Twelve Ar-196A-3s flew with the Bulgarian AF during WWII, with this particular plane serving from 1943 until 1955 at Chaika airfield near Varna. It is the only remaining A-3 in existance and arrived at the museum in 1991. The plane previously wore the number 3 on the fuselage but, after a repaint, now sports the number 1.

The star exhibit of the Bulgarian aviation museum is without doubt this Arado 196, one of only very few survivors of this type in the world.

Preserved at the museum by 1993.

A rare bird in a nice museum

Of the 541 of this 1937 shipboard reconnaissance design built, 12 were flown from Varna by the Bulgarian Navy during WWII. This one was almost destroyed in a post-war purge against items of Nazi origin but was hidden away, and is now one of only three complete examples in the world, the other two being in the US