Arado Ar 234: Why is it neglected?

I would dearly love to commission a book on the Arado 234. If interested, please drop me a line:

j.slater(at)fonthillmedia.com

With very best wishes,

Jay Slater

It was donated to the San Diego Air and Space Museum according to wiki.

Yes, I saw it hanging there when I last visited 2 years ago.

yes i know they built a Horton model, Bar Side was asking about the Horton not the Arado.

My mistake:o

I’ve always liked this machine. Landing and taking-off aside, it seems to have been pretty-well invulnerable at the time. I seem to recall that they were used quite a bit on PR over the UK. Were any shot-down I wonder…..? Weren’t they one of the few German a/c over the beaches on D-Day..? Apart from the Meatbox, we didn’t have anything that could have caught the blighters.

According to a discussion elsewhere; yes.

http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=17058

Yeah…exactly the same design philosophy 🙂

I know which engines I would rather be flying between

RR Welland …………………………………………. Jumo 004

Does the National Geographic program say what happened to the Northrop / Grumman 1:1 model? Would make quite a museum piece in its own right.

It was donated to the San Diego Air and Space Museum according to wiki.

That’s another bird… The people at Northon build a Horten model.
Not an Arado..

yes i know they built a Horton model, Bar Side was asking about the Horton not the Arado.

The issue of blade technology dictating the choice of axial or centrifugal compressors is irrelevant because it is the turbine or hot end of the engine where the technical difficulties are the greatest, due to both heat and rotational forces. Both Centrifugal and axial engines have similar turbine sections, its the front ends that are different.
I meant to say that the Pratt and Whitney PW100 series of engines still use Centrifugal compressors, so they must still be considered efficient.
Richard

Yes Steve…They were not my words originally 😉
The early axial flow engines tended to blow up…blade technology for axials was a long road before they became ultra reliable,Whittle knew the blades would be a problem and stuck with centrifugals for early production.
I know that the accepted ‘truth’ is that the Germans had problems with their engines because of lack of important raw materials…but blade design/technology maturity was some years away even for the ‘Allies’ with no shortage of raw materials…which is why I said that the Germans tried to run before they could walk with jet engines.
The German WW2 jets were just not up to a production standard !

Bazv:

Therefore at the middle of 1945 it could be said that there were 2 centrifugal (British) designs and 2 axial (German) designs of 2,000 lbs plus with a production and flight history..

There were three engine designs which flew in the UK in WW2, the Whittle dual centrifugals, the deHavilland Goblin single centrifugal, and the Metrovick F2 axial which was tested on a Meteor, but never put into production. A variant of the Metrovick F2 was bench tested as a contra-rotating turbofan. The British axial was not used because it was less efficient than the centrifugals, more prone to surging, and required many more production manufacturing hours.

Also worthy of mention is the turboprop version of the Derwent, as a fourth type of gas turbine, which was also tested on a Meteor.

The Whittle designed Nene, was bench run in 1944 at its rating of 5,000lb thrust, but not used, and later copied and mass produced by the Soviet Union, in preference to their captured German technology.

Steven

Yep, not an Arado. Does the National Geographic program say what happened to the Northrop / Grumman 1:1 model? Would make quite a museum piece in its own right.

Looks rather like the Ar 234 at Dulles is it then for Arado jets. Unless anything undiscovered surfaces from the east…

watched a program on Nat Geo about this aircraft, a team from Northrop Grumman built a full scale model of it and tested it for its stealth quality’s.

http://news.nationalgeographic.co.uk/news/2009/06/090625-hitlers-stealth-fighter-plane.html

That’s another bird… The people at Northon build a Horten model.
Not an Arado..

I have been trying to track down the list of German aircraft shipped back to the US at the end of the war (including the 2 AR 234s) when I found this:

http://www.indianamilitary.org/FreemanAAF/SoThinkMenu/SoThinkFreemanMenu.htm#

May not be news to some people, but interesting none the less. Any progress with that Horton? Quite a plane.

watched a program on Nat Geo about this aircraft, a team from Northrop Grumman built a full scale model of it and tested it for its stealth quality’s.

http://news.nationalgeographic.co.uk/news/2009/06/090625-hitlers-stealth-fighter-plane.html

Just for a little sunday morning relaxation…some footage of A234 -with some close ups towards the end…

http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=arado%20234%20flight%20test%20report&source=web&cd=18&cad=rja&ved=0CGMQtwIwBzgK&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D4G2N4HGJus4&ei=Rk7pUPjkMcSa1AX2yoGQAw&usg=AFQjCNFJsAWhNL_4-HHYYzt1VybJ65L_9Q

This one even better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B5665Vb8-6Q

rgds baz

Well’ should be noted as one of Frogs last kits 🙁

I bet your collection of kits Dr is a museum in itself 🙂

Rob

I have been trying to track down the list of German aircraft shipped back to the US at the end of the war (including the 2 AR 234s) when I found this:

http://www.indianamilitary.org/FreemanAAF/SoThinkMenu/SoThinkFreemanMenu.htm#

May not be news to some people, but interesting none the less. Any progress with that Horton? Quite a plane.

By a coincidence of timing, I just came across a misplaced personal reference volume of research on the AR-234s, by German Historian, WWII FW-190 pilot, and former Luftwaffe Senior Press and PR Officer, Alfred Kruger. He spent decades compiling these reference volumes, and obviously had much better access to all the “Geheim” (Secret) files (as many of these are marked) of Luftwaffe aircraft, than most others, as well as contacts with those involved. I have roughly 140 3″ thick volumes of his research of Luftwaffe, U.S. German, Russian, French aircraft and air forces, plus some British and Italian. Approx 35 feet of shelf space and some 1000 lbs of material. 😮

The specific volume of the Arado 234, includes MANY later dwgs, 3-views, photo clippings, color plates, and magazine photos (mostly German magazines and dwgs), and even correspondence with those involved. etc of most versions of the AR-234, 234A, B, & C and others, with the various landing gear, and sled/dolly.

Almost one half of this 9 lb (4 Kilo) 9 x 12 volume consists of his nearly 400 pages of his copies and photostats of more than 30 wartime reports (Mostly 1944), many of which cover all aspects of 234 history, from manufacturing, flying, engines, armament, bomb figures, Units, dates, instrumentation, flight tests, modifications,of the various models, even a section for flying on one engine. There are MANY reports with long lists of Werk numbers, and information on each, Units involved, all dated & signed, by various important Luftwaffe Officers, during wartime.
Quite an impressive piece of work…

I was watching a segment on the Military Channel

I think you’ve identified the problem right there. I am frequently dismayed at just how much cobblers is spouted by the likes of Discovery et. al. in the guise of “history”.

I happened to switch over to a programme on the V1 recently. Among other howlers, apparently Britain’s only defence was the Mosquito. Which would certainly come as a shock to all the Tempest, Spitfire, and Mustang pilots, not to mention the AA batteries on the ground (particularly after the implementation of radar-layed guns). Granted, they may have had an angle they wanted to push but at least put things in the proper context!

Jeff

The Moscow Aviation Institute (MAI) has the takeoff dolly from a Messerschmitt Me-163 in their Structures Faculty.

Thanks for that Ken.. but I did say airframes and not bits and pieces… as can be seen via the links below, there are other larger artefacts on display in that part of the world 🙂

1. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajw1970/8024767625
2. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajw1970/8024762345

…and the Soviets did test complete Ar234’s… as can be seen here 😉

Cheers
Pete

Great pics from the MAI there – what a place!
I see from Wiki that at least one 262 along with the Avia S-92 copy survive in Prague. Perhaps Ar 234s were used more on the western front?