England. It was far more successful when the Luftwaffe
initially had air superiority in places like North Africa and the Eastern Front.
A total of about 5,700 Junkers Ju 87 Stuka aircraft of all types were produced.
Pictured above is the RC Ju-87 Stuka from ESM. It has a wing span of 78.5" and a length of 56". The RC features full composite construction. Suggested power is a 1.20 - 4c engine. All up weight should be between 11 and 13 lbs.
We understand that Nitro Planes will soon have a rc Ju-87 Stuka ARF for sale.
The first and second pictures below are of the good looking Ju-87 Stuka rc built by Howard Cahr from Nick Ziroli Plans. Wing span is 100" and length is 77". You can use 3.0 to 4.2 ci engines for power. It should weigh from 26 to 32 lbs. upon completion. In addition to plans, Nick Ziroli also sells short kits.
The bottom picture on this page is of the Ju-87 Stuka RC Airplane from Flying Styro. It has a wing span of 34.5" and a length of 27.5". Flying Styro recommends a AXI 2212/34 motor.
Great Planes has a Ju-87 Stuka radio control airplane for sale with a 70" wing span. It has a length of 55". You can power it with .61 to .75 two cycle engines or a .91 four cycle engine. All up weight will be around 8 lbs.
RC Products produces a profile rc Ju-87 Stuka for sale made from Depron. It has a wing span of 33" and a length of 26". Recommended power can be from AXI 2208/34 or 2212/34 motors.
Have you seen a rc Junkers Ju-87 Stuka that you would like to recommend? If so, please email us.
Junkers Ju 87 Stuka
