Arado Ar 234 Blitz

1943

Back to the Virtual Aircraft Museum
  BOMBER, RECONNAISSANCEVirtual Aircraft Museum / Germany / Arado  

Arado Ar 234 Blitz

Arado's Ar.234 has the historical distinction of being the world's first turbojet bomber to enter operational service with any air force. That alone is sufficient to make it a very interesting aircraft but, in addition, it was used to explore a number of advanced concepts. With the company number E.370, it was selected to provide the Luftwaffe with a medium-range turbojet-powered reconnaissance aircraft under the designation Ar.234.

An aerodynamically clean shoulder-wing monoplane, its slender fuselage and thin-section wing made difficult the provision of conventional landing gear, leading to a somewhat startling innovation for an aeroplane intended for operational service. This consisted of a jettisonable take-off trolley. Landing was to be accomplished on a centrally mounted main skid, with outrigger skids mounted beneath the engine nacelles.

The first prototype Ar.234 flew on 15 June 1943 powered by two Junkers Jumo 004A turbojets. It was followed by other prototypes introducing such advanced features as a pressurised cockpit for the pilot and RATO units to reduce take-off run. The Ar.234B, which went into production in mid-1944 and then entered service, had narrow-track (but otherwise conventional) retractable tricycle-type landing gear.

Arado Ar 234 Blitz

Initial operations in the autumn of 1944 were concerned with reconnaissance over Britain, the Ar.234 having ample speed to elude all attempts at interception by the RAF. Ar.234B-2 bombers were involved during the Ardennes offensive (December 1944/January 1945), but their most vital operation was in opposition to the Allied crossing of the Rhine. For attack missions one 1,000kg bomb could be carried under the fuselage and one 500kg bomb under each jet nacelle, although a total load of 1,000kg was normal.

Arado Ar 234 Blitz on YOUTUBE

3-View 
Arado Ar 234 BlitzA three-view drawing (752 x 1470)

Specification 
 MODELAr.234B-2
 ENGINE2 x Junkers Jumo 004B turbojets, 890kg
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight9850 kg21716 lb
  Empty weight5200 kg11464 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan14.10 m46 ft 3 in
  Length12.64 m41 ft 6 in
  Height4.30 m14 ft 1 in
  Wing area26.40 m2284.17 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed740 km/h460 mph
  Ceiling10000 m32800 ft
  Range1630 km1013 miles
 ARMAMENT2000kg of bombs

Arado Ar 234 Blitz

Comments1-20 21-40
sven, 29.03.2017 19:10

In reply to Bob S.
The Arado carried approx 2800 kg of fuel to achieve its 1000 mile range . Logically replacing the bomb load with fuel is not going to get the aircraft across the Atlantic.
That however is not the main problem. The 10 hours(yes ten) between overhall or replacement engines were going to need inflight replacement.

reply

bob s, e-mail, 29.03.2017 07:46

Hope you can help. I have read a few stories of the AR234 being used toward the end of the war. One of the stories mentioned that a single aircraft flew over New York City and returned. Was this possible? There were pictures attached to the story of 1944 New York City. Radar images too. Appreciate anyone's thoughts /

reply

Oldgysgt, e-mail, 10.01.2016 00:06

Seraph; when one are using slave labor, cost is not a factor. Also, don't let the range and payload figures fool you. The max range of 1630km is with a 500kg, (1100lb) payload, not 2000kg; hardly a war changing prospect.

reply

barf, 16.12.2012 06:27

my dad own one of these

reply

Seraph, 02.05.2012 19:17

I've been searching all over, but for whatever reason, can't seem to find the cost of this ancient, flying hunk of metal...
Does ANYONE know what this airplane used to cost in the 1940s??

reply

bombardier, e-mail, 25.05.2011 11:40

There were plans for a swept wing variant with better performance and more reliable engines

reply

willi Kriessmann, e-mail, 20.09.2010 01:03

I took off with Ar 234 B F1+DS on Dez. 11 1944 at the airfield Burg and flew the last one on May1st 1945, F1+Gr, from Kaltenkirchen (Hamburg) to Flensburg. The WerkNr.140312 is now on display at the space nuseum Dulles airport,.I flew "her"on March17.1945and again March 29(burg-Puetnitz)

reply

lxbfYeaa, e-mail, 14.03.2024 willi Kriessmann

20

reply

willi Kriessmann, e-mail, 20.09.2010 01:02

I took off with Ar 234 B F1+DS on Dez. 11 1944 at the airfield Burg and flew the last one on May1st 1945, F1+Gr, from Kaltenkirchen (Hamburg) to Flensburg. The WerkNr.140312 is now on display at the space nuseum Dulles airport,.I flew "her"on March17.1945and again March 29(burg-Puetnitz)

reply

Ta-183 Huckebein, 17.06.2010 03:34

Oh sorry i didn't see that there, thanks for telling me Ian!

reply

coxwainF912, e-mail, 15.08.2010 13:00

To Ta-183 Huckebein:
The Arado Ar 234B went operational in 1944, July as a reconnaissance aircraft and it succesfully took a lot of pictures of the landing beaches and the front in Normandy.
The first bombing raid was made on Dec 24th, 1944 against the Belgian city of Liège during the Battle of the Bulge.

reply

Ian R, e-mail, 24.05.2010 17:55

Scroll up the screen & you'll read that it was operational in Autumn 1944. It may well be true.

reply

Ta-183 Huckebein, 18.05.2010 17:58

JIMBOCIN your father really shot down a 234? Wait a minute...... I thought the Arado 234 didn't go operational during WWII!

reply

Ta-183 Huckbein, 16.05.2010 04:48

the arado 234 was supposed to serve the luftwaffe in 1946 too. to see what I mean search 'Luftwaffee 1946:Sink the Marat!' on youtube.com

reply

Darryl Johnston, e-mail, 06.04.2010 16:10

I have heard that there was a development with a crescent-shaped wing but this was never put into production. is this so?

reply

JimboCin, e-mail, 24.03.2010 01:25

My father-in-law, Robert Barnhart, shot down an AR-234. This was with a P-51D Mustang. He was lucky enough to see one on landing approach, and got it there.

reply

sven, 31.01.2010 21:01

Winkle Brown did eventually fly the
Arado. His account is one of the
Most interesting in his exelent book.
(Required reading for all about to
Leave a comment here)
German aerodynamics were way ahead
Of the allies but the jet engines
they had were never operationally
practical or reliable.
The slow pace and ultimate failure
Of their jet engine program is just
One justification of the allied bombing
Campaign. Ultimately you are better off
With a thousand Mosquitos that work
Than a handfull of Arados that don't.

reply

Matt, e-mail, 31.01.2010 08:02

Goering was a short sighted fool , as were most in the Air ministry at the time . They though piston engined fighters like the ME109 would see them through the war ...
Are you not glad they were fools ? German scientists were years ahead , but the Nazis had there heads up there collective asses . Both the 109 and 190 were decade old designs by the end of the war .

reply

paul scott, e-mail, 23.08.2009 21:21

The vampire that flew in 1943 would have caught it.

reply

chris, e-mail, 25.07.2009 17:32

The Germans were so advanced in the aviation department compared to any of the allied airforces that if they would have mass produced the ME 262 or the Horton 229(both jets) they would have ruled the skies.Herman guerring was unrelenting in his pursuit in air superiority,German enginering at its finest...

reply

deporahi, 15.05.2009 19:50

It work, as a bomber just one time in the Remagen bridge battle, and as reconnosence plane it take lots of photos..

reply

1-20 21-40

Do you have any comments?

Name    E-mail


COMPANY
PROFILE


All the World's Rotorcraft


All rhe World's Rotorcraft AVIATION TOP 100 - www.avitop.com Avitop.com