Arado Ar 195
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ar 195 first prototype | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Torpedo bomber |
| Manufacturer | Arado Flugzeugwerke |
| Status | Prototype |
| Primary user | Luftwaffe |
| Number built | 3 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1937 |
| Developed from | Arado Ar 95 |
The Arado Ar 195 was a single-engine prototype carrier-based torpedo bomber, built by the German firm Arado for service on the German aircraft carrier Graf Zeppelin, during World War II. Due to performance issues and a lack of aircraft carrier construction, only three prototype units were produced and the aircraft never entered service.
The Arado Ar 195 was designed as a derivative of the Ar 95, which had been designed as a torpedo and reconnaissance aircraft.[1] It was a two-seat biplane powered by an 880-hp BMW 132 9-cylinder radial piston engine that could produce a range of 650 kilometres (400 mi) and a top speed of 290 kilometres per hour (180 mph).[1] The weapons included a forward-facing synchronized 7.92-mm MG 17 machine gun, a manually-aimed MG 15 in the rear cockpit, and a bomb capacity of 700 kilograms (1,500 lb).[1] Wingspan was 12.5 metres (41 ft) and total length was 10 metres (33 ft).[1]
The Ar 195 was intended as a torpedo bomber to equip Nazi Germany's first aircraft carrier, the Graf Zeppelin, which was named after Graf Ferdinand von Zeppelin, of dirigible fame. Construction of the carrier had begun in 1938, but over the course of the war, aircraft carriers were seen as less of a priority for the navy and construction was still complete in 1945 and never saw action.[1] The Ar 195 was fitted with an arrestor hook and catapult equipment as well as a taller canopy than the Ar 95. Although three prototypes were flown in 1937, the design did not meet the requirements of the specification. It suffered an excess of drag which was detrimental to its flyability, and so was rejected in 1938[2]: 18 in favour of the Fieseler Fi 167, which was considered superior.[3]
