Ar 196 A-5 (Sweden)
| This page is about the bomber Ar 196 A-5 (Sweden). For the German version, see Ar 196 A-3. |
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Contents
Description
The ▄Ar 196 A-5 is a premium rank I Swedish bomber with a battle rating of 1.7 (AB/SB) and 1.3 (RB). It was introduced in Update "Drone Age".
This is a version nearly identical to the Ar 196 A-3 found in the German aviation and naval tree (as scout), with the singular upgrade of a significantly more potent rear defensive gun. It will do best in ground combat as the MG FF is effective against ground, plus the two 50 kg bombs for soft ground targets. The seaplane may have additional utility in Air Sim combat that has a water capture point.
General info
Flight performance
The Arado Ar 196 A-5 features favourable flight characteristics - it is stable, and a good gun platform. Its flight performance may take enemy fighters off guard, as its turning ability rivals most monoplanes at lower ranks and it can hold its own against even biplanes. However, its weight and drag mean that its energy retention in the vertical is almost non-existent, meaning you'll want to keep your fights strictly horizontal. The aircraft also takes damage very well, able to fight decently even in a critically damaged state. Its speed is reasonable for an aircraft of its type, and its dive performance is favourable for a floatplane, but it will be outrun by essentially all dedicated fighters.
| Characteristics | Max speed (km/h at 2,000 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 300 | 292 | 6000 | 22.2 | 23.2 | 4.1 | 4.1 | 450 |
| Upgraded | 344 | 320 | 19.9 | 21.0 | 11.2 | 7.0 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 570 | 550 | ___ | ___ | ___ | ~__ | ~__ |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 170 | < 180 | < 165 | > ___ |
Survivability and armour
The A-5 has no armour. The survivability though, is fairly average, being able to take a lot of small calibre fire but falling apart fairly quickly under anything higher in calibre than a heavy machine gun. The floats and engine in particular are fairly large targets, and with all of the 196's fuel stored in the floats, you don't want to be taking too much damage to them. The engine is fairly resilient, being able to hold out with large amounts of battle damage and even sustain flight with extreme engine damage, but as with any engine trouble it's paramount to return to base as soon as possible.
Modifications and economy
2 × 20 / 40 / 80 % 2 × 100 / 100 / 100 % | Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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Armaments
Offensive armament
The Ar 196 A-5 (Sweden) is armed with:
- 2 x 20 mm MG FF cannons, wing-mounted (60 rpg = 120 total)
- 1 x 7.92 mm MG 17 machine gun, nose-mounted (500 rpg)
Suspended armament
The Ar 196 A-5 (Sweden) can be outfitted with the following ordnance:
- 2 x 50 kg SC50JA bombs (100 kg total)
Defensive armament
The Ar 196 A-5 (Sweden) is defended by:
- 2 x 7.92 mm MG 81 machine guns, dorsal turret (1,000 rpg = 2,000 total)
Usage in battles
The Arado functions well as a support fighter, having good firepower out the back and front. A competent 196 pilot can turn the tide of a dogfight, as its turning ability and powerful weaponry make short work of early war fighters, this is one of the rare planes to mount 20 mm at this BR. The MG 81Z in the observer's position (twin MG 81s) is also a very real threat to enemy aircraft, sporting a very high fire rate with armour piercing and incendiary ammunition. The 196, however, does not have a huge amount of staying power in a fight, as its 20 mm cannons have a fairly average ammunition pool - and once it's depleted the pilot is left with only a single 7.92 mm MG 17. Its flaps, however, are very effective - meaning they drastically reduce the turning radius and have very high rip speeds, which can be used to its advantage during an engagement.
The Ar 196's speed is a limiting factor, as it can only chase down fairly slow aircraft, most of which are bombers or biplanes. It is recommended that you climb to a reasonable altitude, which will allow you to go into engagements with a speed advantage and not leave you stranded at low altitude with very little speed. Armed with only a pair of 50 kg bombs, the Arado does not make a very capable bomber, but it can put them to reasonably good use by taking out some light ground units before engaging enemies in the air.
Its cockpit visibility is reasonably good, with great views out the front and back, though spars somewhat obfuscate the view at both sides, meaning you may have to roll a little from side to side to gain visibility in those areas.
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Powerful offensive armament
- Potent defensive armament
- Well defended
- Reasonably rugged
- Great flaps
- Great flight characteristics for an aircraft of its type
Cons:
- Slow
- Vulnerable to damage to floats
- Poor bomb load
History
The airplane was loved by its pilots, who found that it handled well both in the air and on the water.With the loss of the German surface fleet, the A-1s were added to coastal squadrons and continued to fly reconnaissance missions and submarine hunts into late 1944. Two notable operations were the capture of HMS Seal, and the repeated interception of Royal Air Force Armstrong-Whitworth Whitley bombers. Although it was no match for a fighter, it was considerably better than its Allied counterparts, and generally considered the best of its class.Owing to its good handling on water, the Finnish Air Force utilized Ar 196 A-3s which were later upgraded to A-5s in mid-1944 for reconnaissance duties as well as supply runs, several troops could fit inside its fuselage.[citation needed]
Two Arado Ar 196s were brought to Penang in Japanese-occupied Malaya aboard the auxiliary cruisers Thor and Michel in the early 1940s. In March 1944, along with a Japanese Aichi E13A, these floatplanes formed the newly-created East Asia Naval Special Service to assist both the German Monsun Gruppe and Japanese naval forces in the area. The aircraft were painted in Japanese livery and were operated by Luftwaffe pilots under the command of Oberleutnant Ulrich Horn.
Media
- Skins
See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
External links
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- other literature.
| Arado Aircraft Corporation (Arado Flugzeugwerke) | |
|---|---|
| Bombers | Ar 196 A-3 |
| Jet Bombers | Ar 234 B-2 · Ar 234 C-3 |
| Export | ▄Ar 196 A-5 |
| Sweden bombers | |
|---|---|
| B3 | B3C |
| B17 | B17A · B17B · S17BS |
| SAAB 18 | B18A · B18B · T18B · T18B (57) |
| T 2 | T 2 |
| Finland | ▄Ar 196 A-5 · ▄Ju 88 A-4 |
| Sweden premium aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Fighters | Iacobi's J8A · ▄Fokker D.XXI · Mörkö-Morane · VL Myrsky II · J9 Early · J26 David · VL Pyörremyrsky · ▄Bf 109 G-6 |
| Jet fighters | J29D · J35A · Saab J35XS · JA37DI F21 |
| Strike aircraft | SAAB-105OE · A32A Röd Adam |
| Bomber | ▄Ar 196 A-5 |
