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Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede)


Medium Transport Aircraft


Nazi Germany | 1941



"When on the ground, the Arado Ar 232 was a highly identifiable transport aircraft, thanks to the multiple sets of wheels the system utilized."

Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede) Medium Transport Aircraft.
4 x Bramo 232-R Fafnir 9-cylinder radial piston engines developing 1,200 horsepower each.
Propulsion
211 mph
340 kph | 184 kts
Max Speed
22,638 ft
6,900 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling
830 miles
1,335 km | 721 nm
Operational Range
Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede) Medium Transport Aircraft.
4
(MANNED)
Crew
77.2 ft
23.52 m
O/A Length
109.9 ft
(33.50 m)
O/A Width
18.7 ft
(5.70 m)
O/A Height
28,175 lb
(12,780 kg)
Empty Weight
46,628 lb
(21,150 kg)
MTOW
Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede) Medium Transport Aircraft .
STANDARD:
1 x 13mm MG 131 machine gun in nose
1 x 20mm MG 151 cannon in dorsal turret
1 OR 2 x 13mm MG 131 machine gun(s) at rear fuselage

OPTIONAL:
8 x 7.92mm MG 34 machine guns at fuselage windows
Variants
Notable series variants as part of the Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede) family line.
Ar 232 - Base Series Designation
Ar 232A - Initial production model; fitted with 2 x BMW 801A or 801L engines of 1,395 horsepower output; serving in preproduction role; ten examples.
Ar 232B - Second production model fitted with 4 x Bramo Fafnir 323 engines of 1,000 horsepower; ten examples completed.
Ar 232C - Alternative production form with added wood in construction; redesignated to Ar 432.
Ar 432 - Redesignation of Ar 232C model
Ar 532 - Proposed six-engine variant based on the Ar 432
Ar 632 - Another proposed six-engine variant of the Ar 432 model.
Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/15/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

The Arado aircraft concern of Germany produced one of the more identifiable large transport aircraft of the Luftwaffe during World War 2 (1939-1945) through their Ar 232 production model. Known unofficially as the "Millipede" (or "Tausendfussler") due to the large collection of landing wheels fitted to the undercarriage arrangement, the Ar 232 series saw only a limited production run with no more than 22 total examples being made during the conflict. As such, the Ar 232 went on to serve in a limited capacity for Luftwaffe special operations missions and general transportation.

Prototypes were born as the Ar 232 V1 and V2 and these carried 2 x BMW 801A/B engines of 1,600 horsepower each. The twins were used in the research and data collection role. The Ar 232 V3 and V4 prototypes then followed in the same role but were now outfitted with 4 x BMW Bramo 323R-2 Fafnir series engines. Initial production forms then became Ar 232A and these carried 2 x BMW 801 engines. Ten were produced and used in active trials.

This then led to the alternative Arado Ar 232B model of which ten were produced as Ar 232B-0 and powered by the four Bramo 323 engines mentioned earlier. The Ar 232C was an all-new variant which relied more on wood in its construction to free up much needed metals for other, more important aircraft types in Luftwaffe service. Wood was featured at both the control surfaces and in the out wing areas. This version was then redesignated to Ar 432 but the end of the war signaled the end of this product run.

The Ar 532 and Ar 632 were two proposed six-engined designs of the aforementioned Ar 432, dimensionally larger for much-increased internal volume.

The Ar 232 aircraft were built around a stout monocoque fuselage, designed with cargo-carrying capacity and capabilities in mind. The wings in play were of a high monoplane design with a slim tail stem extending aft of the main fuselage nacelle. The tail was capped by a sole horizontal plane straddled by a pair of vertical fins. The fuselage nacelle featured a heavily glazed cockpit flight deck offering good vision out-of-the-cockpit as well as views ot he engines along the wing leading edges. As a transport, armament carried was generally defensive-minded and included a nose-mounted 13mm heavy machine gun, a 20mm cannon in a dorsal turret mounting (just above and aft of the cockpit), and 1 or 2 x 13mm machine guns at the fuselage nacelle rear. Up to 8 x 7.92mm MG 34 General Purpose Machine Guns (GPMGs) could be fitted to the fuselage windows as needed. This was typically done when transport troopers. With a solid nose featured at front, the cargo hold was accessed through the rear of the fuselage - forcing the tail unit to be elevated in the design.

A prototype Ar 232 was first flown in June 1941lly The four-engined Ar 232B model weighed 46,628lbs under full loads. Maximum speed reached 190 miles per hour with a cruising speed in the 180 mph range. Service range reached 660 miles while the aircraft's service ceiling was up to 22,640 feet.

The type was not exported and managed a service tenure up to the end of the war in May of 1945.

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Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede). Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 22 Units

Contractor(s): Arado Flugzeugwerke - Germany
National flag of modern Germany National flag of Nazi Germany

[ Nazi Germany ]
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The Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede) Medium Transport Aircraft appears in the following collections:
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