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#0653

Arado Ar 65

first flew 1931· biplane fighter

🎖️ military piston retired
8 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. Arado Ar 65 Germany: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  2. 2. Arado Ar65: unknown bulgarian official· Public domain
  3. 3. Arado Ar 65, FFS A-B 72 Markersdorf b. St. Pölten (2b): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  4. 4. Arado Ar 65, FFS A-B 72 Markersdorf b. St. Pölten (3a): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  5. 5. Arado Ar 65, FFS A-B 72 Markersdorf b. St. Pölten (3b): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  6. 6. Arado Ar 65, FFS A-B 72, Markersdorf b. St. Pölten (1a): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  7. 7. Arado Ar 65, FFS A-B 72, Markersdorf b. St. Pölten (1b): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  8. 8. Arado Ar 65, FFS A-B 72, Markersdorf b. St. Pölten (2a): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Arado Ar 65, photo 1 of 8
1/8 Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain

what is it?

The Arado Ar 65 was the single-seat biplane fighter successor to the Ar 64. Both looked very similar. The only major difference was the use of a 12-cylinder inline engine versus the Ar 64's radial.

How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 11.2 m wingspan

base stats

  • speed 300 km/htop speed
  • range 560 kmwithout refuelling
  • seats 1passengers
  • size 1,930 kgmax take-off weight
  • built 194made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

  • First flew 95 years ago, in 1931.
  • Top speed is 2.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Wingspan of 11.2 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight
1931
retired
1940
status
retired
number built
194
role
biplane fighter
makers
Arado Flugzeugwerke
engines
1× BMW VI 7.3z / BMW VI
passengers
1
length
8.4 m
wingspan
11.2 m
height
3.4 m
max take-off weight
1,930 kg
top speed
300 km/h
cruise speed
246 km/h
range
560 km
ceiling
7,600 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.

Sources: Wikidata Q29006, Wikipedia: Arado Ar 65 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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