Morane-Saulnier P.

Morane-Saulnier P.
Type:	Reconnaissance plane
Design country:	France
Manufacturer:	Morane-Saulnier
First flight:	Late 1915
Commissioning:	1916-17
Production time:	1916
Number of pieces:	565

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

development

The Type P was the further development of the Morane-Saulnier L and LA models built by Morane-Saulnier, with a more powerful engine, more powerful armament and improved aerodynamics . The slim fuselage with a round cross-section clearly distinguished the aircraft from its predecessor with its box-like fuselage. The wings received ailerons, and the rudder unit was modified. The rotary engine was initially surrounded by a horseshoe-shaped cladding, but was later clad all around the side. The tapered propeller hood typical of Morane aircraft was retained.

commitment

From the beginning of 1916 , the French air force deployed the "Parasol" under the designation MS.21 for the type P with the Le Rhône 9J engine and MS.26 for the Morane Saulnier P with the improved Le Rhône 9Jb engine as a reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber. The British Royal Flying Corps also procured 142 machines; Among other things, Squadrons 1 and 3 used in the Battle of the Somme were equipped with them. The Imperial Russian war air fleet received about ten P-type aircraft, referred to there as Morane IV or Mortschet for short ("Морчет"). These flew in the 19th squadron under Staff Captain Kasakow , later during the Brusilov offensive in his 1st fighter squadron.

The armament usually consisted of a machine gun that was permanently mounted above the wing and fired forward over the propeller, usually a 7.7 mm Vickers or 7.9 mm Hotchkiss machine gun. The Russians also used available machine guns of the Colt and Madsen types . In later series machines, the forward-firing machine gun intended for the pilot was synchronized with the propeller shaft and attached to the fuselage. A second machine gun was placed in the rear seat for the observer. Two aircraft of a single-seat version were tested, but did not go into series production.

The Morane-Saulnier P was not easy to fly, but was popular with experienced pilots. It was used as a two-seat fighter, light bomber and close-up reconnaissance aircraft and, due to its long flight duration, was particularly useful for artillery observation.

After the war, the air forces of Japan and Brazil were also supplied with Morane-Saulnier P.

Morane-Saulnier developed the Type P further to the successor model Morane-Saulnier AR , which was still used as a training aircraft until the 1930s. The Parasol P were withdrawn from the front in 1917, mostly equipped with 80 hp Le Rhône 9C rotary engines and used as training aircraft.

The Morane-Saulnier P in a performance comparison

Surname	country	Motor power	Max. speed	Takeoff weight	Armament	Summit height
Morane-Saulnier P.	France	110 hp	163 km / h	760 kg	2 MG, bombs	4,800 m
Morane-Saulnier L	France	80 hp	123 km / h	480 kg	1 MG	4,700 m
Morane-Saulnier AR	France	80 hp	125 km / h	764 kg	no	4,600 m
Nieuport 12	France	110 hp	144 km / h	875 kg	2 MG	4,300 m
Sopwith 1½ strutter	United Kingdom	130 hp	164 km / h	975 kg	2 MG, 100 kg bombs	3,960 m
RAFRE8	United Kingdom	150 hp	164 km / h	1,302 kg	2-3 MG, 102 kg bombs	4,115 m
Roland C.II	German Empire	160 hp	165 km / h	1,284 kg	2 MG, bombs	4,000 m
Rumpler CI	German Empire	160 hp	150 km / h	1.330kg	1-2, 100 kg bombs	5,000 m

Technical specifications

Morane-Saulnier P :
Parameter	Data
span	11.20 m
Length:	7.18 m
Height:	3.48 m
Wing area	18.00 m²
Empty weight	433 kg
Takeoff weight	730 kg
engine	1 × rotary motor Le Rhône 9J , 110 PS (82 kW)
Armament	1-2 Lewis or Vickers machine guns , bombs
Top speed	163 km / h in NN
Top speed	156 km / h at an altitude of 2,000 m
Climbing time to 2,000m	7 min 30 s
Climbing time to 3,000m	15 min 50 s
Service ceiling	4,880 m
Flight duration	2 h 30 min
number of pieces	565
crew	1 pilot, 1 observer

References

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. )
• JM Bruce: The Airplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing). Putnam, London 1982, ISBN 0-370-30084-X .
• 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.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ cf. [1] - accessed on January 19, 2012
2. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from November 13, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. - accessed on January 12, 2013 
3. ↑ cf. Enzo Angelucci, Paolo Matricardi: The planes. From the beginning to the First World War. Falken-Verlag, Wiesbaden 1976, ISBN 3-8068-0391-9 , ( Falken-Handbuch in color. ), P. 131.
4. ↑ according to [2] 760 kg - accessed on January 19, 2013
5. ↑ [3] - accessed on January 19, 2013

Web links

• [4] Description (French) - accessed January 19, 2013
• [5] Description (Russian) - accessed on January 19, 2013
• [6] Description (Russian) - accessed on January 19, 2013
• [7] Description / color profile - accessed on January 19, 2013
• [8] Description / photo (French) - accessed January 19, 2013
• [9] Description - accessed on January 19, 2013
• [10] Color profile - accessed on January 19, 2013

See also

• List of aircraft types