Arado Ar 234 (Blitz) Bomber / Reconnaissance Aircraft (1944)

The German Arado Ar 234 Blitz became the first purpose-built, jet-powered
bomber anywhere in the world.
As the German Messerschmitt Me 262 "Schwalbe" ("Swallow") holds the distinction of becoming the world's first operational jet-
powered fighter, the Arado Ar 234 "Blitz" ("Lightning") is recognized as the world's first operational jet-powered bomber. The
system arrived in 1944 and became active into 1945, serving until the end of war in 1945. it proved one of the more
technologically advanced and prized weapons of the German Luftwaffe but was never available in the numbers required. The
aircraft proved so advanced, in fact, that it was able to evade all available Allied interceptors of the time, making it a very capable
reconnaissance and high-speed bombing platform. Unfortunately for the Germans, related testing and manufacture facilities were
disrupted consistently, fuel supplies restricted and factories ultimately overrun by advancing Allied fronts limiting production to a
few hundred examples by war's end. The West seemingly benefitted the most from the captured technology, the Americans in
particular designing, developing and producing several jet-powered bombers of the Cold War that superficially resembled the
wartime Ar 234 series to an extent (though frequently on a much larger scale). The Ar 234 became the German Luftwaffe's second
jet-powered aircraft to enter service following the more recognizable Me 262.
The German Need

Origins of the Ar 234 can be traced back in an original late-1930s German Air Ministry (the RLM = Reichluftfahrtminiserium)
initiative requiring a new, high-speed naval reconnaissance platform. To this point, the Germans relied upon a collection of
seaplanes and
flying boats for the role though performance garnered from these machines were less than stellar (apart from their inherently
excellent operational ranges). These aircraft were highly susceptible to enemy interception for they lacked the needed
performance and handling to evade incoming threats - particularly those embodied by nimble, maneuverable fighter types being
fielded by the Allies.

The Air Ministry Requirement

In the fall of 1940, the Air Ministry agreed to a new design that would fly higher than enemy defenses could reach and fly faster
than enemy aircraft could intercept. The optimal combat radius would be 1,240 miles with a maximum ferry range of at least
1,340 miles. This requirement specifically centered on a turbojet-powered design despite the technology being in its infancy at
the time. Officials understood the potential power behind turbojet technology and its revolutionary effect on the world of military
aviation - deciding this as the best avenue of approach. Work on such engines was already underway by brand names such as
Junkers and BMW. At any rate, a turbojet-powered aircraft would allow the Air Ministry specifications to be fulfilled in whole
though presenting substantial technological challenges to involved German engineers.

The E.370 Submission

The Arado concern was the only respondent for the fast reconnaissance bomber design. The firm held a proven pedigree with a stable
of talented engineers to see the program through - led by Walter Blume who governed Arado through to its end in 1945. He, along with
Hans Rebeski and Rudinger Kosin, were credited with the Ar 234's official concept. Arado completed and submitted their formal
proposal in 1941 with the developmental aircraft assigned the designation of "E.370". After formal acceptance by the German Air
Ministry, the design came to be known under the "Arado Ar 234" name. The Air Ministry then commissioned for six prototype vehicles in
April of 1942 to further prove the design viable. By the end of the year, the order had increased to 20 total airframes. From the end of
1941 into 1942, two complete airframes were built, though The Junkers Jumo engines were not available until 1943 leading to a critical
delay in the program for serial production was slated to begin that same year. The Ar 234 was, therefore, not made ready until February
of 1943.

Arado Ar 234 Walk-Around

The Arado Ar 234 utilized a very distinct planform, one of the most recognizable of all of the wartime jet designs. The fuselage was
pencil-like in its approach with a rounded nose cone and well-tapered rear. The entire nose was made up of the single-seat cockpit
which provided excellent visibility of the oncoming action with only light framing being involved. Only views to the rear were blocked by
the integrated fuselage spine which ran the length to form the tail section. The rounded fuselage incorporated slab sides for a deep
approach required of the internal fuel stores, avionics and cockpit. Engines were held in streamlined nacelles, the base Ar 234 model
fitting one engine to each wing. Wings themselves were straight appendages, high-mounted along the fuselage sides. The tail unit
consisted of a single curved vertical tail fin with a pair of horizontal planes mounted higher than the main wing elements. In the definitive
B-models, the undercarriage was wholly-retractable and arranged in a tricycle format with two main landing gear legs and a nose leg. All
three positions held a large "donut-style" landing wheel of low pressure, intended to counter the rather narrow undercarriage track.

The Arado Ar 234 is Born Without Legs

Original Ar 234 prototypes lacked the complete tricycle undercarriage, hampered by the design's thin fuselage whose volume was
already taken up by a mass of other important equipment, primarily the fuel stores required of long operational ranges. As such, the
vehicle was launched from a jettisonable three-wheeled trolley mimicking what would become the finalized undercarriage (complete with
steerable nose and wheel brakes). Landing would be accomplished by way of a skid attached to the belly of the aircraft and skids under
the engine nacelles. The first Ar 234 turbojet-powered prototype finally achieved first flight on July 15th, 1943 from Rheine Airfield and
the five other prototype aircraft soon followed the initial V1. Of the six initial vehicles completed, two were reserved as
static test beds for a four-engined development still to come.

The Arado Ar 234A and V-Prototypes

The Ar 234 series was forged through a bevy of ever-evolving prototypes beginning with V1. Prototypes V1 through V5 utilized the
trolley system for take-off and the landing skid for recoveries. All were powered by the Junkers Jumo 004 turbojet. V1 recorded its
first flight on June 15th, 1943. V3 was given an ejector seat and pressurized cockpit while being outfitted with rockets for assisted
take-off. Prototypes V6 and V8 were four-engined developments that begat the Ar 234C model detailed below. The V6 prototype
managed its 4 x BMW 003 engine installations across four individual nacelles whereas the V8 relied upon paired nacelles in two pods,
one pod to a wing. The V7 was the primary developmental form for the Ar 234B production line though it retained the trolley take-off and
landing skid arrangement. Prototypes V9 through V11 instituted a conventional powered tricycle undercarriage through a deeper
fuselage design. These led to the Ar 234B as well. V13 and V20 were four-engined developments influencing the Ar 234C line and fitted
with 4 x BMW 193-003 engines in paired nacelles. V20 was lost during an April 4th, 1944 Allied bombing raid over Wesendorf. V15
was a single engine testbed for 2 x BMW 003 turbojet installations. V16 was developed around a crescent-shaped wing though her
testing facility was overrun by British land forces before the aircraft could be finalized, the project being destroyed in the subsequent
battle. V19 undertook its first flight on September 30th, 1944. V21 through V30 prototypes developed the C-model line further. V26 and
V30 in particular were noted for their use of a laminar flow wing assembly.

The first early, near-production forms became the Ar 234A which were essentially prototypes V1 through V8 with their trolley/skid
undercarriages.
The Arado Ar 234B


With the undercarriage issue resolved beginning with V9, the Ar 234B-0 represented 20 pre-production units with the final example
completed in June of 1944. The initial Ar 234B-0 mark went airborne for the first time on June 8th, 1944 though without the planned
cockpit pressurization and ejection seat feature. The Ar 234B-1 were unarmed reconnaissance versions fitted with cameras. The Ar
234B-1 managed to be completed with the promised autopilot function and operated with auxiliary fuel tanks for increased range. The
Ar 234B-2 were bomber versions capable of 3,300lbs of stores and made operation in late 1944, remaining active into 1945.
Rauchgerate Rocket-Assisted Take-Off (RATO) could be utilized to project faster take-off times and shorter runway distances as well
as a spectacular initial rate-of-climb - very useful in interception. Long landing runs could then be offset by way of brake parachutes.
Some Ar 234B-2 models were outfitted with radar facilities and a ventral gunpack with a second cockpit aft for utilization in the night
fighter role. The design proved aerodynamically efficient and relatively stable with little in the way of engineering corrections required.
Thusly sound, the B-model was the standardized form of the Ar 234 for the near future. These versions instituted an ejection seat,
Patin PDS autopilot system and, due to the thirsty nature of early turbojet engines, given optional external auxiliary fuel tanks for
improved range. The cockpit was fully pressurized to coincide with the high altitudes the Ar 234 would have to operate in requiring an
onboard oxygen supply and feed. Power of these models would be served through 2 x Junkers Jumo 004B series turbojet engines.
The Ar 234B series models would become the definitive operational-level production-quality mounts of the entire "Blitz" line, seeing
combat service into 1945.

Only there two B-model forms were used in an operational manner - the Ar 234B-1 unarmed reconnaissance platform and the Ar
234B-2 dedicated bomber. The B-2 was further broken down in subvariants as in the Ar 234B-2/1 target-marking platform
("pathfinder"), the Ar 234B-2/b dedicated reconnaissance and the Ar 234B-2/r outfitted with auxiliary fuel tanks. Ar 234B production
totaled 210 units. The Ar 234B-3 was intended as a dedicated bombing platform but given up for good with the emergence of the Ar
234C detailed below.

Specifications for the
Arado Ar 234 (Blitz)

Bomber / Reconnaissance Aircraft
Focus Model: Arado Ar 234B-2 (Blitz)
Country of Origin: Nazi Germany
Manufacturer: Arado Flugzeugwerke - Germany
Initial Year of Service: 1944
Production: 232

Crew: 1

Length: 41.47ft (12.64m)
Width: 47.38ft (14.44m)
Height: 14.01ft (4.27m)
Weight (Empty): 11,464lbs (5,200kg)
Weight (MTOW): 21,605lbs (9,800kg)

Powerplant: 2 x Junkers 004B turbojet engines generating 1,980lbs of standard thrust each.

Maximum Speed: 461mph (742kmh; 401kts)
Maximum Range: 967miles (1,556km)
Service Ceiling: 32,808ft (10,000m; 6.2miles)
Rate-of-Climb: 0 feet per minute (0m/min)

Hardpoints: 3
Armament Suite:
OPTIONAL (Model Dependent):
2 x 20mm MG 151 fixed, forward-firing cannons
2 x 20mm MG 151 fixed, rear-firing cannons (periscope aimed).
Up to 3.300lbs of external ordnance.
30mm MK 108 cannons also considered as were guided missiles.

Operators:
France (two captured specimens); Nazi Germany