Heinkel He 343

The Heinkel He 343 was a four-engined jet bomber project designed by Ernst Heinkel Flugzeugwerke during the final years of the Second World War, meant to serve as a fast bomber, a reconnaissance aircraft and a fighter-bomber. Work began in January 1944 after the Air Ministry asked Heinkel and Junkers for a four-jet bomber on a crash programme of roughly a year. Heinkel designed an aircraft with unswept wings, a pressurised cockpit for two crew and engines that could be Junkers Jumo 004, BMW 003 or Heinkel HeS 011 turbojets, with up to 2,000 kilograms of bombs in the bay. Four variants were planned, and the ministry ordered 20 aircraft. In late 1944 work was halted and the order cancelled as Germany lost resources to programmes nearer production, although much of the design and many components went to the Soviet Union and are said to have helped the Ilyushin Il-22 and Il-28.