Wednesday 13 April 2016

Arado Ar. Projekt II

Preliminary note: At first, we thought that we got the length and/or the scale wrong because it seemed too long. After double-checking every measure we arrived to the conclusion that it wasn't wrongly sized or scaled. It was going to be that big.

Based on the Arado experience with the Ar.234 bomber and, in a lesser extent, based on their TEW 16/23-43 Arado designed this all-weather interceptor using a more orthodox design. It was expected to achieve significant reductions regarding both development risk and expenditure. Apparently some discarded designs show that a V-tailed variant was also planned.

In technical terms it was going to be powered by two Heinkel HeS 011A turbojets engines located in underwing nacelles each rated at 1300KpS thrust or two BMW 003A-1. It was going to be armed with two or four forward firing 30mm MK213 cannons in the nose, two oblique firing 30mm MK108 cannons (using the famous Schräge Musik system) and a rearward firing 30mm MK213 cannon as a defensive weapon and was expected that it could carry three 500Kg bombs.
Regarding avionics, it was going to be equipped with either one of the German radar systems like the FuG 24, FuG 29, FuG 25a, FuBI 3, FuG 101, Peil G6, APZ 6, FuG 244 or FuG 280.
The crew of two was inside a totally pressurized cabin which was going to feature ejector seats and the wings were going to be sweeped back at 35 degrees.

The design wasn't liked by the RLM which considered that this one was the least satisfactory of all the designs submitted. They criticized the large surface areas and unfavourable drag-inducing arrangement of the underwing engines.
Anyway, it's obvious how this design influenced on some post war airplane designers, like the Soviet Yakovlev Yak-25 for instance.
Edit: We have slightly modified the drawing in order to show the aircraft armed with the menacing Ruhrstahl X-4 air-to-air missile.










Sources:
1. http://www.luft46.com/arado/arpii.html
2. Midland Publishing - Luftwaffe Secret Projects - Fighters 1939-1945

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