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Except for training it isn't going to work for very long.A small what if, certainly not of 'Gremany does this and they win the ww2' proportions.
But still: let's assume that RLM pushes on to have Ju-87 being powered by a radial engine, for reasons of perhaps to cover the bases is the supply of 1000+ HP V12 engines is not sufficient during the time of vast rearmament. We can recall that Ju 87As were powered by a 650+- HP engine, so even a humble 900-1000 HP radial is an improvement. The Ju 87B1 and R1 have gotten the 1000 HP Jumo 211A, the B2 and R2 have had the 1200 HP Jumo 211D.
Germany has in production a ~900 HP BMW 132, and 900-1000 HP Bramo 323 right before ww2 starts. Later, they can use the Polish and/or French radials. BMW 801 is also a possibility if it can be spared. Yes, a switch to the radials means something else gets axed, replaced by something else, phased-out or re-engined. Hs 126, 129, Do 17, Ju 52 are the likely candidates.
What might be the benefits and shortcomings here?
Except for training it isn't going to work for very long.
" We can recall that Ju 87As were powered by a 650+- HP engine, so even a humble 900-1000 HP radial is an improvement"
Yes but the Ju 87s weren't really that capable an airplane, By Poland they were all in training schools.
No armor, no protected fuel tanks, one 7.9 fixed machine gun, not two, almost 40mph slower than a Ju 87B.
So yes, you can improve it. But if it won't come close to the JU 87B what is the point?
Only French engine is the GR 14N. and since is has more drag and less power than the Jumo 211Da engine it is hard to see any advantage.
I am not sure that the weight difference is all that great. The BMW was a bit lighter than Bramo but it was over 1150lbs and the Bramo was just about 1200lbs. Early Jumo 211 was under 1300lbs, plus of course the cooling system/water.One point might be that, vs. Jumo 211 installation, there is a save of 150-200 kg of dry weight in case of the 9-cyl radials, plus 100 kg worth of cooling system. That can allow for greater bomb carrying capacity to be capitalized already before the ww2.
By the time you have access to G-R 14N engines the Ju 87s are being built with the 1200hp Jumo 210s and the higher power 211s are in the pipeline although delayed.Power deficit of 14N vs. 211D is minimal, and Ju 87 is already about as draggy as a monoplane can be. 14N makes 10-15% more power than the Jumo 211A, found on early Ju 87Bs and Rs,
Just keep the Henschel 123 in production and undertake an update for extending range and power.
PS. This link (Blohm und Voss Ha 137 - Destination's Journey) indicates that three of the prototypes were actually powered by BMW 132 radials (which I guess were derivatives of the Hornet per BMW 132 - Wikipedia)
And that is a major problem. Once you get passed the Jumo 210 you are trying to substitute 27 liter air cooled engines for 35 liter liquid cooled engines.I'd prefer curtailing both Hs 126 and 123 production (granted, Hs 123 is out of production by mid-1937), as well as not proceeding with the Hs 129 all together, with Henschell making the Ju 87s under licence instead.
The BMW 132A was pretty much the equivalent of the Hornet the BMW bought licence for. Later 132s were modified and improved, and made better power.
And that is a major problem. Once you get passed the Jumo 210 you are trying to substitute 27 liter air cooled engines for 35 liter liquid cooled engines.
you are trying to make do with about 80% of the power (or less) most of the time. there were periods were things were closer together.
I am not sure that the weight difference is all that great. The BMW was a bit lighter than Bramo but it was over 1150lbs and the Bramo was just about 1200lbs. Early Jumo 211 was under 1300lbs, plus of course the cooling system/water.
By the time you have access to G-R 14N engines the Ju 87s are being built with the 1200hp Jumo 210s and the higher power 211s are in the pipeline although delayed.
G-R promised a lot but never delivered more than 1180-1200hp take-off by the time France fell in a production engine.
An awful lot depends on precise timing. I also made an error in my calculation for displacement, The Jumo 211 was almost 30% larger in displacement.The suggested engines can make 85-95% of power the Jumo 211s were making from late 1938 to the late 1939 while also offering the weight reduction - that can come in handy on a bomb lugger.
You can also note that I'm willing to kill off the military aircraft of dubious value, like the Hs 126. Or the late bloomer, Hs 129. Stukas produced at Henschell, and powered by radial engines will improve the situation with ground attack and short-distance recon both for Luftwaffe and their allies.
A lot depends of the state of "fit". One source for the BMW 132 gives weights for the fuel pump (?), starter, generator, air pump, etc.Jumo 211A was at 615 kg, or 1355 lbs. Cooling system - another 300+ lbs
You are looking for the 14N 48/49. anything older has less power, and it didn't get any better.The Ju 87 with a current 14N in the nose (-30s or -40s) should do anything the historical Ju 87B2 or R2 can do, while taxing less on German supply of work and raw materials. It can have two MK 101s installed and go tank plinking. Weight saved from not having the liquid cooling system can go into the improvement of protection vs. ground fire.
Ju 87A (yes, it had it's limits) was introduced in service in 1936. That is probably before the Hs 126's 1st flight, that happened on 13th Dec 1936; the 126 was introduced in service in early 1938.You can kill off the Hs 126, again the problem is when, mostly.
The Hs 126A used the BMW 132 engine of 880hp for take-off and 870hp at 8,200ft. These replaced the HE 45 and He 46 aircraft and stayed in production until the summer/fall of 1939.
At some point the 323 was rated at 1000hp for take-off but not the engines used in the Hs 126.
The Fw 200 got 1000 hp engines (1200hp with water injection ) in 1940? Fw 200C-3?
You are looking for the 14N 48/49. anything older has less power, and it didn't get any better.
and the only real weight saving is the cooling system.
his is when the Hs 126B showed up and used the Bramo 323 but they used several different versions. The early used engines with 850hp for take off and the later ones (and production of the HS 12B went through 1940) had 900hp for take-off. They are supposed to have two speed superchargers with FTH of 13,780ft.
A radial Ju 87 may not be able to perform all of the same roles.
The Hs 126 used almost the same wing area as the Ju 87, however the plane's empty weight was 4480lbs vs 5980lbs (Ju 87B-1) and the max loaded for the Hs 126 was 7,209 lbs vs 9,560lbs.
The Hs 126 did some of the same roles as the Lysander, It was noted for it's short field performance (nowhere near that of the Fi 156 ) it was as much due to the low wing loading as any tricky bits on the wing. Perhaps there is enough room in the cockpit to mount the camera in the Ju 87.