Arado Ar-80 V-2 (Source: Warplanes of the Third Reich)

When the Arado company received the invitation of the RLM to participate in the 1935 fighter competition its chief designer Walter Rethel had just left the company to join Messerschmitt. So the Arado team was without any experience in the design of all-metal aircraft or in retractable undercarriages.

It was thought that the saving in weight as a result of the fixed undercarriage would offset the added drag of the undercarriage legs. They proved wrong.

The Ar-80 was a all metal monoplane with a fixed undercarriage and an open cockpit. It had a gull shaped wing.

The Ar-80 V-1 was fitted with the Rolls Royce Kestrel engine because the Jumo 210 was not yet ready. The V-2 was to be fitted with the Junkers engine. As the first prototype crashed however the V-2 was also finished with the Kestrel.

The performance was very disappointing. Weight was excessive, being 16% greater than anticipated. The maximum speed was only 410km/h. After brief tests at Rechlin, the Arado company was informed that further development was of no interest.

The third prototype was finished in 1935 and served as a company test-bed for flaps. It disposed of the gull shaped wing in an attempt to save weight. This effort was too late however.

Arado Ar-80 V-2 (Source: Heinkel He-112 in action)