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The Ar 232 was designed as a general-purpose transport with multi-wheel landing gear for operation into the front-line airfields. The aircraft first flew as a prototype during the summer of 1941 with a powerplant of two 1600 hp BMW 801MA radial engines. The design had innovative features with provision for easy loading into and unloading from the pod-like main section of the fuselage. BMW 801 engines were required more urgently for combat aircraft, such as the Focke Wulf Fw 190, and the third prototype introduced the powerplant of four BMW Bramo 323 radial engines on the leading edges of a center section of the wing. This basic configuration was retained for the 19 or so Ar 232B production aircraft that were completed for intensive service between 1942 and 1945.
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