Ju 87 | |
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Ju 87Ds in October 1943 | |
Role | Dive bomber |
Manufacturer | Junkers |
Designer | Hermann Pohlmann |
First flight | 17 September 1935 |
Introduction | 1936 |
Retired | 1945 (Luftwaffe) |
Primary users | Luftwaffe Regia Aeronautica Royal Romanian Air Force Bulgarian Air Force |
Number built | Estimated 6,500[a] |
The Junkers Ju 87 or Ju 87 was a German light bomber of World War II. It was used as a dive bomber.[1] Its crew was a pilot with a navigator/radio operator behind him. He also handled the rear machine gun. The Ju 87 could drop 500 kg of bombs. Some Ju-87 were modified as attack aircraft against tanks. More than 6500 were made.
It's universally known as Stuka,[2] an abbreviation of Sturzkampfflugzeug, German for dive bomber.