Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede)

Medium Transport Aircraft [ 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.

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/15/2016 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

VIEW SPECIFICATIONS [+]

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.©MilitaryFactory.com

Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.

Specifications

Service Year

1941

Origin

Nazi Germany

Crew

4

Production

22
UNITS

Arado Flugzeugwerke - Germany

(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)

Nazi Germany

(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)

✓ Transport
General transport functionality to move supplies/cargo or personnel (including wounded and VIP) over range.

Length

77.2 ft
(23.52 m)

Width/Span

109.9 ft
(33.50 m)

Height

18.7 ft
(5.70 m)

Empty Wgt

28,175 lb
(12,780 kg)

MTOW

46,628 lb
(21,150 kg)

Wgt Diff

+18,453 lb
(+8,370 kg)

(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede) production variant)

Installed: 4 x Bramo 232-R Fafnir 9-cylinder radial piston engines developing 1,200 horsepower each.

Max Speed

211 mph
(340 kph | 184 kts)

Ceiling

22,638 ft
(6,900 m | 4 mi)

Range

830 mi
(1,335 km | 2,472 nm)

♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)

Sub

Trans

Super

Hyper

HiHyper

ReEntry

♦

(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede) production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)

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

Supported Types

Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun

Graphical image of an aircraft automatic cannon

(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)

Hardpoint Mountings: 0

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.

Military lapel ribbon for Operation Allied Force

Military lapel ribbon for the Arab-Israeli War

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Britain

Military lapel ribbon for the Battle of Midway

Military lapel ribbon for the Berlin Airlift

Military lapel ribbon for the Cuban Missile Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for pioneering aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the Falklands War

Military lapel ribbon for the French-Indochina War

Military lapel ribbon for the Golden Age of Flight

Military lapel ribbon for the 1991 Gulf War

Military lapel ribbon for the Indo-Pak Wars

Military lapel ribbon for the Iran-Iraq War

Military lapel ribbon for the Korean War

Military lapel ribbon for the 1982 Lebanon War

Military lapel ribbon for the Malayan Emergency

Military lapel ribbon representing modern aircraft

Military lapel ribbon for the attack on Pearl Harbor

Military lapel ribbon for the Six Day War

Military lapel ribbon for the Soviet-Afghan War

Military lapel ribbon for the Spanish Civil War

Military lapel ribbon for the Suez Crisis

Military lapel ribbon for the Ukranian-Russian War

Military lapel ribbon for the Vietnam War

Military lapel ribbon for Warsaw Pact of the Cold War-era

Military lapel ribbon for the WASP (WW2)

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 1

Military lapel ribbon for the World War 2

Military lapel ribbon for the Yom Kippur War

Military lapel ribbon for experimental x-plane aircraft

Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.

Images Gallery

1 / 5

Image of the Arado Ar 232 Tausendfussler (Millipede)

Image from the Public Domain.

2 / 5

Image from the Public Domain.

3 / 5

Image from the Public Domain.

4 / 5

Image from the Public Domain.

5 / 5

Image from the Public Domain.

❮ ❯

Disclaimer | Privacy Policy | Cookies

2024 Military Pay Chart Military Ranks DoD Dictionary Conversion Calculators Military Alphabet Code Military Map Symbols

The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com. No A.I. was used in the generation of this content; site is 100% curated by humans.

Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing military medals and ribbons. Special Interest: RailRoad Junction, the locomotive encyclopedia.

©2023 www.MilitaryFactory.com • All Rights Reserved • Content ©2003-2023 (20yrs)