Arado SD III

Arado · Germany · first flew 1929 · fighter

The Arado SD III was a fighter biplane developed in Germany in the 1920s. It was designed by Walter Rethel.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — WingsMid-mounted, straight
E — Engines1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage7.75 m fuselage
T — TailConventional

WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.

Spot it by:

Look for a single-seat fighter biplane with a 510 hp Siemens-Halske-built Jupiter engine and a span of 9.9 m.

Specifications

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

It was developed in parallel with the SD II and shared most of that aircraft's airframe design. The main differences lay in the powerplant installation, which required a shorter forward fuselage and a redesigned undercarriage.

Variants

The SD III was a sister type to the SD II. Only one SD III was built.

Where you'll see it

It was evaluated at Staaken, Rechlin and finally Lipetsk, and judged unsuitable for mass production. The lessons learned proved invaluable to Arado in designing the Ar 64 and Ar 65.

Related aircraft

AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 8,606 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.