The Baade 152 also known as Dresden 152, VL-DDR 152 or simply 152 was the first German jet passenger airliner. It was built and tested in Dresden (East Germany) between 1956 and 1961, but failed to enter service. The "152" represents the final development in the Junkers aircraft family which ended with the "development planes" (Entwicklungsflugzeug - EF).
Design and development
The aircraft was named after the designer of the plane, Brunolf Baade. Only three airworthy prototypes were built; two of them were flown on three flights. The first prototype V1/I (DM-ZYA) was derived from the Samoljot 150 or Alekseyev 150 jet bomber designed by former Junkers engineers in the Soviet Union. It included a tandem landing gear and glazed nose for the navigator, which was a common feature in many Eastern Bloc aircraft. The 152's landing gear was unusual for a passenger plane in that the main gear was housed along the centerline of the fuselage with outrigger wheels in the wing-tips (similar to the more well-known Boeing B-47). The tail of the airplane was tested on a propeller driven aircraft, the Soviet Il-14, which was built under license in East Germany.