Arado Ar E.340

The Arado-produced Ar E.340 was designed to a German requirement for a twin-engined bomber to replace the aging Junkers Ju 88 and Dornier Do 217's currently in service. The design offered up the potential for multirole capabilities based on these specifications and could be used as a medium-class bomber, a close-support aircraft or a dive bomber. With four prominent German aviation bureaus submitting their designs, Arado was chosen to further their E.340 twin-engine design.

The E.340 was of a unique design, featuring the engines in a twin-boom arrangement though each boom was only connected through the main wing assembly and not through a rear-placed elevator between the tail fins (as might be traditionally found on the Lockheed P-38 Lightning or the Northrop P-61 Black Widow designs). The booms straddled either side of the pencil-like fuselage that held the cockpit area, defensive gun emplacements, the bomb bay and seating for the four crew. Wings were of a straight mid-wing mounting. The fuselage extended well out and in front of the engine nacelles. It is assumed that vision from the front and rear fuselage positions would have been good considering the placement of the cockpit so far forward and the design initiative to not have a large horizontal surface placed between the two tail booms at rear.

Defensive armament consisted of a mix of cannon and machine guns. Armament was fitted to a dorsal turret, a ventral turret position and a "stinger" gun position was fitted to the rear of the fuselage (both turrets were radio controlled). Additional defensive armament was fitted to the ends of the tailbooms and operated by periscope. Internal bomb load out was forecasted at over 13,000lbs, though this held the stipulation that it was possible if only more powerful engines would become available during the course of the development.

With no fewer than three engines being worked on from Daimler Benz, BMW and Jumo, the Jumo powerplant was selected. Due to the fuel required to power the Jumo and its extreme scarcity, however, the development of the entire project suffered and was ultimately cancelled. A promising design for the most part, the Ar E.340 would go down as yet another failed attempt to produce a war winning, tide-turning design for the Luftwaffe in the latter years of the war.

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Last Revision: 4/16/2009