Morane-Saulnier N.

Morane-Saulnier N.
Type:	Fighter plane
Design country:	France
Manufacturer:	Morane-Saulnier
First flight:	July 22, 1914
Commissioning:	1915
Production time:	1914-1916
Number of pieces:	approx. 49

The Morane-Saulnier Type N was a monoplane developed by the French company Société Anonyme des Aéroplanes Morane-Saulnier , which was used as a fighter aircraft during the First World War .

development

The type N was based on that of Morane-Saulnier designed prewar model Morane-Saulnier G and was originally conceived as a sports aircraft for racing competitions. The aircraft reached high speeds due to its good aerodynamics, but was not easy to control due to its sensitive controls. This was done by twisting the wings instead of the usual ailerons. There was also a very high landing speed. However, the aircraft was very maneuverable.

The armament consisted of a permanently mounted machine gun firing forward through the propeller, with the British mostly a Vickers or Lewis 7.7 mm machine gun, with the French a Hotchkiss or St. Etienne 7.9 mm machine gun. So that the propeller was not damaged when firing, the blades were protected with sturdy deflectors, which let the projectiles ricochet off the propeller to the side. This technology had already been used in the Morane-Saulnier L , but was clearly inferior to the technology of the machine gun synchronized with the propeller shaft.

variants

A version Nm (m = "militaire" ) with a shortened fuselage appeared, but only a few copies were built. In March 1916, the aircraft was equipped with the 110 hp Le Rhône 9Ja engine instead of the Le Rhône C engine. It soon became apparent that the engines tended to overheat due to the oversized propeller hood. This was therefore removed from the summer of 1915, which, however, led to slight losses in speed.

In addition, the Morane shoulder-wing planes were upgraded with a propeller-synchronized Vickers machine gun to increase firepower. This variant was first as Morane-Saulnier Type N-bis , but then as Morane-Saulnier Type I called. Four planes were delivered to the RFC, followed by nine more planes.

With an extended wingspan and a longer fuselage to accommodate more fuel, the Type I was further developed into the Type V.

It is not known whether the successor model Morane-Saulnier AC (MS.23C.1), which appeared in 1916, was used.

commitment

Only 49 Type N were built by Morane-Saulnier. Some went to the French air force , which they registered under the name "MS.5C.1" . Eleven planes were exported to Russia, and 27 planes went to the British Royal Flying Corps , where it was known as the Morane Bullet . Another 50 Type I or V with synchronized MG were built for Russia, where they were put into service in November and December 1916 under the name "Moran Monocoque" .

The Morane shoulder-decker was used on the Western Front from April 1915 to summer 1916 by the French Escadrilles MS 23 and 39 and the British Squadrons 1, 3, 4 and 60. Despite their lower firepower, the fighters were able to hold their own against the German Fokker monoplane , but were then replaced by the superior Nieuport 11 . On the Eastern Front, the Russian air force used their Moranes monocoques until their sinking in 1917/18. The famous 19 season under Staff Captain Kazakow alone had 18 Moranes in its inventory in April 1917.

The Morane-Saulnier N in a performance comparison

Surname	country	Engine power	Max. speed	Takeoff mass	MG	Summit height
Morane-Saulnier N.	France	110 hp	165 km / h	510 kg	1	4000 m
Morane-Saulnier L	France	80 hp	123 km / h	480 kg	1	4700 m
Nieuport 11	France	80 hp	156 km / h	480 kg	1	4700 m
Bristol Scout D	United Kingdom	80 hp	161 km / h	567 kg	1	4900 m
Palatinate A.II	German Empire	100 hp	150 km / h	615 kg	1
Palatinate E.III	German Empire	110 hp	150 km / h	445 kg	1	4000 m
Fokker EI	German Empire	80 hp	130 km / h	560 kg	1	3000 m

Technical specifications

Parameter	Morane-Saulnier N.	Morane-Saulnier I.	Morane-Saulnier V.
First flight	1914	1916	1916
crew	1 pilot
length	6.70 m
span	8.146 m	8.242 m	8,750 m
height	2.25 m	2.50 m
Wing area	11.00 m²
Empty mass	288 kg	334 kg
Takeoff mass	444 kg	510 kg
Engine	Le Rhône 9C , 80 PS (approx. 60 kW)	Le Rhône 9J , 110 PS (approx. 80 kW)
Armament	1 × 7.9 mm Hotchkiss St. Étienne or Lewis machine gun	1 × 7.7-mm ( .303 -inch) Vickers -MG
Top speed	165 km / h	176 km / h
Climbing time to 1000 m	4 min	2:48 min	3:18 min
Climbing time to 2000 m	10-12 min	6:30 min	8:12 min
Ascent time to 3000 m		12:42 min	15:18 min
Climbing time to 4000 m	45 min
Service ceiling	4000 m
Flight duration	1:30 h	1:45 h
number of pieces	approx. 74	13	approx. 50

See also

• List of aircraft types

literature

• Enzo Angelucci, Paolo Matricardi: The planes. From the beginning to the First World War. Falken-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1976, ISBN 3-8068-0391-9 , ( Falken manual in color. )
• Karlheinz Kens, Hanns Müller: The aircraft of the First World War 1914–1918. Heyne, Munich 1973, ISBN 3-453-00404-3 .
• Kenneth Munson: Warplanes. Fighter and training aircraft 1914–1919. 2nd revised edition. Orell Füssli Verlag, Zurich 1976, ISBN 3-280-00824-7 , ( Airplanes of the World in Colors. ) Pp. 24, 121–122.
• Heinz Nowarra: The Development of Airplanes 1914–1918. Lehmanns, Munich 1959.

Web links

• [4] Description (Russian) - accessed on December 6, 2014
• [5] Description - accessed December 6, 2014
• [6] Description - accessed January 12, 2013
• [7] Color profiles - accessed on January 12, 2013
• [8] Replica of a Morane N - accessed on January 12, 2013

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Temeks 1/72 Morane-Saulnier Type I accessed on December 6, 2014
2. ↑ [1] accessed on December 6, 2014
3. ↑ [2] - accessed on January 12, 2013
4. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of November 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) - accessed on January 12, 2013
5. ↑ [3] accessed on December 6, 2014