Special Thanks to AlexCH_Airships For making those splendid renders!

History

During the early stages of World War II, when it was going well for Germany, the airline Deutsche Lufthansa raised a requirement for a postwar transatlantic flying boat with a capacity of 100 passengers. Blohm & Voss gave the design work to their Head of Preliminary Design, Hans Amtmann, who had the necessary experience.

Design

Structurally, the P 200 was a scaled-up BV 222 Wiking. It was bigger even than the BV 238, and only the Hughes H-4 Hercules has ever been bigger.

Its hull accommodated three deck levels, providing luxury facilities for 120 passengers, with additional freight holds fore and aft.

The wing used Chief Designer Richard Vogt's standard technique of a tubular steel wing spar which also functioned as the main fuel tankage. Its section was thick enough for engineers to go along inside the wings and attend to the engines in flight.

The P 200 was to be powered by eight BMW 803 series twin-radial engines, each driving a contra-rotating propeller and delivering 2,950 kilowatts (3,960 hp).

BV 726 jet derivative

The BV 726 was a jet-powered development of the P 200, its 700 series number indicating that construction would not begin until some time after the war was over.

Specification

Data from Pohlmann (1982)

General characteristics

• Crew: 14
  
• Length: 70 m (229 ft 8 in)
  
• Wingspan: 85 m (278 ft 10 in)
  
• Height: 10 m (32 ft 10 in)
  
• Wing area: 715 m² (7,700 sq ft)
  
• Empty weight: 115,000 kg (253,532 lb)
  
• Max takeoff weight: 210,000 kg (462,971 lb)
  
• Powerplant: 8 × BMW 803 twin-radial, 2,950 kW (3,950 hp) each
  

Performance

• Maximum speed: 390 km/h (242 mph; 211 kn) at 3,000 metres (9,800 ft)
  
• Range: 8,000 km (4,971 mi; 4,320 nmi)