Arado Designations

Hello chaps,

this is what I know on Arado manufacturer designations. If you know more, please fill the many gaps. Thanks.

E 233 - Ar 430 amphibian transport 1940
E 300 - Ar 231 u-boat scout seaplane 1938
E 310 - project for a twin engined carrier torpedo bomber 1939/40
E 370 - Ar 234 with multiple undercarriage wheels 1940
E 371 - Ar 234 1943
E 377 - Ar 234 with flying bomb 1944
E 378 - Ar 234 with 4 jets 1944
E 380 - Development of the Ar196 1943
E 381 - Rocket mini-fighter 1944
E 385 - Jet fast bomber 1942
E 390 - High altitude transport 1940
E 395 - Jet bomber 1944
E 401 - Floatplane version of the Ar232 1941
E 430 - Amphibian transport 1940
E 440 - Warzone transporter Ar232 1940
E 441 - High capacity transporter 1940
E 470 - High capacity transporter 1941
E 480 - Jet/piston fighter 1941
E 490 - Jet/piston fighter 1941
E 491 - Guided bomb SB1400 1942
E 500 - Destroyer 1936
E 530 - Destroyer 1943
E 555 - Jet bomber ( many variants ) 1943/44
E 560 - Jet bomber 1942
E 580 - "Volksjaeger" 1944
E 581 - Jet night fighter 1944
E 583 - Jet night fighter 1945
E 625 - Ar240 1939
E 651 - Destroyer 1937
E 654 - Ar240 development 1941

The E.340 twin-boomed Bomber B project (2 x Jumo 222) and E.561 buried-engine Zerstörer 1937/38 come to mind.

Additions in Italic (Source: "Arado - Geschichte eines Flugzeugwerks" by Jörg Armin Kranzhoff, ISBN 3-925505-27-X):

E 233 - Ar 430 amphibian transport 1940
Ar 234 – well-known …
E 300 - Ar 231 u-boat scout seaplane 1938
E 310 - project for a twin engined carrier torpedo bomber 1939/40
Ar 334 – Ar 234 development
E 340 - twin-boomed Bomber B project (2 x Jumo 222)
E 370 - Ar 234 with multiple undercarriage wheels 1940
E 371 - Ar 234 1943
E 375 – bomber, 2 x Jumo 012
E 377 - Ar 234 with flying bomb 1944 (type designation for the glide bomb itself beneath Ar 234 C)
E 378 - Ar 234 with 4 jets 1944
E 380 - Development of the Ar196 1943
E 381 - Rocket mini-fighter 1944
E 385 - Jet fast bomber 1942
E 390 - High altitude transport 1940
E 395 - Jet bomber 1944
E 396 - trainer
E 401 - Floatplane version of the Ar232 1941
E 430 - Amphibian transport 1940
Ar 432 – Ar 232 development
E 433 – Ar 232 as composite/mixed construction
Ar 440 - originally designed as reconnaissance aircraft 1942-43
E 440 - Warzone transporter Ar232 1940
E 441 - High capacity transporter 1940
E 470 - High capacity transporter 1941
E 480 - Jet/piston fighter 1941
E 490 - Jet/piston fighter 1941
E 491 - Guided bomb SB1400 1942
E 500 - Destroyer 1936
E 530 - Destroyer 1943
Ar 532 – four-engine transport
E 555 - Jet bomber ( many variants ) 1943/44
E 560 - Jet bomber 1942
E 561 - buried-engine Zerstörer 1937/38
E 580 - "Volksjaeger" 1944
E 581 - Jet night fighter 1944
E 583 - Jet night fighter 1945
E 625 - Ar240 1939
Ar 632 – four-engine transport
E 651 - Destroyer 1937
E 654 - Ar240 development 1941

It appears you are mixing apples and oranges. The RLM 8-Nummer series and the Arado E.xxx series are completely independent. For example, the Ar 234 (8-234) was the RLM designation for the development of the Arado E.370 project (not just "Ar 234 with multiple undercarriage wheels 1940"). Most projects that made it to hardware had several iterations before metal was cut. Occasionally the numbers get mixed up, even in WWII German documents, but if you study the subject of WWII Luftwaffe projects, IMHO you will find it is generally pretty clear which is which and they are not the same thing.

Best Regards,

Artie Bob

Additions in Italic (Source: "Arado - Geschichte eines Flugzeugwerks" by Jörg Armin Kranzhoff, ISBN 3-925505-27-X):

Click to expand...

The mentioned book was published in 1995. Five years later the same author wrote an 'update' on the same topic (Volume 31 of the Deutsche Luftfahrt series). And of course, Artie Bob, you are right in case of number 440: Ar 440 multi-purpose aircraft ('Mehrzweckflugzeug' at Kranzhoff) is totally different to E 440 warzone transport (see Ar 232).

E 377 was corrected by me (according to the entry in the book from year 2000).

Sorry for my sloppiness. (WWII designs are not my favourites.)

Wurger said:

E 654 - Ar240 development 1941

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This aircraft had a wider fuselage to house the Daimler-Benz engine buried in it. This is similar to the E.561.

It is a rather advance looking aircraft. If it had tricycle landing gear the bottom right picture would have given a (superficial) resemblance to the Dash-8.

A drawing of the Arado Ar E.654, mislabelled as an early drawing of Focke Wulf (Tank) Ta 154 "Moskito".
Thanks to our forum members 'richard B' and 'sienar' for pointing that out.

SDASM Flickr Archives said:

An early drawing of Focke Wulf (Tank) Ta 154 "Moskito" from the Perman collection

Click to expand...

View: https://flic.kr/p/2m8AHu8

E-240 were the design studies for what became the Ar-240 (1938)

Some good Ar240 pics here: