Ju 388 J

Ju 388 J

Ju 388 J

Germany

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.7	4.3	4.3

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Interceptor

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Description

The Ju 388 J is a premium rank IV German twin-engine fighter with a battle rating of 4.7 (AB) and 4.3 (RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.87 "Locked On" during the "Battlefield Engineer" event.

General info

Flight Performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at ?,??? m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
???	???	13000	??.?	??.?	??.?	??.?	???
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at ?,??? m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
???	???	13000	??.?	??.?	??.?	??.?	???

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		480	~10	~6

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 370	< 360	< 400	> 280

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
11,704 m	1,380 hp	1,531 hp

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The Ju 388 J is armed with:

• 2 x 30 mm MK 108 cannons, chin-mounted (110 rpg = 220 total)
• 2 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, chin-mounted (200 rpg = 400 total)
• 2 x 20 mm MG 151/20 cannons, Schräge Musik mounted mid-fuselage (rpg = total)

Defensive armament

The Ju 388 J is defended by:

• 2 x 13 mm MG 131 machine guns, ventral turret (600 rpg = 1,200 total)

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using vehicles in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Not controllable 1 gear	Auto controlled

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings repair	Engine
IV		Engine injection	Cover

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

Cons:

History

After the German Ministry of Aviation (RLM) found out about the new American B-29 Superfortress in 1942, serious concerns were raised among high ranking officials, questioning the Luftwaffe’s ability to deal with such a new potential threat. At the time, the B-29 flew higher and faster than any fighter the Luftwaffe had at their disposal and the only weapon that could effectively counter it was the 12.8cm FlaK 40 heavy AA cannon. This led to the development of a range of new German high-altitude fighters, interceptors and dedicated bomber hunters.

The first prototype of the Ju 388 performed its maiden flight in December 1943, showing promising results. After the construction and testing of six further prototypes were completed in three modifications: the Ju 388J high-altitude interceptor, a Ju 388K medium bomber and the Ju 388L scout. The Ju 388 was ordered into production and was officially introduced into Luftwaffe service in summer 1944. However, initial production progressed at a slow pace due to the limited availability of the required engines for the aircraft. Furthermore, the continuously worsening war conditions in Germany had a severe impact on overall production, eventually preventing it entirely by the end of the war.

In the end, only around 100 Ju 388s were built with most aircraft seeing only limited action during their short service life during the final stages of WW2.

- From Devblog

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Devblog] Junkers Ju 388 J: The High-Altitude Marauder

Germany twin-engine fighters
Messerschmitt	Bf 109 Z-1
	Me 410 A-1/U2 · Me 410 B-1/U2
Dornier	Do 17 Z-7 · Do 217 J-1 · Do 217 J-2 · Do 217 N-1 · Do 217 N-2
Focke-Wulf	Ta 154 A-1
Junkers	Ju 88 C-6 · Ju 388 J