Morane-Saulnier MS.138

MS.137, MS.138, and MS.139
Role	Military trainer
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Morane-Saulnier
First flight	1927
Number built	178

The Morane-Saulnier MS.138 was a military trainer aircraft produced in France in the late 1920s, the major production version of a family that also included the MS.137 and MS.139. The design was derived from the MS.35 that had first flown during World War I, but was modernised to feature a wing that now included slight sweepback, and a redesigned fuselage of rounder cross-section. The basic layout remained the same, being a wire-braced, parasol-wing monoplane with open cockpits in tandem and fixed tailskid undercarriage. Construction was mostly of wood, with the exception of the metal wing spars, and all control surfaces were covered in fabric.

Most of the production run went to the Aéronautique Militaire, with a few others built for the Aéronavale and for military use by Greece and Denmark. Thirty-three others were purchased by civilian operators in France. The type remained in French military service until 1935.

Variants

• MS.137 - version with Salmson 9Ac engine
• MS.138 - main production type with Le Rhône 9Ac engine
• MS.139 - version with Clerget 9B engine

• MS.191 - version with shortened wingspan and Clerget 9B or Salmson 9Nc engines

Operators

• France
  • Aéronautique Militaire
  • Aéronavale
• Denmark
• Greece
• Paraguay

Specifications (MS.138)

Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft 2554

General characteristics

• Crew: Two, pilot and instructor

Performance

References

• The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing.
• Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.