Arado Ar 196

Ar 196A-3

Technical data

Type: Two-seat Shipboard Reconnaissance and Coastal Patrol Float Seaplane.

Power Plant: One BMW 132K nine-cylinder radial air-cooled engine, rated at 960hp at take-off and 820hp at 3280 ft.

Armament: Two 20-mm. MG FF cannon with 60 r.p.g. and one 7.9-mm. MG 17 machine gun fixed to fire forward, and one 7.9-mm. MG 15 on flexible mounting with 525 rounds, plus two 110-lb. SC 50 bombs on ETC 50/VIII wing racks.

Performance:

• maximum speed: 194 m.p.h. at 3280 ft
• cruising speed: 166 m.p.h.
• initial climb rate: 1358 ft./min
• service ceiling: 22965 ft
• range: 497 miles

Weights:

• empty: 5148 lb.
• empty equipped: 5670 lb.
• loaded: 7282 lb.

Dimensions:

• span: 40 ft. 9.75 in.
• length: 35 ft. 11.5 in.
• height: 14 ft. 7 in.
• wing area: 304.618 sq. ft.

Versions

Prototypes:

• V1 - A series, flew summer 1937
• V2 - A series, flew summer 1937
• V3 - B series, single float
• V4 - B series, single float
• V5 - B series, single float, flew autumn 1938

Models:

• Ar 196A-0 - 10 delivered Nov 1938 - Dec 1938
• Ar 196A-1 - 20 delivered from Jun 1939
• Ar 196A-2 - delivered from Nov 1939, first production model with the fixed forward firing armament of 2 20-mm and 1 7.9-mm
• Ar 196A-4 - delivered from Dec 1940, strengthened structure, additional radio (FuG 16Z), air-screw spinner
• Ar 196A-3 - delivered from Mar 1941, strengthened structure
• Ar 196A-5 - delivered from Mar 1943, improved radio equipment (FuG 16Z and FuG 25a, later supplanted by FuG 141), the flexibly-mounted MG 15 in the rear cockpit giving place to an MG 81Z (twin 7.9-mm MG 81s) with 2000 rounds.
• Ar 196B-0 - 10 delivered 1940-41, single floats
• Ar 196C - project

Production:

• 1938: Arado (Warnemunde), 10
• 1939: Arado (Warnemunde), 40
• 1940: Arado (Warnemunde), 98
• 1941: Arado (Warnemunde), 97
• 1942: Arado (Warnemunde), 94; S.N.C.A. (St. Nazaire), 13
• 1943: Arado (Warnemunde), 83; S.N.C.A. (St. Nazaire), 10; Fokker (Amsterdam), 11
• 1944: Arado (Warnemunde), 22; Fokker (Amsterdam), 58

Units:

• Bordfliegergruppe 196
• Kustenfliegergruppe 706
• Seeaufklärungsgruppe 125
• Seeaufklärungsgruppe 126
• Seeaufklärungsgruppe 130
• Seeaufklärungsgruppe 131
• III./KG100
• 1. and 3./KG200

Exports:

• Bulgaria: few Ar 196A-3 delivered autumn 1942, used by 161st Coastal Sqn.
• Rumania: few Ar 196A-3 delivered 1943, used by 101st and 102nd Coastal Reconnaissance Squadrons

Preserved aircraft:

At least 3 Ar 196A are known to have survived: one in the Maritime Museum at Varna (Bulgaria), one in the Smithsonian Institution (Washington, D.C.), and one at Willow Grove Naval Station (Pennsylvania).