Cant Z.501
Savoia-Marchetti S.62bis
Heinkel He-114
Arado Ar-196

The Arado Ar-196 seaplane

 

In October 1936, the Kriegsmarine asked for a replacement for the less successful Heinkel He-114. The only requirements were that it must be powered by the BMW 132 radial engine and that two prototypes of each design must be built : one in twin-float configuration and one in single-float configuration. Four German companies submitted their designs : Dornier, Arado, Focke-Wulf and Gotha.
The Arado was the only company who chose to built a monoplane ; all other entries were conventional, high-wing biplanes. Therefore, it's no wonder that the Ar-196 quickly proved superior to all its rivals, and the RLM ordered four more prototypes : 2 single-floats ( V1 and V2, or A models ) and 2 twin-floats ( V3 and V4, or B models ). All were delivered by the summer of 1937 and started a series of test to see which configuration should be built. Both types had very good water handling characteristics, so the Navy had a hard time choosing until it was decided that the B models had a small chance of "diving in" when landing on water because of their small outrigger floats. For this reason, the A model was chosen and a last prototype, the V5 was built in November 1938.

 

Romanian Arado Ar-196

( I apologize for the poor quality, but it was a really old picture )

From December 1938, the Ar-196A entered mass-production, and by June 1939 there were enough of them to equip all the German surface fleet. Production was afterwards switched to the heavier A2 version, who could carry 2 SC 50 kg bombs and had two MG/FF 20 mm canons mounted in the wings. Three more versions, the A3, A4, and A5 followed, but besides strengthening the airframe and improving the instruments and radios, no major modifications were made. Production finally ended in August 1944.
Romania ordered 24 Arado Ar-196's in early 1944, after it was clear that more seaplanes were badly needed for patrols and antisubmarine missions. They arrived in a relatively short period of time, but after Romania changed sides and joined the Allies, the Russian ships and submarines were no longer a danger, so the Ar-196's were no longer necessary. It seems that only two were assembled, whilst the rest were taken over by the Red Army. Pilots who did fly them were delighted by the Ar-196's excellent water and air handling characteristics. Some considered it the finest seaplane to emerge in WW2.

Technical data of the Arado Ar-196

Wingspan
12.4 meters
Length
11 meters
Height
4.45 meters
Weight (empty)
2990 kg
Weight (loaded)
3730 kg
Maximum speed at seal level
310 km/h
Maximum operational ceiling
7000 meters
Range
1070 km
Engine
BMW 132K rated at 960 HP
Armament
Two MG/FF 20 mm canons plus one 7.92 mm MG 17 machine gun plus one 7.92 mm MG 15 machine gun
Payload
Two SC 50 kg bombs
Crew
1
Numbers received
24

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