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Arado Ar 68

1936 GOLDEN AGE WORLD WAR 2

History

The AradoAr 68 became an important first step in the rearmament of Germany in the 1930s. The biplane was designed by World War I (1914-1918) veteran Walter Bloom, who was wounded on the ground early in the conflict - forcing him to become a pilot.

His career ended in January 1919 when he began flying two air reconnaissance planes and became an ace, before going on to work as an engineer at Arado Flugzeugwerke.

In the 1930s, as fascism swept across Europe and Germany attempted to rearm, Arado became a major player in the era - helping the Luftwaffe establish itself as one of the world's leading aviation services. Early entries in the product portfolio were such as the Heinkel He 51 biplane in 1933 - the Arado Ar 68 developed rapidly as a successor and first flew in 1934 as the "Ar 68 V1".

The V1 styling features an underpowered 660 hp BMW Vi Series engine on a streamlined nose in front of the pilot's open air position. A biplane wing arrangement was used, combined with an upper and lower non-uniform span, single-cabin wing configuration.

The wings are supported by N-type struts and wiring. The fuselage is streamlined as a whole, tapering toward the stern, and a circular vertical fin is connected to the horizontal plane. Fixed rear tow landing gear for ground operation.

The main legs were spit out for better aerodynamic efficiency - a common feature of aircraft in the 1930s.

The aircraft is classified as a fighter and can perform light bombing, interception, training and reconnaissance missions. The first prototype, the Ar 68a, featured a 641-horsepower BMW VId V-12, followed by the Ar 68b with a 610-horsepower Jumo 210A V-12 (inverted). The third prototype was the Ar 68c, which flew with the same engine, followed by the Ar 68d and its BMW VId V-12 with 641 horsepower. The model was subsequently renamed Ar 68 V4 under the new designation system of the Luftwaffe. The fifth prototype, the Ar 68e, entered service with a Jumo 210Da V-12 (inverted) rated at 680 hp.

This became the Ar 68 V5 under the new naming system.

All this work resulted in the Ar 68E, the first operational model to enter service with the Luftwaffe (this was in 1936). It is powered by a Junkers Jumo 210 with 671 horsepower.

Originally based in East Prussia, part of the stockpile was shipped to the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) - a key testing ground for many new German weapons over the decade.

In practice, the aircraft was a solid, sturdy, stable aerial platform, often considered a high-performance aircraft of its time. However, the Ar 68 performed poorly against faster, single-engine Soviet models such as the Polikarpov "I-16" monoplane (detailed elsewhere on this page), which led to a redesign to make the "Ar 68F" "became his BMW VI 7. 750 hp 3Z engine - an attempt to get more power and performance out of a low-level machine. Another experiment led to the eventually abandoned "Ar 68G" and its supercharged 671 hp BMW VI.

Also There was a switch to a supercharged 850 hp air-cooled radial engine from a BMW 132Da 9-cylinder unit that produced a one-off "Ar 68H". This fighter model is also known for having a fully enclosed cockpit - a first for the company .

Despite its limitations, the Ar 68 worked well when Germany sought a more advanced metal-hulled monoplane. This work resulted in the outstanding Messerschmitt Bf 109, which soon replaced the Ar 68 as the mantle of Germany's most widely used fighter. The last Ar 68 aircraft were relegated to a night combat role during their final years of front-line service - arriving in 1940.

At this time, this front was almost surpassed by modern fighter jets.

The production Ar 68F model can reach a top speed of 205 mph and a range of up to 310 miles while reaching an altitude of 24,300 feet. Climb rate is excellent, at 2,480 feet per minute, and nearly 20,000 feet can be reached in about 16 minutes. Dimensions include a length of 31.1 feet, a wingspan of 36 feet, and a height of 10.9 feet.

The BMW engine drives a two-bladed, 10.1-foot, fixed-pitch propeller in the nose.

Standard armament becomes 2 x 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns, mounted on fixed forward-firing mounts, each gun can fire 500 rounds. Optional ammunition is 6 x SC10 series fragmentation bombs for light bombardment.