Arado Ar 232

Ar 232
Arado Ar 232B-0
Role	Transport Type of aircraft
National origin	Germany
Manufacturer	Arado Flugzeugwerke
First flight	June 1941
Introduction	1943
Retired	1945
Primary user	Luftwaffe
Number built	~20

The Arado Ar 232 Tausendfüßler (German: "Millipede"), sometimes also called Tatzelwurm, was a cargo aircraft that was designed and produced in small numbers by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado Flugzeugwerke. It was designed during the first half of the Second World War in response to a request by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (German Air Ministry, RLM) for a successor or supplemental transport aircraft to the Luftwaffe's obsolescent Junkers Ju 52/3m. The Ar 232 introduced, or brought together, almost all of the features now considered to be standard in modern cargo transport aircraft designs, including a box-like fuselage slung beneath a high wing; a rear loading ramp (that had first appeared on the December 1939-flown Junkers Ju 90 V5 fifth prototype four-engined transport via its Trapoklappe), a high-mounted twin tail for easy access to the hold and features for operating from rough fields. It was initially requested to be powered by a pair of BMW 801A/B radial engines, however, an alternative arrangement of four BMW Bramo 323 engines was adopted instead due to a lack of capacity.

The first twin-engine prototype performing its maiden flight in June 1941, while the first four-engine prototype followed roughly one year later. The type demonstrated clear performance advantages over the Ju 52/3m and limited pre-production orders were placed, leading to roughly 20 aircraft being constructed. The envisioned mass production of the Ar 232 was never attained, primarily due to Germany having an abundance of transport aircraft in production and thus it did not purchase large numbers of Ar 232s. Several aircraft did see operational use, to aid wartime production efforts and on the front line. Arado's design team continued to work on refinements, including economy measures and the enlarged six-engined Ar 632 variant. At one point, German officials expected quantity production of the type to be attained in October 1945 but the war ended instead. Two Ar 232s were captured by the British and operated for a time between England and Germany following the conflict.