Arado Ar 64

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Arado Ar 64
Arado Ar 64
Type: Fighter plane
Design country:

German EmpireGerman Empire German Empire

Manufacturer:

Arado

First flight:

Spring 1929

Production time:

1931-1934

Number of pieces:

30th

The Arado Ar 64 was a 1930 fighter aircraft designed as a biplane . The aircraft was a further development of the Arado types SD II and SD III.

Arado SD I.

The Arado SD I was the first fighter model that was built by Arado Handelsgesellschaft in Warnemünde . Walter Rethel was the designer . Many experiences from his previous work at Fokker were incorporated . The very compact model was designed as a composite construction. The absence of tension wires was unusual. The SD I had a 425 hp air-cooled 9-cylinder radial engine Bristol Jupiter , which was manufactured by Gnôme et Rhône under license. The armament consisted of two synchronized 7.92 mm machine guns MG 08/15 . The maiden flight of the first of two built prototypes took place on October 11, 1927. It showed very poor slow flight characteristics. Because of the seemingly inadequate structure, the Reichswehr Ministry called for a new draft that led to SD II.

Arado SD II

The new design was also carried out by Walter Rethel. The SD II was larger and heavier than the SD I. The much more conservative design had braced wings. The only prototype was completed in 1929 as a competitor to the Heinkel HD 37 . As drive a served by Siemens & Halske produced 530 horsepower 9-cylinder radial engine Jupiter VI with reduction gear and a large 3-blade propeller. The armament again consisted of two synchronized 7.92 mm 08/15 machine guns. Despite difficult handling, the SD II formed the basis for the later Ar 64.

Arado SD III

The SD III was created from the airframe of the second prototype of the SD II; it was equipped with a Jupiter VI manufactured by Siemens & Halske with 510 hp and a smaller, directly driven 2-blade propeller. The front contours were revised and a lower landing gear could be installed due to the smaller propeller. The armament corresponded to that already built into the SD II.

Standard version Ar 64

The Ar 64a was derived directly from the SD II and SD III, but with a significantly improved fuselage construction in terms of aerodynamics , in particular due to the Jupiter VI engine, which is moved further back and is clad. The Ar 64a had a four-blade wooden propeller. The development was initiated by a request of the Ministry of Defense for a successor to the in Lipezk used Fokker D.xiii . The first flight of the Ar 64a took place in spring 1929.

The next two prototypes, called Ar 64b, were equipped with a water-cooled V12 cylinder BMW VI 6.3 engine with an output of 640 hp. They were tested in Lipetsk in 1931.

The Ar 64c corresponded to the Ar 64a with minor structural changes. Series production of this version began parallel to the Ar 64d and Ar 64e. These differed from the Ar 64c by a revised tail unit and among themselves mainly by the gearbox (d with, e without) and the propeller (d with 4-blade, e with 2-blade propeller).

Between 1931 and 1934 30 Ar 64s were built, twelve of them at Focke-Wulf. On April 1, 1933, there were six Ar 64d and five Ar 64e. By the end of 1934, 19 Ar 64s had been delivered. These first went to the Schleißheim fighter pilot school and then to the Döberitz group's hunting squadrons . On July 1, 1936, the Luftwaffe still had 21 Ar 64s. The successor was the Arado Ar 65 .

Technical specifications

Parameter Data (SD I) Data (SD II) (SD III) Data (Ar 64)
crew 1
length 6.75 m 7.40 m 7.75 m 7.82 m
span 8.40 m 9.90 m 9.20 m 9.90 m
height 2.85 m
Wing area 16.77 m² 22.9 m² 21.05 m² 24.60 m²
Empty mass 850 kg 1445 kg 1245 kg
Payload 380 kg 325 kg
Max. Takeoff mass 1230 kg 1770 kg 1670 kg
Top speed 275 km / h near the ground 222 km / h near the ground 212 km / h near the ground 259 km / h
Marching speed 240 km / h near the ground 205 km / h near the ground
Landing speed 95 km / h
Climbing time to an altitude of 1000 m 1.64 min 1.5 min 1.4 min
Service ceiling 5500 m 7000 m 6400 m 5400 m
Engine a Bristol Jupiter VI with 425 PS (313 kW) a Siemens Jupiter 6.3 U with 530 PS (390 kW) a Siemens Jupiter 6.3 d with 490 PS (360 kW) a Siemens Jupiter VI with 530 PS (390 kW)
Armament - nb - two rigid 7.92-mm-I MG 08 /15

literature

  • Volker Koos: Arado Flugzeugwerke 1925–1945 . Heel, Königswinter 2007, ISBN 978-3-89880-728-9 .
  • William Green, Gordon Swanborough: The Complete Book of Fighters . Color Library Direct, Godalming, UK 1994, ISBN 1-85833-777-1 (English).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Koos, p. 22
  2. ↑ Koos, p. 24
  3. ↑ Koos, p. 26