ARADO Ar 240
Arado’s Ar 240 two-seat multi-role combat aflflaft was yet anothflGflman World WflTwo design that promised much, but failed to delivfl, as Chris Goss explai_
As an ambitious Germany sought to bolster its air force in 1938, it identified a need for a new combat aircraft that would dominate the skies. The origins of the Ar 240 were set when the
Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) tasked Arado Flugzeugbau with designing a fast, powerfully armed two-seat heavy fighter (schneller Kampfzerstörer), with a pressurised cockpit and remotely controlled gun barbettes. It would also be capable of dive-bombing and reconnaissance. Arado’s design met with the RLM’s approval, so a contract for three prototypes was issued in April 1939. Even though the first machine, Ar 240V1 DD+QL, did not fly until mid-May 1940 the RLM in its usual rushed manner increased the number of prototypes from three to ten, doubtless putting Arado under pressure from the outset. As a result, there were many problems with the aircraft and its engines.
First, the DB 601A powerplants suffered from overheating, which required several minor modifications. It also had very bad handling characteristics, to such an extent that the aircraft w…
