Aviation Naval Warfare Land Systems Small Arms By Flag By Year By Tag

Arado Ar E.555

1943 SECRET WEAPONS OF THE LUFTWAFFE WORLD WAR 2 X-PLANE

Arado Ar E. 555 History

Arado proposed this E.555 flying wing concept in late 1943 as a long-range high-speed bomber. The flying-wing concept has eluded aircraft engineers for decades, but is seen as a potentially stable design that allows for larger payloads and more control.

Arado produced no less than 15 different types of E.555 full-wing designs for the RLM in 1944 - each with important breakthrough features.

The basis of the E. 555 is the E. 555-1, an all-metal flying wing concept with a triangular shape. Two large vertical fin surfaces are attached to each wing assembly, and the fuselage is contained at the very front of the gull wing assembly. The engines will be a set of six BMW 003A series turbojets, slightly removed from the fuselage and retained at the rear of the design. Requirements indicated that the new bomber was capable of carrying more than 8,818 pounds, so the E.555-1 was designed with a large internal bomb bay under the fuselage.

The Flying Wing concept is also well suited to the long-range design requirements, having to meet a flight time of approximately 3,107 miles. The cockpit is pressurized to allow work at heights. It is understood that at least three people are required to operate the system as pilots, co-pilots and at least one gunner. Three-wheeled landing gear is now beginning to gain acceptance in new aircraft designs.

The E. 555 would use a layout with gears mounted in tandem in the wings, with a total of four wheels on one gear. The nose landing gear consists of an assembly with two wheels mounted side by side.

Defensive armament consists of a radio-controlled dorsal turret with two MG 151/20 20mm cannons. The turret is located behind the cockpit and can be rotated 360 degrees for height. The second turret was mounted aft in the fuselage/wing area and was remotely controlled by a crew member via a periscope.

Two MG 151/20 20mm cannons were also mounted in this position, with the gunner sitting behind the dorsal turret behind the cockpit. Fixed forward-firing MK 103 30mm cannons were added to both wing roots (one on each side) to complete the weapon.

E. 555 comes in many forms, including E. 555-1 through E. 555-11 (14). The main difference between each version is the powerplant used, with either the BMW or Heinkel branding. In addition, the wing design has undergone some changes between the design and some designs with twin tail booms or conventional tail wings, as opposed to the base flying wing of the original design. The E. 555-1 was equipped with 6 BMW 003 series turbojets, all mounted in a cluster above and at the end of the fuselage.

The E. 555-2 will have only four turbojets, but with Heinkel brand engines (He S 011). The E. 555-3 was designed with 2 x BMW 018 engines, while the E. 555-4 was equipped with 3 x BMW 018 engines. The E. 555-6 also had 3 x BMW 018 engines, but with redesigned wing elements. The E. 555-7 followed the design of the E. 555-1, but with 3 BMW 018 engines instead of 6, with some minor changes in the wing area. The E. 555-8a/8b envisioned a more radical version of the overall design of the E. 555 series.

It has a swept wing surface, but the two tail booms ala Lockheed P-38 Lightning are joined at the ends by a horizontal surface. The E. 555-9 is similar, but with the boom ends unconnected and equipped with an outboard lift. The E. 555-10 is similar to the -9, but has outboard and inboard elevators at the end of each tail boom.

The E. 555-11 was probably the most modern of all the E. 555 design attempts, as it used a full traditional tail, with the 4 x BMW 018 engines all mounted on the fuselage below the center of the fuselage. When they were swept back, the wings remained.

Together with the E. 555-1 base, the E. 555-11 is probably the most promising design.

In late 1944, the RLM abandoned E. 555 and ordered Arado to do the same. As the Allies made progress in capturing more and more German fortresses, it was felt that resources had to be devoted to a defensive battle consisting primarily of fighters rather than bombers.

Given that the E. 555's primary role was a bomber and nothing else, there was no need to continually devote more time, money, and energy to a system of limited scope for the type of war Germany had to lead before 1945.