Arado SD I
Arado Flugzeugwerke · German Reich · first flew 1927 · fighter
The Arado SD I was a German single-seat biplane fighter developed in the late 1920s as Arado Flugzeugwerke began producing military-capable aircraft under the guise of sport types. It was an early product of the clandestine rearmament effort.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 6.75 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Interwar German single-seat biplane fighter
- Early Arado design from the late 1920s
- Built to circumvent Versailles restrictions via sport designation
Compact single-bay biplane with a clean cowling around an inline or radial engine. Typical of German interwar fighter biplanes with conventional wire bracing and fixed undercarriage.
Specifications
- The Arado SD I has a length of 6.75 m (22 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 8.4 m (28 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 275 km/h (171 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Arado Flugzeugwerke was established in 1925 and quickly became one of Germany's major aircraft manufacturers. The SD I (Sport-Doppeldecker I) was an early fighter design produced at a time when Germany was technically prohibited from building military aircraft under the Treaty of Versailles. The design was competitive for its era and served as a stepping stone to later Arado fighter developments.
Variants
The SD I was followed by the SD II and SD III in Arado's progressive development of single-seat biplane fighters during the late 1920s and early 1930s.
Where you'll see it
Likely evaluated by the clandestine German military aviation establishment (Reichswehr). Not widely exported or placed in large-scale service, functioning primarily as a development aircraft.
Related aircraft
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