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The Junkers 290 was a long-range transport, maritime patrol aircraft and heavy bomber developed directly from the Ju 90 airliner. It was intended to replace the Focke-Wulf Fw 200 Condor which by 1942 was proving increasingly slow and vulnerable when confronted by RAF aircraft over the "narrow seas" around Europe. A special long-range reconnaissance group, FAGr 5 (Fernaufklärungsgruppe 5), was been formed on 1 July 1943 and during the late summer of 1943 three of the new Ju 290 A-2s were delivered to its 1 Staffel, which became operational at Mont-de-Marsan near Bordeaux on 15 October of that year. They flew their first operational missions in November 1943, shadowing Allied convoys in cooperation with U-boats, and often remaining airborne for up to 18 hours.