Arado Ar 76

Ar 76
Ar 76
	Arado Ar 76 V3 photo from Le Pontentiel Aérien Mondial 1936
General information
Type	Fighter
Manufacturer	Arado
Designer	Walter Blume
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	189
History
Introduction date	1936
First flight	April 1934

The Arado Ar 76 was a German aircraft of the 1930s, designed as a light fighter with a secondary role as an advanced trainer in mind.^[1]

Development

Arado's response to a requirement by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) for a light / emergency fighter aircraft, was the Ar 76 which was evaluated against the Heinkel He 74, Focke-Wulf Fw 56, the Henschel Hs 121 and Hs 125 in 1935. Although the Fw 56 was selected for the main production contract, the RLM was sufficiently impressed by the Ar 76 to order a small number of production aircraft as well.^[1]

Design

The Ar 76 was a parasol-wing monoplane with fixed, tailwheel undercarriage. The wings were constructed of fabric-covered wood, and the fuselage was fabric-covered steel tube.^[1]

It was powered by an Argus As 10C inverted V8 which produced 240 horsepower (180 kW) and was capable of propelling the Ar 76 up to a maximum speed of 267 km/h (166 mph) and to a maximum altitude of 6,400 m (21,000 ft).^[3]

When used as a fighter the Ar 76 was armed with twin 7.92mm MG 17 machine guns which were mounted above the engine and each had access to 250 rounds. However, when used as an advanced trainer, it only carried a single MG 17.^[3] Alongside this it could also carry two 10 kg (22 lb) SC 10 bombs, one under each wing.^[3]

Operational history

Production Ar 76A aircraft were used by Jagdfliegerschulen (fighter pilot schools) from 1936.^[1]

Variants

Data from:^[1]

Ar 76a: First prototype, (regn. D-ISEN).
Ar 76 V2: Second prototype, (regn. D-IRAS).
Ar 76 V3: Third prototype.
Ar 76A: Single-seat advanced trainer, lightweight fighter aircraft. Built in small numbers.

Operators

Germany

Luftwaffe

Specifications (Ar 76A-0)

Data from Aircraft of the Third Reich,^[1] Flugzeug Typenbuch 1936^[4]Luftwaffe Warbird Resource Group^[3]

General characteristics

Crew: one
Length: 7.2 m (23 ft 7 in)
Wingspan: 9.50 m (31 ft 2 in)
Height: 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 13.34 m² (143.6 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 6.5
Empty weight: 751 kg (1,656 lb)
Gross weight: 1,072 kg (2,363 lb)
Fuel capacity: main tank:105 L (28 US gal; 23 imp gal); oil tank:12 L (3.2 US gal; 2.6 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Argus As 10C inverted V-8 air-cooled piston engine, 179 kW (240 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed wooden fixed pitch propeller

Performance

Maximum speed: 267 km/h (166 mph, 144 kn)
Cruise speed: 221 km/h (137 mph, 119 kn)
Landing Speed: 100 km/h (62 mph; 54 kn)
Range: 470 km (290 mi, 250 nmi)
Endurance: 2 hr 24 minutes
Service ceiling: 6,400 m (21,000 ft)
Rate of climb: 7.2 m/s (1,420 ft/min)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 2.5 minutes
Fuel consumption: 21 L (5.5 US gal; 4.6 imp gal) / 100 km (54 nmi; 62 mi)
Oil consumption: 0.8 L (0.21 US gal; 0.18 imp gal) / 100 km (54 nmi; 62 mi)

Armament

Guns:
- Fighter: 2 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine guns, 250 rounds per gun
- Trainer: 1 × 7.92 mm (0.312 in) MG 17 machine guns, 250 rounds per gun
Bombs: 2 × 10 kg (22 lb) SC 10 fragmentation bombs

References

Citations

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-900732-06-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
^ Federal Archive/Military Archive Freiburg, production programs RL 3
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "AR 76". Luftwaffe Warbird Resource Group.
^ Schneider, Helmut (1936). Flugzeug-Typenbuch 1936 (PDF) (in German) (1936 ed.). Leipzig: Herm. Beyer Verlag. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2018-12-20.

Bibliography

Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-900732-06-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
Green, William (1972). Warplanes of the Third Reich. New York: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-05782-2.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 71.
World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Aerospace Publishing, London. File 889 Sheet 69.

[Greenaottr-1] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Green, William (2010). Aircraft of the Third Reich (1st ed.). London. p. 35. ISBN 978-1-900732-06-2.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)

[2] Federal Archive/Military Archive Freiburg, production programs RL 3

[WBRG-3] "AR 76". Luftwaffe Warbird Resource Group.

[FT1936-4] Schneider, Helmut (1936). Flugzeug-Typenbuch 1936 (PDF) (in German) (1936 ed.). Leipzig: Herm. Beyer Verlag. p. 11. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-09-08. Retrieved 2018-12-20.

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