both internally and externally; while up to 2,000 kg of bombs could be accommodated within the bomb bay, the bomb racks underneath the wings would have provided additional mounting points. Defensive armaments include a pair of fixed rear-facing MG 151 20mm cannons, which were installed within the fuselage. Operationally, it was to be faster than previous peers as to better evade interception, and flexible enough to perform alternative roles such as aerial reconnaissance and fighter-bomber duties; pursuing compatibility with multiple turbojet engines also reduced some of the potential manufacturing difficulties. To shorten its development, considerable attention was paid to the existing Arado Ar 234 jet bomber; to this end, design information was supplied by Arado and the Deutsche Forschungsanstalt für Segelflug (DFS) to Heinkel. From at early stage, four distinct models of the aircraft were planned. The He 343 A-1 was a dedicated bomber variant. Amongst the munitions it was intended to carry was the Fritz X guided Anti-ship glide bomb, which would have been radio controlled from the aircraft by a third crew member. The He 343 A-1 was very similar to the He 343 A-2, the variant intended for reconnaissance missions. For extended endurance, an additional 2,400 kg of fuel could be carried in an additional tank in the bomb bay instead of munitions; a pair of Rb 75/30 cameras would have been used for photo reconnaissance. The He 343 A-3 was envisioned for battlefield support, being armed with a pair of MG 151 20mm cannons in addition to four forward-firing MK 103 30mm cannons mounted with its bomb bay. The He 343 B-1 also performed the same role as the He 343 A-3, differing in terms of the armament used, having an upgraded rear turret arrangement that necessitated the redesign of the tail unit. The Air Ministry reviewed Heinkel's proposal, as well as a competing design produced by Junkers. While the Air Ministry did place an initial order for 20 aircraft, which included the prototype and pre-production units. The company's founder, Ernst Heinkel, personally lobbied in favour of the project, pointing to its simplicity, lower material cost, and more rapid development schedule. It was claimed that as many as 200 He 343s could be supplied by July 1945. The DFS designated the project P.1068. However, during late 1944, Heinkel was ordered to stop all work on the programme and the order was cancelled. This outcome came as