Why did the Ar 232 go from two to four engines?

Short answer

Due to engine availability: BMW 801 production could not meet all the anticipated demand, forcing Arado to adopt an alternative engine. The choice was the 895 kW (1,200 hp) Bramo 323. The Ar 232 came from an RLM competition at the end of 1939 to replace the Ju 52/3m.

Published: November 2, 2026 · Updated: November 2, 2026 · Edited by Above Ten Thousand · Editorial policy

Why did the Ar 232 go from two to four engines?

Arado Ar 234 B-2 Blitz (Lightning)

An engine that wasn't coming

The Ar 232 originated from a competition that the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) launched at the end of 1939 in search of a replacement for the ubiquitous Ju 52/3m. BMW 801 production proved insufficient to meet all the anticipated demand, forcing Arado to adopt an alternative engine. That replacement was the 895 kW (1,200 hp) Bramo 323.

The landing gear

In addition to the main landing gear, the aircraft had an extra set of eleven twin wheels per side, smaller and non-retractable, mounted along the ventral centerline of the fuselage.

The last examples

Two Ar 232 B-0s were captured by British forces toward the end of the war. The Royal Air Force used them for a time on flights between England and Germany, as late as 1946.