Arado Ar 197: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 01:32, 1 February 2007

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{{infobox Aircraft

|name =Arado Ar 197

|type =Naval [[Fighter aircraft|Naval fighter]]

|manufacturer =[[Arado Flugzeugwerke|Arado]]

|image =Image:Arado Ar 197.jpg

|caption =

|designer =

|first flight =Spring, [[1937 in aviation|1937]]

|introduced =

|retired =

|status = Prototype

|primary user =[[Luftwaffe]]

|produced =

|number built =Three prototypes 3

|unit cost =

|developed from = [[Arado Ar 68|Arado Ar 68H]]

|variants with their own articles =

}}

The '''Arado Ar 197''' was a [[Nazi Germany|German]] [[World War II]] era [[bi-plane]], designed for naval operations for the never completed German [[aircraft carrier]] [[German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin|''Graf Zeppelin'']]. Only a few prototypes were built, the project was abandoned in favour of the Messerschmitt [[Bf 109|Bf 109T]] and [[Blohm + Voss BV 155|Me 155]] carrier based fighter designs.

== Background ==

The Arado 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 [[Arado Ar 68|Arado Ar 68H]] washad been the first Arado aircraft to have a fully enclosed cockpit, and was selected as a base design for the Arado Ar 197.

== Development ==

The first prototype of the Arado Ar 197, the Arado Ar 197 V1, was based on the Arado 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, Aradothe Ar 197 V2, was similar to the Arado Ar 197 V1, but was powered by a [[BMW 132Dc132]]Dc [[Radialradial engine|radial]] engine, and was fitted with naval equipment including an [[Tailhook|arrester hook]], and [[Aircraft catapult|catapult spools]]. Both the Arado Ar 197 V1 and V2 flew in the spring of [[1937]]. In the summer of 1937 a third prototype, Arado Ar 197the V3, was built. Powered by a more powerful BMW radial engine and was the first prototype fitted with weapons, the Arado Ar 197 V3 was armed with two 7.92mm machine guns and one 20mm automatic cannon. The Arado Ar 197 V3, was also fitted with racks under the fuselage, which could carry four 50 kg bombs, or an auxiliary fuel tank, or a smoke-laying canister.

== Evaluation ==

The Arado Ar 197 V3 was selected forto participate in evaluation, but was not selectedchosen for production. By the time the ''Graf Zeppelin'' was to behave been completed, bi-planes,biplanes such as the Arado Ar 197 would have been hopelessly outclassed as fighters. In 1939 the Bf 109T (naval version of Bf 109 fighter) was selected as a successor to the Arado Ar 197, and in 1941 the Me 155 was selected as the successor to the Bf 109T.

== Specifications (Arado Ar 197 V3) ==

Line 68 ⟶ 70:

== References ==

*Kay, A.L. and Smith, J.R. ''German Aircraft of World War II''. Naval Institute Press, 2002.

==Related content==

{{aircontent

|related=

*[[Arado Ar 68]]

|similar aircraft=

*[[Grumman F2F]]

*[[Mitsubishi A5M]]

|sequence=

[[DFS 194]] -

[[Arado Ar 195|Ar 195]] -

[[Arado Ar 196|Ar 196]] -

'''Ar 197''' -

[[Arado Ar 198|Ar 198]] -

[[Arado Ar 199|Ar 199]] -

[[Focke-Wulf Fw 200|Fw 200]]

|lists =

*[[List of military aircraft of Germany]]

*[[List of Luftwaffe aircraft by manufacturer, World War II]]

|see also=

}}

[[Category:German fighter aircraft 1930-1939]]

[[Category:Carrier-based aircraft]]