Germany's Arado Ar 196 floatplane

Photos

Arado Ar 196 floatplane:	Arado Ar 196 floatplane:	Arado Ar 196 floatplane:	Arado Ar 196 floatplane:
Arado Ar 196A-2 floatplane:	Arado Ar 196A-5 floatplane:
Arado Ar 196 floatplane:	Arado Ar 196 floatplane:

Design

The Arado Ar 196 was to be the Heinkel He 50 replacement as it was becoming obsolete.^1,2 The Ar 196 was originally to be carrier based but since no carrier was built it did server aboard the larger ships in the German Navy.³ Kriegsmarine put out specifications in 1936 for a plane that could be catapulted from a carrier.³ Focke Wulf and Arado submitted designs.³ Focke Wulf's was a bi-plane.³ Four prototypes of the Arado Ar 196s were ordered.³

The Arado Ar 196's skeleton was of steel tubing.³ The rear of the fuselage was fabric covered with the rest being metal.³

Trials were being completed just as the war started.¹

Wings

The wings had fabric covering the control surfaces with the rest being metal.³

Floats

Each float had seven water tight compartments holding fuel.³

Prototypes

Prototypes had a 2 blade propeller.¹

The Ar 196V1 prototype first flew in May 1938.²

Production

It was built by Fokker and SNCA of Germany.¹

• Prototypes: 5²
  • Production: 1937³
• Preproduction: 10²
• Arado Ar 196A: 526²
  • Arado Ar 196A-1: 20²
• Arado Ar 196B: 546²
• Arado Ar 196A-3:
  • Production: Spring 1941 - ?³
• Arado Ar 196A-5:
  • Production: ? - August 1944³
• Total: >600³
  • Manufacturer: Arado Flugzeugwerke GmbH³

Variants

• Arado Ar 196V1: Prototype.² Single central float.²
• Arado Ar 196V2: Prototype.² Single central float.²
• Arado Ar 196V3: Prototype.² Twin floats.²
• Arado Ar 196V4: Prototype.² Twin floats.²
• Arado Ar 196V5: Prototype.² Twin floats.²
• Arado Ar 196A-0: Preproduction.²
• Arado Ar 196A-1: Production version.² Catapult attachments reenforced.³ Delivered in the summer of 1939.³
• Arado Ar 196A-3: Two 20 mm cannons in wings and one 7.9 mm machine gun on the side of the fuselage.³
• Arado Ar 196A-5: Two 20 mm cannons in wings, one 7.9 mm machine gun on the side of the fuselage, and one machine gun for the observer.³
• Manufacturer: Arado Flugzeugwerke GmbH³

Usage

The Ar 196s were also used in the English Channel for air-sea rescues.¹

In 1940 two Ar 196s helped in the capture the HMS Seal submarine.^1,2,3 The submarine had been damaged by a mine off the coast of Norway.¹ Two Ar 196s based in Aalborg, Denmark attacked the submarine and prevented it from submerging.¹ The Kriegsmarine then captured the submarine.¹

Warships

The Admiral Graf Spee was the first warship supplied with the Ar 196.¹ Eventually all capital ships and heavy cruisers had them.¹

The battleships Bismark and Tirpitz had six Arado Ar 196s each.² The Gneisenau and Scharnhort each had four.² Pocket battleships and light cruisers had two Ar 196s.² Heavy cruisers had three Ar 196s onboard.²

Land Based

The Ar 196 was also used from land bases in the North Sea, Baltic, English Channel, and the Bay of Biscay.²

Many Uses

The Ar 196 was used for coastal patroling, reconniassance, anti-submarine, light bombing, and convoy escorting.²

Used in Which Countries

Bulgaria, Finland, Germany, and Romania all used the Ar 196.²

Specifications

	Arado Ar 1961	Arado Ar 196 A-13	Arado Ar 196A-32
Type	Shipboard and coast patrol craft1, Floatplane1, Reconnaissance seaplane2	Reconnaissance3
Crew	21,2	23
Engine (Type)	BMW 123K1 BMW 132K2	B.M.W. 132 K3
Cylinders	Radial 91,2	Radial 93
Cooling	Air1	Air3
HP	9002, 9601	9603
Propeller blades	31,2
Dimensions
Span	40' 8"1, 40' 10"2 12.4 m1, 12.45 m2	40' 8"3
Length	36' 1"1,2 11 m1,2	36' 1"3
Height	14' 6"2, 14' 7"1 4.32 m2, 4.45 m1	14' 7"3
Wing area	306 ft2 1 28.4 m2 1
Weight
Empty	6,592 lb1 2,990 kg1		6,580 lb2 2,985 kg2
Loaded	8,223 lb1 3,730 kg1	8,225 lb3	8,223 lb2 3,730 kg2
Performance
Speed @ 13,120' / 4,000 m	193 mph1 310 kph1	193 mph3	193 mph2 310 kph2
Cruising speed			166 mph2 267 kph2
Climb			1,358'/minute2 414 m/minute2
Service ceiling	23,000'1 7,000 m1	22,960'3	22,965'2 7,000 m2
Range	665 miles1 1,070 km1	665 miles3	670 miles2 1,078 km2
Armament
Wings	2: 20 mm1		2: 20 mm2
Upper cowling			1: 7.9 mm MG2
Rear cockpit	1 or 2: 7.92 mm MG 151	1: MG3	1 or 2: 7.9 mm MG2
Bombs - under wing	2: 110 lb1 2: 50 kg1	2: 110 lb3	2: 110 lb2 2: 50 kg2