The AR 196 aircraft power was provided by a 716-kW (960-hp.) BMW radial engine. The mounts were one of the aircraft’s weak spots - engines were known to break off when moving across choppy water.
The cannon armament was unusually powerful for a float plane enabling it to take on RAF Whitley bombers over the Bay of Biscay or shoot up enemy ships.
Final production versions carried two MG 81 machine-guns in the rear cockpit, but most versions carried a single 7.92-mm (0.31-in.) MG 15.
The Arado model aircraft had a roomy, modern, enclosed cockpit, in contrast with its British opponents, which were generally open to the elements and far more uncomfortable for their crews.
To ease handling on the water the floats were equipped with rudders. They also contained fuel tanks, and could store emergency survival kit.
The AR 196 had a conventional steel tube frame with a forward metal skin covering and a fabric covering for the rear fuselage. The air frame was a sound design, and was barely changed after completing prototype trials.
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