Arado Ar 197

infobox Aircraft
name =Ar 197
type = Naval fighter
manufacturer =Arado Flugzeugwerke



caption =
designer =
first flight =Spring 1937
introduced =
retired =
status = Prototype
primary user =Luftwaffe
produced =
number built = 3
unit cost =
developed from = Arado Ar 68H
variants with their own articles =The Arado Ar 197 was a German World War II era biplane, designed for naval operations for the never-completed German aircraft carrier "Graf Zeppelin". Only a few prototypes were built; the project was abandoned in favour of the Messerschmitt Bf 109T and Me 155.

Design and development

The Ar 197 had its origin in the requirement for a fighter plane capable of operating from the planned (but never completed) German aircraft carriers "Graf Zeppelin" and "Peter Strasser". The Ar 68H had been the first Arado aircraft to have a fully enclosed cockpit, and was selected as a base design for the Arado Ar 197.

The first prototype of the Ar 197, the V1, was based on the Ar 68H and featured a fully enclosed cockpit, Daimler-Benz DB 600A engine, and three-blade propeller, but was not fitted for naval operations. The second prototype, the Ar 197 V2, was similar to the V1, but was powered by a BMW 132Dc radial engine, and was fitted with naval equipment including an arrester hook and catapult spools. Both the Ar 197 V1 and V2 flew in the spring of 1937. In the summer of 1937 a third prototype, the V3, was built. Powered by a more powerful BMW radial engine and was the first prototype fitted with weapons, the Ar 197 V3 was armed with two 7.92 mm machine guns and one 20 mm automatic cannon. The V3 was also fitted with racks under the fuselage which could carry four 50 kg bombs, an auxiliary fuel tank, or a smoke-laying canister.

Operational history

The Ar 197 V3 was selected to participate in evaluation, but was not chosen for production. By the time "Graf Zeppelin" was to have been completed, biplanes such as the Ar 197 would have been hopelessly outclassed as fighters. In 1939 the Bf 109T, the naval version of the Bf 109 fighter plane, was selected as the successor to the Arado Ar 197, and in 1941 the Me 155 was selected as the successor to the Bf 109T.

Operators

;flag|Germany|Nazi, Luftwaffe

pecifications (Arado Ar 197 V3)

aircraft specification|Arado Ar 197 V3
ref= "Kay & Smith, p. 24."
crew=1 (pilot)
length main=9.2 m
length alt=30 ft 2¼ in
span main=11 m
span alt=37 ft 8¼ in
height main=3.6 m
height alt=11 ft 9¾ in
area main=37.8 m²
area alt=299.13 sq ft
empty weight main=1,840 kg
empty weight alt=4,057 lb
loaded weight main=2,475 kg
loaded weight alt=5,457 lb
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
engine (prop)=
type of prop=
number of props=
power main=
power alt=
max speed main=400 km/h
max speed alt=248 mph
range main=659 km
range alt=432 miles
ceiling main=8,600 m
ceiling alt=26,213 ft
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
armament=
* 2× 7.92 mm (0.31 in) MG 15 machine gun and 1x 20 mm MG FF cannon.
* Up to four 50 kg (110 lb) bombs.

References

* Kay, Anthony L. and Smith, J. Richard. "German Aircraft of the Second World War". Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2002. ISBN 1-55750-010-X.

ee also

aircontent
related=
*Arado Ar 68
similar aircraft=
*Gloster Sea Gladiator
*Grumman F2F
*Mitsubishi A5M
sequence=
DFS 194 -
Ar 195 -
Ar 196 -Ar 197 -
Ar 198 -
Ar 199 -
Fw 200
lists =
*List of military aircraft of Germany
*List of Luftwaffe aircraft by manufacturer, World War II
see also=