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Germany's Arado Ar 240 Reconnaissance¹
Arado Ar 240C-2 Night Fighter²

Arado Ar 240:

Arado Ar 240:

Design

Arado started working on the E 240 project in 1938.¹ It was to have the latest technology by using aerodynamic devices, pressurization, and a tail mounted airbrake.¹

The first two prototype, the Ar 240 V1 and Ar 240 V2, proved to be very unstable.¹ This lead to a redesigned prototype, the Ar 240 V3.¹

The Ar 240 V4 had the dive bombing equipment installed and proved successful, but it was thought that the reconnaissance version was more important.¹

The Ar 240 C-2 night fighter had remote controlled dorsal and ventral barbettes.² It used a FuG 202 Lichtenstein radar array.²

In December 1942 the program was halted.¹

Prototype

There was one prototype, Ar 240 V10, built as a night fighter.² The prototype flew in the summer of 1943.² It was to become the Ar 240C-2 but it never was produced.²

Variants

• Ar 240 V1 and V2: Initial unstable prototypes.¹
• Ar 240 V3: Prototype without equipment for dive bombing.¹
• Ar 240 V4: Prototype with dive bombing equipment.¹
• Ar 240 V5 became the preproduction Ar 240A-01¹
• Ar 240 V6 became the preproduction Ar 240A-02¹
• Ar 240 V10: Night fighter prototype.² Became the Ar 240 C-2.²
• Ar 240 A-01: Reconnaissance.¹
• Ar 240 C-2: Night fighter.²

Usage

The Ar 240 V3 was used in high altitude and speed missions over England.¹

The Ar 240A-01 and Ar 240A-02 flew missions over the Murmansk railway.¹

	Arado Ar 240A-011	Arado Ar 240C-2
Type	Reconnaissance1	Night fighter2
Crew
Engine (Type)	2: Daimler-Benz DB 601E1	2: Daimler-Benz DB 603A-22
Cylinders	I-12, inverted1	122
Cooling		Liquid2
Net HP	1,176 each1	1,850 each2
Dimensions
Span	43' 9"1 13.33 m1	54' 5 1/8"2 16.6 m2
Length	42'1 12.8 m1	43' 9.5"2 13.35 m2
Height	12' 11"1 3.95 m1	12' 11.5"2 3.95 m2
Wing area	337 ft2 1 31.3 m2 1	376.75 ft2 2 35 m2 2
Weight
Empty	13,640 lb1 6,200 kg1	20,400 lb2 9,253 kg2
Loaded	20,790 lb1 9,450 kg1	28,300 lb2 12,837 kg2
Max overload
Performance
Speed @ 19,685' / 6,000 m		419 mph2 675 kph2
Speed @ 20,000' / 6,000 m	384 mph1 620 kph1
Climb	11 minutes to 20,000'1 11 minutes to 6,000 m1
Service ceiling	34,400'1 10,500 m1
Range		1,162 miles2 1,870 km2
Range with auxiliary fuel tank	1,240 miles1 2,000 km1
Armament
Nose	2: 7.92 mm MG 171
Barbettes	4: 7.92 mm MG 171
Forward firing		4: 20 mm MG 1512
Dorsal barbette		2: 13 mm MG 1312
Ventral barbette		2: 13 mm MG 1312
Production

Sources:

1. Aircraft of WWII, General Editor: Jim Winchester, 2004
2. The Great Book of Fighters, William Green, Gordon Swanborough, 1994

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