Manufacturer: Huma
Scale: 1/72
Additional parts: none
Model build: Feb - Mar 2021
Swedish Arado Ar 80
Huma
1/72
1/72
The Reluctant Defender
Made with Suno
The Northern Hawk
Made with Suno
Frostbite over the Fjords
April 1938, Västerås, Sweden
The icy wind whipped Erik Jansson's face as he clambered into the cockpit of the Arado Ar 80. The canvas cover, stiff with frost, crackled under his touch. This new German plane, a consolation prize after Sweden's request for the Messerschmitt Bf 109 was denied, was about to be christened in Swedish skies. It was a clunky beast compared to the nimble fighters Erik was used to, but it held the promise of speed, a vital element in protecting Sweden's neutrality.
As the engine roared to life, a shiver ran down Erik's spine, a mix of exhilaration and apprehension. He taxied down the runway, the snow spraying behind the ungainly fixed landing gear. Taking off, he wrestled the plane skyward, feeling its weight fight against his commands. Yet, as he climbed, a grin spread across his face. This Arado, lumbering as it seemed, possessed a surprising turn of speed.
Suddenly, the crackle of the radio broke his concentration. A frantic voice reported an unidentified aircraft approaching Swedish airspace from the west. Erik's heart hammered. The pre-war tensions were escalating, and any airspace violation could spark a conflict Sweden desperately wanted to avoid.
"Heading?" Erik barked into the mic.
"Unknown, sir. Looks like a bomber, twin engines, markings unclear."
A cold sweat slicked Erik's palms. A bomber? Could it be German testing their new toys a little too close for comfort? Or perhaps a British stray, lost in the unforgiving Nordic weather? He had to intercept it, identify it, and make sure it understood the sanctity of Swedish airspace.
Erik pushed the throttle forward, the temperamental Swedish-modified engine groaning under the strain. The Arado lurched forward, the speedometer needle climbing steadily. He banked towards the west, the sun glinting off the icy expanse of the fjords below.
As he neared the reported coordinates, a dark speck emerged from the horizon. It was indeed a bomber, its silhouette vaguely familiar. But before Erik could identify it, the bomber's belly hatch opened, and a hail of gunfire erupted.
Erik cursed. He hadn't expected hostility. He swerved the Arado, the tracers arcing harmlessly past. This wasn't a simple airspace violation anymore. This was an act of aggression.
Adrenaline surged through him. He wouldn't let some unidentified bomber violate Swedish neutrality. With a daring maneuver, Erik banked sharply, putting himself behind the bomber. He squeezed the trigger, his twin machine guns spitting fire. The bomber shuddered, smoke billowing from one of its engines.
The response was immediate. The bomber's gunner unleashed a torrent of bullets, chewing into Erik's pursuer. Sparks flew as tracers pinged off the Arado's armor. This was a desperate dance, a ballet of bullets high above the frozen landscape.
Erik knew a prolonged fight wouldn't favor the Arado. He needed to end this quickly. Lining up a perfect shot, he unleashed a blistering burst. The bomber's remaining engine sputtered and died, sending the crippled aircraft into a slow, agonizing spiral.
With a heavy heart, Erik watched as the bomber plunged towards the unforgiving white expanse below. He couldn't be sure whose markings it bore, but one thing was certain - Sweden's neutrality had been protected. He banked away, the Arado groaning in protest as he pushed it to its limits.
Landing back at Västerås, Erik was greeted by a throng of awestruck faces. He had faced an unknown threat and emerged victorious, proving the worth of the clunky Arado and the unwavering resolve of the Swedish Air Force. As he climbed out of the cockpit, his legs shaky but his spirit soaring, Erik knew this was just the beginning. The icy winds of war were blowing, and the Arado, far from perfect, would be Sweden's shield against the coming storm.
The Arado Ar 80S — Sweden’s Forgotten Fighter of the Second World War
When the German Reichsluftfahrtministerium (RLM) launched its great fighter competition in the mid-1930s, it was a defining moment for the future Luftwaffe. The goal was to find a fast, modern monoplane fighter to replace the biplanes of the early 1930s and establish Germany’s dominance in the skies.
Among the competitors — Messerschmitt, Heinkel, Focke-Wulf, and Arado — the race was fierce. In the end, Willy Messerschmitt’s Bf 109 emerged victorious, a marvel of engineering that would go on to become one of the most produced fighters in history.
Arado’s entry, the Ar 80, was less fortunate. Burdened by an overweight design, fixed landing gear, and an underpowered Jumo 210 engine, it was hopelessly outclassed by the sleek and efficient Bf 109. By 1936, the Ar 80 seemed destined to fade into obscurity — another dead end in aviation history.
But in an unexpected twist, the aircraft found a second life — not in Germany, but in neutral Sweden.
At the same time that Germany was completing its fighter trials, Sweden was quietly seeking to modernize its air defense forces. The Swedish Air Force (Flygvapnet) had already shown interest in the Bf 109, but Berlin — wary of exporting its most advanced military designs — declined to sell it. Instead, the German Air Ministry suggested the Arado Ar 80, which could be exported or produced under license without compromising national security.
At first, Swedish officials were unimpressed. The early Ar 80 prototype was considered sluggish and outdated. But Arado countered with an attractive offer: a license to produce an improved version in Sweden itself, with upgraded systems and a more powerful engine. For Stockholm, eager to establish its own aviation industry, the deal was appealing.
Thus, in 1938, an agreement was signed. Arado would deliver 13 completed Ar 80A-1 aircraft, followed by a license for Sweden’s CVM (Centrala Verkstäderna Malmslätt) to produce a modified version — designated Ar 80S — powered by a locally-assembled Bristol Mercury X radial engine generating 950 hp.
The improved Ar 80S finally achieved the performance the original lacked, with a top speed approaching 495 km/h, a service ceiling of 9,000 m, and armament of two 13 mm machine guns and two 20 mm cannons. Between 1939 and 1941, 42 aircraft were built in Sweden.
During the Second World War, the Ar 80S served as Sweden’s primary front-line fighter, operating from dispersed bases across the southern and western coasts. Its mission was the protection of Swedish airspace — particularly from intrusions by both Allied and Axis aircraft operating over the Baltic Sea.
While never engaged in large-scale air battles, the Ar 80S saw its share of action. On several occasions, Swedish pilots intercepted damaged bombers attempting emergency landings on neutral territory. Between 1940 and 1944, five foreign aircraft were confirmed shot down by Ar 80S fighters: three German, one British, and one American — all after violating Swedish airspace despite repeated warnings.
By 1946, the piston-engine fighter had become obsolete, and the surviving Ar 80S aircraft were retired and scrapped. A handful continued as trainers into the early 1950s before being replaced by early jets such as the Saab 21R.
Today, only two Ar 80S fighters remain — one restored and on display at the Flygvapenmuseum in Linköping, the other in partial condition at the Arado Museum in Warnemünde, Germany.
The model shows a Ar 80 in April of 1938.
The model is a 1/72 Huma kit of the Arado Ar 80. With only 29 parts, it did fit very well, no sanding was required at all. Build OOB, painted with Revell Aqua Color and decals used form the spare part box.
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