Editing Junkers Ju 388 (section)

==Development==
In order to improve performance, the Ju 388 was stripped of almost all defensive armament. Whereas the Ju 88 included a number of manually operated guns in ports around the cockpit area, on the Ju 388 they were replaced by a single remote-control [[Gun turret#Aircraft|turret]] in the tail containing two [[13 mm caliber|13&nbsp;mm (.51&nbsp;in)]] [[MG 131 machine gun]]s, aimed via a [[periscope]] in the cockpit, mounted one-above-the-other, as had been done experimentally with a few [[Heinkel He 177]]A heavy bombers' manned tail defensive gun positions. The Ju 388's remote tail  turret had an excellent field of fire and could shoot directly to the rear, so the ''Bola'' streamlined  defensive armament position under the nose of Ju 88s and 188s was omitted, improving the [[aerodynamics]].

The aircraft was to be delivered using the same naming as the three original Ju 188 experimental versions: the J, K, and L. The J model was a fighter with two [[30 mm caliber|30&nbsp;mm (1.18&nbsp;in)]] [[MK 103 cannon]]s and two [[20 mm caliber|20&nbsp;mm]] [[MG 151 cannon|MG 151/20 cannon]]s in a solid nose for use as a daytime bomber destroyer. For use as a night fighter, the long-barreled MK 103s were replaced by the smaller and lighter 30&nbsp;mm [[MK 108 cannon|MK 108]]s, while a second pair of upward firing MK 108s were added in a ''[[Schräge Musik]]'' installation behind the cockpit. The K model was a pure bomber, with a [[pannier]] under the plane increasing the size of the [[bomb bay]]. The L [[Aerial reconnaissance|photo-reconnaissance]] model put its [[camera]]s in the pannier along with additional [[fuel tank]]s for long-[[Range (aircraft)|range]] missions.

[[File:Jumo 222 E links.JPG|thumb|right|Portside view of a preserved Jumo 222E engine, intended for the Ju 388J-2 through L-2]]

Three sub-models of each variant were planned, different only in the engine installation. The -1 would mount the 1,331&nbsp;kW (1,810 PS) output [[BMW 801|BMW 801J]], a [[Turbocharger|turbocharged]] version of the basic BMW 801 air cooled [[Radial engine|radial]], each engine installed as a unitized ''Triebwerksanlage'' engine installation. The -2 would use the 46.4 litre displacement, 1,864&nbsp;kW (2,500&nbsp;hp) [[Junkers Jumo 222|Jumo 222A/B]] 24-cylinder six-bank liquid-cooled engines, or the identical displacement 222E/F versions with an improved two-speed [[supercharger]] with triple intercoolers on each engine. The -3 would mount the [[Junkers Jumo 213]]E liquid-cooled inverted [[V12 engine|V12]], which included a supercharger similar to the 222E/F's. Since the 24-cylinder Jumo 222 engine never progressed beyond development and testing with just under 300 units ever built, the only powerplants actually used for the Ju 388 would be the BMW 801 radial and Jumo 213 series V12s.

With the BMW 801J or Jumo 213E, the fighter versions flew at 616&nbsp;km/h (383&nbsp;mph) when equipped as a destroyer, losing about 25&nbsp;km/h (16&nbsp;mph) due to the eight-dipole ''Hirschgeweih'' antenna array used for late-war, VHF-band  [[Neptun radar|''Neptun'' radar]] and ''Schräge Musik'' when equipped as night fighters. This was similar in speed to existing ''Luftwaffe'' night fighters, but the Ju 388 maintained this speed at much higher altitudes. With the Jumo 222 engine, the aircraft was estimated to be capable of reaching around 700&nbsp;km/h (435&nbsp;mph), again about 25&nbsp;km/h (16&nbsp;mph) less in night fighter versions. The bomber versions flew at roughly the same speeds depending on bombload, while the reconnaissance versions would have been about 25&nbsp;km/h (16&nbsp;mph) faster.

The first [[prototype]], Ju 388 L-0/V7, mainly built from Ju 188 series production components, made its first flight on December 22, 1943. It demonstrated much better handling at altitude than the Ju 88S due to an increase in [[Empennage|tail]] surface area, as the streamlined-nose Ju 88S, also omitting the ''Bola'' gondola, still used the original Ju 88A vertical tail surface design. This was followed by six new prototypes. It was some time before deliveries of the production models started due to engine delivery delays. By the time the engines were widely available, it was clear that B-29 bombers were actually being sent to the [[Asiatic-Pacific Theater|Asia and the Pacific]] and would not be operating over Germany anytime soon. German photo-reconnaissance efforts had practically disappeared due to the increased performance of the [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] defenses, so production mostly concentrated on the L model.

Deliveries started in August 1944 but few Ju 388s were completed. About 47 L models seem to have been built, the majority as -1s with the BMW 801J engine, and just three -3s with the Jumo 213E. Fifteen K-1s were built; and only three J-1 models were produced.