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".
General info
Flight performance
The Arado Ar 196 A-5 features favourable flight characteristics - it is stable, and a good gun platform. It's 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. (Historically the A-5 was equipped with a BMW 132W engine, outputting a maximum power of 1,050HP, but oddly the A-5 in game retains the earlier BMW 132K from 196 A-3s) 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 _,___ m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | ___ | ___ | 6000 | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ___ |
| Upgraded | ___ | ___ | __._ | __._ | __._ | __._ | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No |
| 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 |
| < ___ | < ___ | < ___ | > ___ |
Survivability and armour
Historically, the A-5 has armour plating protecting the crew and cabin, but in-game (for some reason) 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 196s 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, 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 it's turning ability and powerful weaponry make short work of early war fighters. The MG 81Z in the observers 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 it's 20mm cannon do not have a very large ammunition pool - and once it's depleted the pilot is left with only a single 7.92mm MG 17. It's 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.
It's speed is a limiting factor, as it can only chase down the very slowest of aircraft, most of which are bombers. 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 50kg bombs, the Arado does not make a very capable bomber (Historically the Finnish 196 A-5s could mount up to four 100kg bombs, but this load out is currently not in game), but it can put them to reasonably good use by taking out some light ground units before engaging enemies in the air.
It's 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 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 Ar 196 was a German shipborne floatplane reconnaissance aircraft that equipped the majority of the Kriegsmarine's ships during the Second World War. Designed as a replacement to the obsolete He 60, the Ar 196 started entering service in the late 1930s to equip German capital ships such as ships of the Deutschland, Scharnhorst and Bismarck classes. The planes saw their first service in late 1939 as scouts for the pocket battleship Graf Spee, and later distinguished themselves by capturing the British submarine HMS Seal. Many Ar 196 floatplanes were captured by Allied forces, and several aircraft survive in museums to this day.
Design and development[edit | edit source]
In the early 1930s, the primary German floatplane fighter was the Heinkel He 60, an underpowered biplane design that soon became obsolete. Thus, the Air Ministry (RLM) decided to pursue the development of a new naval floatplane fighter. Heinkel submitted the He 114, a sesquiplane, while several other firms submitted similar biplanes designs. However, the Arado firm decided to create an unconventional monoplane design, which proved to have significantly better performance than its competitors. Thus, four prototypes were ordered; more conservative elements of the RLM decided to order the Focke-Wulf designed Fw 62, a more conventional biplane, but the order was cancelled when the Ar 196 proved to be well adapted for its role.
The Ar 196 was of monoplane construction, and featured a BMW engine producing just under 1,000 hp. It was flown by a crew of two - a pilot and a navigator, who doubled as the rear gunner. Armament consisted of a formidable two 20 mm MG/FF cannons and a single 7.92 mm machine gun firing forward, and a single 7.92 mm machine gun on a flexible mounting in the rear cockpit. The first pre-production Ar 196 model was delivered in late 1938, and following shakedown tests, the first production aircraft were delivered in June of 1939.
Operational History[edit | edit source]
The Ar 196 first saw battle service in late 1939, when two Ar 196s were loaded aboard the pocket battleship Graf Spee. They served as the medium range reconnaissance aircraft and were responsible for locating the majority of the Spee's victims. Another notable action took place in mid-1940, when land-based Arado 196s captured a British submarine, the HMS Seal. After the Seal struck one of its own mines during a minelaying operation, patrolling Ar 196s managed to damage the submarine by bombs and gunfire to prevent her from submerging. An Arado landed beside the submarine, whose commander decided to surrender.
Production of the Ar 196 was slow, having been shifted between multiple aircraft producers. Nevertheless, the Ar 196 served as the main catapult floatplane for Kriegsmarine capital ships until the end of the war. Production had been terminated in 1944 due to the relative obsolescence of the Ar 196 against the modern allied fighters it frequently encountered over the German coast. Several Ar 196s survived the war, including two floatplanes confiscated with the German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen. Two Ar 196s survive, one at a Bulgarian museum and the other in storage at the National Air and Space Museum in the United States.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
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 |
