Arado Ar 68

Last updated
Ar 68
Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1990-021-20, Arado Ar 68.jpg
Role Biplane Fighter
Manufacturer Arado
Designer Walter Blume
First flight1934
Introduction1936
Retired1944
Primary user Luftwaffe
Number built514 [1]

The Arado Ar 68 was a single-seat biplane fighter designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado Flugzeugwerke. It was among the first fighters produced when Germany abandoned the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles and began rearming.

Contents

The Ar 68 was a part of Arado's continuing fighter development programme, being designed during the early 1930s as a biplane of relatively standard construction. Both the Rolls-Royce Kestrel and BMW VI selected to power the type proved to be inferior in terms of high altitude performance to the newer Junkers Jumo 210, however, due to limited availability of that only, only late production Ar 68s were outfitted with this powerplant. In addition to its twin 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine guns, some aircraft were provisioned with a compact bomb bay. While the Ar 68 possessed favourable handling characteristics, some officials were concerned that the unforgiving nature of high-performance aircraft would make the aircraft unsuitable, allegedly nearly causing production to be terminated.

The prototype made its maiden flight in early 1934; Chief of the Technical Office Ernst Udet personally flew the aircraft, during which the competing Heinkel He 51 proved to be outclassed. During 1936, the Ar 68 entered service with the Luftwaffe ; two years later, it was used by Condor Legion in active combat during the Spanish Civil War. In response to the Soviet Polikarpov I-16, Arado upgraded the engine of the Ar 68E, which was the Luftwaffe's most widely used fighter during 1937–1938. The type was eclipsed by the Messerschmitt Bf 109, a monoplane fighter, prior to the outbreak of the Second World War; however, it continued to be operated, mainly as a trainer, as late as 1944.

Design and development

Background

During the early to mid 1920s, the German aircraft manufacturer Arado had, in conformance with the restrictions on Germany's aviation industry enacted by the Treaty of Versailles, largely focused upon the civil aviation market. [2] However, the company quickly recognised the opportunities available from the Reichswehr (German armed forces), particularly during the 1926-1929 rearmament programme. One initiative of this programme was the development of military prototypes that could, in the event of conflict breaking out, be promptly put into mass production. [2] Furthermore, the Reichswehr was quietly re-establishing a secret air force under the guise of setting up 'display squadrons'. Despite these ambitions, government funding for aviation was limited, and several of the larger German aircraft manufacturers saw little value in producing prototype military aircraft with seemingly little chance of a production order following. [2]

Work on what would become the Ar 68 started in 1932 as part of the company's continuing development programme for fighter designs. [3] As favoured by one of Arado's senior design team members, the aeronautical engineer Walter Rethel, it was a biplane of standard construction. The lower wing was larger than the upper wing, which was necessary for the full-span flaps to be effective, although this negatively impacted the effectiveness of the ailerons on the upper wing. [3] While the Rolls-Royce Kestrel selected to initially power the new aircraft, it was less powerful than the BMW VI of the preceding Ar 65 yet the Ar 68 was predicted to be faster due to its lower weight and aerodymanic improvements. Construction of a single prototype commenced in 1933. [3]

There were no major changes in construction between the different Ar 68 models, comprising steel tubing and a metal-plated exterior from the cockpit forwards, while the sides and underside of the fuselage were covered by fabric. While the winds and empennage control surfaces were also clad in fabric, metal plating covered the tailplane and fin. [4] Armament consisted of a pair of 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine guns, although some aircraft were furnished with a compact bomb bay capable of accommodating up to six10 kg (22 lb) SC 10 fragmentation bombs. The minimisation of tension cables and the fuselage shape gave the Ar 68 as relatively elegant appearance. [5]

Into flight

Performing its maiden flight in early 1934, the Ar 68 quickly proved to possess admirable handling characteristics, being fairly maneouverable yet not prone to spinning. [5] Chief of the Technical Office Ernst Udet personally made an early flight in the aircraft, during which he outperformed a Heinkel He 51 in a mock dogfight. [5] Despite this favourable outcome, some officials expressed concerns about the unforgiving nature of such a high-performance aircraft, to the extent that production of Ar 68 was allegedly nearly cancelled entirely.[ citation needed ]

The Ar 68 competed with the somewhat similar He 51, the first prototypes of each aircraft even adopted the same BMW VI powerplant, albeit with different installation arrangements. [6] While the first and fourth Ar 68 prototypes was powered by the BMW VI, the second, third, and fifth prototypes were powered by the newly-developed Junkers Jumo 210 inverted V12 engine, which provided substantially greater high altitude performance than either the Kestrel or BMW VI. Despite its performance advantages, limited availability of the Jumo 210 led to the Ar 68's early production run making use of the BMW VI instead. [7]

By April 1936, Arado had planned for a total production run of 324 Ar 68s, 302 of which were delivered prior to the year's end. [1] By 31 March 1938, 514 aircraft had been completed, at which point the production line was shuttered. Quantity production had not been entirely without complications; the planned Ar 68G model was cancelled due to the unavailability of a suitable engine. [8]

The Ar 68 entered service with the Luftwaffe in early 1936; one of the first units to receive the type was stationed in East Prussia. One early event that involved two squadrons equipped with the type was the Remilitarization of the Rhineland in March 1936. [1] During 1938, it was decided to dispatch Ar 68s with the Condor Legion to fight in the Spanish Civil War, where it was outclassed by the Soviet Polikarpov I-16. Arado responded by upgrading the engine of the Ar 68E, which soon became the Luftwaffe's most widely used fighter in 1937–1938, before being replaced by the Messerschmitt Bf 109. The last Ar 68s served as night fighters up to the winter of 1939–1940, [1] . Several Ar 68E-1s served with 10. and 11. (Nachtjagd)/JG 72, and a few Ar 68F-1s with 10. (Nachtjagd)/JG 53 [9] after which they served as fighter-trainers until 1944.

Variants

Data from: [10] Prototype V suffix style [11]

Ar 68V1
Prototype, powered by a 492 kW (660 hp) BMW VI engine. First flight in 1934.
Ar 68a (D-IKIN) [12]
First prototype. 1 x 478 kW (641 hp) BMW VId V-12.
Ar 68b (D-IVUS) [12]
Second prototype. 1 x 455 kW (610 hp) Jumo 210A inverted V-12.
Ar 68c (D-IBAS) [12]
Third prototype. 1 x 455 kW (610 hp) Jumo 210A inverted V-12.
Ar 68d (D-ITAR) [12]
Fourth prototype. 1 x 478 kW (641 hp) BMW VId V-12.
Ar 68V4
The fourth prototype (Ar 68d), redesignated after the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM/German Aviation Ministry) introduced the standardised Versuchs (research) number system.
Ar 68e (D-ITEP) [12]
Fifth prototype. 1 x 507 kW (680 hp) Jumo 210Da inverted V-12.
Ar 68V5
The fifth prototype (Ar 68e), redesignated after the RLM introduced the standardised Versuchs (research) number system.
Ar 68E
First type to enter Luftwaffe service, powered by a 455 kW (610 hp) Junkers Jumo 210Ea, [13] at sea level for 5 minutes, 500 kW (671 hp)) at 3,800 m (12,467 ft).
Ar 68F
Interim production, powered by a BMW VI 7.3Z; 559 kW (750 hp)) at sea level for 1 minute, 410 kW (550 hp)) at 1,000 m (3,281 ft), awaiting supply of Jumo 210 engines.
Ar 68G
Abortive attempt to fit a supercharged 500 kW (671 hp) BMW VI.
Ar 68H (D-ISIX) [9]
Only a single prototype was built, powered by a 634 kW (850 hp)) BMW 132Da nine-cylinder supercharged air-cooled radial. [5] It had two additional machine guns in the upper wing and had an enclosed cockpit, the first Arado aircraft to be so treated.

Operators

Flag of Germany (1935-1945).svg  Germany
Flag of Spain (1938-1945).svg  Spain

Specifications (Ar 68F)

Data fromWarplanes of the Third Reich, [10] Flugzeug-Typenbuch 1936 [14]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 80</span> 1935 prototype fighter aircraft by Arado

The Arado Ar 80 was a pre-World War II fighter aircraft, designed by Arado Flugzeugwerke to compete for the Luftwaffe's first major fighter contract. The Ar 80 was uninspiring in terms of performance and also suffered a number of failures. The contest was eventually won by the Messerschmitt Bf 109, and the Ar 80 prototypes ended their days as test aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 234</span> 1943 German jet bomber by Arado

The Arado Ar 234 Blitz is a jet-powered bomber designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado. It was the world's first operational turbojet-powered bomber, seeing service during the final years of the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 196</span> 1936 maritime reconnaissance floatplane family by Arado

The Arado Ar 196 was a shipboard reconnaissance low-wing monoplane aircraft designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado. It was the standard observation floatplane of the Kriegsmarine throughout the Second World War, and was the only German seaplane to serve throughout the conflict.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke</span> Type of aircraft

The Focke-Wulf Fw 187 Falke ("Falcon") was a German aircraft designed in 1935. It was conceived by Kurt Tank as a twin-engine, high-performance fighter, but the Luftwaffe saw no role for the design, perceiving it as intermediate between the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Bf 110. Later prototypes were adapted to two-seats to compete with the Bf 110 in the heavy fighter (Zerstörer) role, but only nine aircraft were built in total.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 240</span> 1940 fighter aircraft by Arado

The Arado Ar 240 was a German twin-engine, multi-role heavy fighter aircraft, developed for the Luftwaffe during World War II by Arado Flugzeugwerke. Its first flight was on 10 May 1940, but problems with the design hampered development, and it remained only marginally stable throughout the prototype phase. The project was eventually cancelled, with the existing airframes used for a variety of test purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinkel He 51</span> Fighter aircraft family

The Heinkel He 51 was a German single-seat biplane fighter aircraft. A seaplane variant and a ground-attack version were also developed. It was a development of the earlier He 49.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 232</span> 1941 airlifter by Arado

The Arado Ar 232 Tausendfüßler, sometimes also called Tatzelwurm, was a cargo aircraft that was designed and produced in small numbers by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado Flugzeugwerke. It was designed during the first half of the Second World War in response to a request by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium for a successor or supplemental transport aircraft to the Luftwaffe's obsolescent Junkers Ju 52/3m. The Ar 232 introduced, or brought together, almost all of the features now considered to be standard in modern cargo transport aircraft designs, including a box-like fuselage slung beneath a high wing; a rear loading ramp, a high-mounted twin tail for easy access to the hold and features for operating from rough fields. It was initially requested to be powered by a pair of BMW 801A/B radial engines, however, an alternative arrangement of four BMW Bramo 323 engines was adopted instead due to a lack of capacity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bomber B</span> Failed 1939-1943 Luftwaffe medium bomber program

Bomber B was a German military aircraft design competition organised just before the start of World War II intended to develop a second-generation high-speed bomber for the Luftwaffe. The new designs would be a direct successor to the Schnellbomber philosophy of the Dornier Do 17 and Junkers Ju 88, relying on high speed as its primary defence. Bomber B would be a much larger and more capable aircraft, with range and payload far greater than the Schnellbomber, surpassing the largest conventional designs then under consideration. The winning design was intended to form the backbone of the Luftwaffe's bomber force, replacing the wide collection of semi-specialized designs then in service. The Reich Air Ministry was so optimistic that more modest projects were generally cancelled; when the project failed the Luftwaffe was left with hopelessly outdated aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heinkel He 60</span> Ship-based reconnaissance floatplane

The Heinkel He 60 was a German single-engined biplane reconnaissance seaplane designed to be catapulted from Kriegsmarine warships of the 1930s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Junkers Jumo 210</span> V-12 piston aircraft engine family by Junkers

The Jumo 210 was Junkers Motoren's first production inverted V12 gasoline aircraft engine, first produced in the early 1930s. Depending on the version it produced between 610 and 730 PS and can be considered a counterpart of the Rolls-Royce Kestrel in many ways. Although originally intended to be used in almost all pre-war designs, rapid progress in aircraft design quickly relegated it to the small end of the power scale by the late 1930s. Almost all aircraft designs switched to the much larger Daimler-Benz DB 600, so the 210 was produced only for a short time before Junkers responded with a larger engine of their own, the Junkers Jumo 211.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 64</span> 1930 fighter aircraft family

The Arado Ar 64 was a single-seat biplane fighter designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado. It was among the first fighters produced when Germany abandoned the restrictions of the Treaty of Versailles and began rearming.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 65</span> 1931 fighter aircraft family by Arado

The Arado Ar 65 was the single-seat biplane fighter successor to the Ar 64. Both looked very similar. The only major difference was the use of a 12-cylinder inline engine versus the Ar 64's radial. The wingspan was also increased.

The Gotha Go 244 was a transport aircraft used by the Luftwaffe during World War II.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 66</span> Training biplane

The Arado Ar 66 was a single-engined twin-seat training biplane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado. It was the last aircraft to be designed by the aeronautical engineer Walter Rethel in collaboration with Arado.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 197</span> Prototype fighter by Arado

The Arado Ar 197 was a German World War II-era biplane, designed for naval operations for the never-completed German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin. Only a few prototypes were built; the project was abandoned in favour of the Messerschmitt Bf 109T and Me 155.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 96</span> Military training aircraft

The Arado Ar 96 is a single-engine, low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado Flugzeugwerke. It was the Luftwaffe's standard advanced trainer throughout the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arado Ar 95</span> 1937 reconnaissance floatplane by Arado

The Arado Ar 95 was a single-engine reconnaissance and patrol biplane designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado.

The Arado SC II was a biplane trainer designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado.

The Focke Wulf Fw 159 was an experimental German fighter of the 1930s, designed by Kurt Tank which never reached production, as it was considered inferior to the He 112 and Bf 109. It was a heavier variant of the Focke-Wulf Fw 56, with several improvements, such as a retractable landing gear and enclosed cockpit.

The Heinkel Doppeldecker 43 was a prototype German fighter aircraft of the 1930s. A single-engined, single-seat biplane, the HD 43 was designed to meet a secret German Reichswehr requirement for a single-seat fighter. It had two-bay wooden wings with a steel-tube fuselage, and was powered by a 750 hp (600 kW) BMW VI engine. The single prototype flew in 1931.

References

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 Kranzhoff 1997, p. 61.
  2. 1 2 3 Kranzhoff 1997, p. 46.
  3. 1 2 3 Kranzhoff 1997, p. 58.
  4. ↑ Kranzhoff 1997, pp. 59-60.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Kranzhoff 1997, p. 60.
  6. ↑ Kranzhoff 1997, pp. 58-59.
  7. ↑ Kranzhoff 1997, p. 59.
  8. ↑ Kranzhoff 1997, pp. 60-61.
  9. 1 2 Munson 1978, p. 18.
  10. 1 2 Green 1970, pp. 28–31.
  11. ↑ Munson 1960, p. 11.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Munson 1978, p. 16.
  13. ↑ Munson 1978, p. 146.
  14. ↑ Schneider, Helmut (1936). Flugzeug-Typenbuch 1936 (PDF) (in German) (1936 ed.). Leipzig, Germany: Herm. Beyer Verlag. p. 10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 September 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.