Germany's Arado Ar 234 "Blitz" Bomber1
Arado Ar 234 A Blitz:
Arado Ar 234 A Blitz:
Arado Ar 234 B Blitz:
Arado Ar 234 C Blitz:
The Blitz was the world's first jet bomber.1
Design
The first prototype was delivered during the winter of 1941/1942 but had to wait for it's first flight because of the delay of the Junkers Jumo turbojets.1
The Ar 234 could mount two Walter rocket assisted take off devices under the wings.1 This was needed as it took 1,250' / 380 m of runway to get in air.1
Also on take off, the Ar 234 was mounted to a wheeled trolley that was jettisoned after take off.1 The aircraft would then land on a skid.1 Later models had tricycle landing gear installed.1
The turbojets only had a life of 25 hours.1
There was an ejection seat installed for the pilot.1
Production
Production models were designated the Ar 234 B.1
Variants
- Ar 234 B: production version.1
- Ar 234 C: had 4 BMW 003A-1 engines.1 May never have gotten off the ground.1
Usage
It was first used in the reconnaissance role in late 1944 by flying over the United Kingdom.1
On Christmas Eve 1944, they were used in a raid on allied supplies in Liege, Belgium.1 They were again used in the Ardennes battle and at Remagen in 1945.1
Operations ceased in March 1945.1
| Ar 234B-21 | |
|---|---|
| Type | Bomber1 Reconnaissance1 |
| Crew | 11 |
| Engine (Type) | 2: Junkers Jumo 004B-1 Orkan turbojets1 |
| Thrust | 1,975 lb1 8.8 kN1 |
| Dimensions | |
| Span | 46'1 14.44 m1 |
| Length | 41'1 12.64 m1 |
| Height | 14'1 4.29 m1 |
| Wing area | 294 ft2 1 27.3 m2 1 |
| Weight | |
| Empty | 11,440 lb1 5,300 kg1 |
| Loaded | 21,560 lb1 9,800 kg1 |
| Performance | |
| Speed @ sea level | |
| Speed @ 20,000' / 6,000 m | 460 mph1 742 kph1 |
| Climb | |
| Service ceiling | 33,000'1 10,000 m1 |
| Range | 1,010 miles1 1,630 km1 |
| Armament | |
| Bombs | 4,400 lb1 1,995 kg1 |
| Production |
Sources:
- Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
| Want to learn about a new vehicle? Select the random picture to learn about the vehicle. |
