07/31/2013. Remarks by Johan Visschedijk: "Designed by Dipl.-Ing. Walter Rethel, the Ar 80 was one of four contenders in a single-seat fighter monoplane contest and for which the company was awarded a development contract in February 1934. The Ar 80 was of all-metal construction with a low cantilever inverted gull wing and had a fixed spatted landing gear. The first prototype, the Ar 80 V1 (registered D-IRLI), was powered by a Rolls-Royce Kestrel V engine with a continuous rating of 695 hp and 812 hp available for take off. This aircraft was destroyed in a landing accident.

Initially, the second prototype, the Ar 80 V2 (D-ILOH), was similarly powered, but it was subsequently (as illustrated here) re-engined with a Junkers Jumo 210Ca affording 695 hp for take off. Also powered by the Jumo 210Ca, the Ar 80 V3 (D-IPBN) was the first prototype fitted with armament, comprising one engine-mounted 0.787 in (20 mm) and two 0.311 in (7.9 mm) machine guns in the engine cowling.

The Ar 80 V4 (D-IMEM) was fitted with a fuel injected Jumo 210Ga engine and featured an enclosed cockpit, both this and the Ar 80 V5 (D-IROK) undergoing extensive testing at Rechlin for the evaluation of new instrumentation and subsequently at the Tarnewitz armament test center, finally being returned to Arado for the defense of the company's airfield at Warnemünde. The Ar 80 V3 was fitted with a revised wing eliminating the inverted gull arrangement and was modified as a two-seater.

A proposed production version of the Arado fighter with a Jumo 210Ea and fully-retractable main landing gear was discontinued upon selection of the Messerschmitt Bf 109 to fulfill the requirement."

The following data relate to the Ar 80 V3.

Span: 38 ft 8.5 in (11.80 m)
Length: 33 ft 1.67 in (10.10 m)
Height: 9 ft 8.125 in (2.95 m)
Wing area: 226.05 sq.ft (21.00 sq.m)
Empty weight: 3,626 lb (1,645 kg)
Loaded weight: 4,630 lb (2,100 kg)
Max speed: 264 mph (425 kmh) at 13,125 ft (4,000 m)
Climb: to 13,125 ft (4,000 m) 5 min 48 sec
Range: 373 mls (600 km)