{{Letadlo
 |název = Dornier Do 217
 |typ = Střední až těžký  bombardér, noční stíhač
 |výrobce = Dornier Flugzeugwerke
 |image =
 |text = Do  217 J-2
 |konstruktér = 
 |první let = srpen 1938
 |zaveden = 1940
 |vyřazen = 
 |výroba = 
 |vyrobeno kusů = 
 |charakter = vyřazen
 |cena za kus = 
 |varianty = 
 |hlavní uživatel = Luftwaffe
 |více uživatelů = Itálie
}}
'''Dornier Do 217''' byl následníkem bombardéru Dornier Do 17, ze kterého také vznikl. 

První verze '''A-0''' a '''C-0''' byly podobné typu Do 215, dostaly i stejné motory, ale měli mít větší nosnost, větší dolet, plnit širší řadu úkolů (i střemhlavé kamery, řízené i neřízené pumy apod.)

První Do 217 '''E''' sloužily od konce roku 1940; stroje dostaly hvězdicové motory ''BMW 801A/B'', neměly hřbetní střeleckou věž a dlouhý trup byl zakončen zvláštní brzdou, která měla sloužit během střemhlavého letu, později však byla odmontována. Verze '''E-2''' už měla hřbetní střeleckou věž a byla určená ke střemhlavému bombardování, verze '''E-4''' měla lepší motory ''BMW 801C'' a verze Do 217 '''E-5''' nesla protilodní rádiem řízenou pumu Henschel Hs 293.

V roce řadové motory DB 603A.

Kvůli tomu, že bylo málo nočních britským bombardérům. Noční stíhačky byly také vybaveny radarem Fug 202 Lichtenstein BC a  zařízením FuG 227 Flensburg, které zaměřovalo britské výstražné ocasní radary Monica. Během roku 1944 byly noční stíhačky Do 217 nahrazeny jinými typy.

{{infobox Aircraft
  |name =Do 217
  |type =Heavy Bomber<br>Night-fighter
  |manufacturer =Dornier Flugzeugwerke
  |image =Image:Dornier Do217E.jpg
  |caption =
  |designer =
  |first flight =1938
  |introduction =1940
  |retired =
  |status =Retired
  |primary user =Luftwaffe
  |more users =
  |produced =
  |number built =1,905
  |unit cost =
  |developed from =
  |variants with their own articles =Dornier Do 317
}}

The '''Dornier Do 217''' was a bomber used by Germany during World War II. It was designed from scratch as a replacement for the venerable Dornier Do 17.

== Development and design ==
At the beginning of RLM for a larger and more versatile bomber than the Do 17, capable of both level and dive bombing.<ref name="greenv9"> </ref>  One of the most versatile and useful bomber designs the Germans put into production after the war started, the Dornier Do 217 remedied the shortcomings of the Do 17 while greatly advancing the design in all areas.

Superficially a scaled up Dornier Do 215, and initially powered by the same engines, the Do 217 was actually considerably larger and totally different in detailed design. The first prototype (the '''Do 217 V1''') flew on 4 October 1938, but crashed seven days later during a single engine flying test.<ref name="dressel"/>  It was found to be underpowered and was unmanouverable when compared with contemporary bombers.<ref name="greenv9"/>  Instability was a problem at first, but modifications such as fixed slats along the leading edges of the vertical fins helped to improve flight stability.

Much of Dornier's efforts in 1938 to 1940 were devoted to finding more powerful engines and improving the flying qualities. When the BMW 801 radial engine became available, it solved the problems of the aircraft being underpowered and allowed the fuselage to be deepened, thus accommodating larger and heavier bombloads. This enabled the Do 217 to fulfill its potential and carry a heavier bombload than any other Luftwaffe bomber of the time.

There was a desire for the Do 217 to be capable of performing air brake. This could not be made to function adequately in the early models however, and was omitted until the Do 217E-2 entered service. When this mark reached service, use of the dive brake was found to sometimes overstrain the rear fuselage, so the dive brakes were often removed.<ref name="greenv9"/>

==Operational history==

In almost every way, the Do 217 was a success. It could carry a much heavier bombload than either the Italian battleship ''Roma'' with Fritz X missiles as she steamed to the Allies after Italy's capitulation. Do 217's were phased out of combat use in mid 1944.

Like the Do 17 and the Ju 88, the aircraft was used in a variety of roles, including that of the night-fighter - a sign that Germany desperately needed fighters far more than it needed bombers. Production was stopped in April 1944 in favor of single-engined fighters. Operational use of the Do 217 as a night-fighter was restricted in 1943 to the NJG 4. The main part of the production was used in the training role.

The only capability in which the Do 217 was used up to the end of the war was as a night reconnaissance plane. Like the Do 17, this important type of service in the Luftwaffe is frequently overlooked.

==Survivors==
A total of 1,905 Do 217s were produced. Today no complete aircraft survives. The largest known relic of this aircraft, a large piece of the rear fuselage, can be found at the Italian Air Force museum in Rome.<ref></ref>

==Production==
The Do 217 was built in series from November 1940 to May 1944. In 1943, 395 aircraft could not be delivered to the Luftwaffe due to shortages of the DB 603 engines used in the M-1 and N-1 versions. These aircraft were stored, and while some were refitted in 1944 when the engines became available, the remainder (around 125) were scrapped. The Do 217 was only built by the three Dornier companies: Dornier Friedrichshafen (DWF): 316 aircraft, Dornier München (DWM): 985 aircraft and Norddeutsche Dornier-Werke (NDW): 602 aircraft. Production stopped in Friedrichshafen in December 1942, and in Wismar (NDW) in October 1943.