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Arado Ar 96

German Reich ·first flew 1938· military trainer

🎖️ military piston
10 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
  1. 1. Arado Ar-96: U.S. Air Force photo· Public domain
  2. 2. Arado Ar 96 A aircraft model at the Museum of Aviation in Košice: ZemplinTemplar· CC BY-SA 4.0
  3. 3. Arado Ar 96 A, 'BI+AP', FFS unbekannt, ca. 1940: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  4. 4. Arado Ar 96 A, So. 1940 (1): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  5. 5. Arado Ar 96 A, So. 1940 (2): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  6. 6. Arado Ar 96 B-1 (BJ+AV), Sch. FAR 31, Posen, Mai 1941, Überschlag (1a): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  7. 7. Arado Ar 96 B-1 (BJ+AV), Sch. FAR 31, Posen, Mai 1941, Überschlag (1b): Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  8. 8. Arado Ar 96 B-x (SA+MZ), FFS A-B 123, Agram-Borongaj, ca. 1943: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  9. 9. Arado Ar 96 B-x, FFS A-B 72, Schwerin-Görries, 1944: Unknown author Unknown author· Public domain
  10. 10. Arado Ar 96B-1 ‘PI+OT’ -4246- (44184797871): Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK· CC BY-SA 2.0
Read about it on Wikipedia ↗
Arado Ar 96, photo 1 of 10
1/10 U.S. Air Force photo· Public domain

what is it?

The Arado Ar 96 was a single-engine, low-wing monoplane of all-metal construction, designed and produced by the German aircraft manufacturer Arado Flugzeugwerke. It was the Luftwaffe's standard advanced trainer throughout the Second World War. The Ar 96 was designed during the mid-1930s in response to a requirement issued by the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM/German Aviation Ministry) for a modern trainer.

How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · low wing · 11 m wingspan

base stats

  • speed 330 km/htop speed
  • range 991 kmwithout refuelling
  • size 1,700 kgmax take-off weight
  • built 3,300made 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 88 years ago, in 1938.
  • Top speed is 2.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
  • Wingspan of 11 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
1938
introduced
1939
number built
3,300
role
military trainer
origin
German Reich
makers
Avia, AGO Flugzeugwerke, Arado Flugzeugwerke, Letov
engines
1× Argus As 410A-1 / Argus As 410 / Argus As 10
length
9.1 m
wingspan
11 m
height
2.6 m
max take-off weight
1,700 kg
top speed
330 km/h
cruise speed
295 km/h
range
991 km
ceiling
7,100 m
wings
low wing

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

Sources: Wikidata Q31555, Wikipedia: Arado Ar 96 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.

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