Arado E.555

Project request

This was an initiative of the Reichsluftfahrtministerium (Germany Air Ministry), RLM, to obtain a long-range bomber for the Luftwaffe that would be capable of striking the continental United States from Germany. Requests for designs were made to the major German aircraft manufacturers early in World War II, long before the US had entered the war.

Designs

There were several different configurations of the design considered, the most striking being the E.555-1. This was a six-jet, angular flying wing design, with remotely operated turrets, and capable of carrying a large payload. All of these projects were deemed too expensive and ambitious and were abandoned in late 1944.

Arado E.555 I

Six engine

Arado E.555 II

Four-engine flying wing bomber

Arado E.555 III

Two-engine flying wing bomber

Arado E.555 IV

Three-engine flying wing bomber

Arado E.555 V

Arado E.555 VI

Three-engine flying wing bomber

Arado E.555 VII

Three-engine flying wing bomber

Arado E.555 VIII

Three-engine flying bomber

Arado E.555 IX

Three-engine flying wing bomber

Arado E.555 X

Three-engine flying wing bomber

Arado E.555 XI

Four-engine bomber

Specifications

Data from Luftwaffe Secret Projects: Strategic Bombers 1935–1945

General characteristics

Crew: 2-3

Payload: 8,816-13,224 lbs of bombs ()

Length: 28 ft 10.5 in-82 ft 8 in ()

Wingspan: 69 ft 6.5 in-103 ft 4 in ()

Height: 11 ft 11.5 in-13 ft 5.5 in ()

Powerplant: 2-4 × BMW 109-018 turbojet , 5,069 lbs () each

Performance