Morane-Saulnier AC

Type AC
Role	Fighter
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Morane-Saulnier
Introduction	late 1916
Retired	soon after
Primary user	Armée de l'Air
Number built	32

The Morane-Saulnier AC, also known as Morane-Saulnier Type AC and MoS 23, was a French fighter of the 1910s.

Development

The AC was conceived in mid-1916, being derived from the Type N via the unbuilt Type U. It differed from earlier single-seat Morane-Saulnier aircraft in that it had ailerons for lateral control rather than wing warping, and because of its rigid wing bracing, with a wire braced truss of steel tubes supporting the wings from below.^[1] It appeared in autumn of that year, and was found to be aerodynamically clean.

Operational history

The AC's first flight is unrecorded, however it is assumed that it was late summer 1916. After initial testing thirty aircraft were ordered for the Aviation Militaire. Although of advanced design and good performance, the AC was considered inferior to the SPAD S.VII and therefore was not adopted in quantity. Two examples were provided to the Royal Flying Corps for evaluation.

Operators

France

Armée de l'Air

United Kingdom

Royal Flying Corps

Specifications

Data from War Planes of the First World War:Volume Five Fighters^[2]

General characteristics

Crew: 1
Length: 7.05 m (23 ft 1.5 in)
Wingspan: 9.80 m (32 ft 1.63 in)
Height: 2.73 m (8 ft 11.5 in)
Wing area: 15.00 m² (161.46 sq ft)
Empty weight: 435 kg (957 lb)
Gross weight: 658 kg (1,448 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Le Rhône 9J or Le Rhône 9Jb nine-cylinder air-cooled rotary engine , 82 kW (110 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 178 km/h (111 mph, 96 kn)
Endurance: 2 hours 30 minutes
Service ceiling: 5,600 m (18,370 ft)
Rate of climb: 5.6 m/s (1,100 ft/min) ^[3]

Armament

1 x 7.7mm synchronised Vickers machine gun

References

Notes

^ Bruce 1972, pp. 95–97.
^ Bruce 1972, p. 104.
^ Climb to 2,000 m (6,650 ft):5 min 55 s.

Bibliography

Bruce, J.M. (1972). War Planes of the First World War:Volume Five Fighters. London: Macdonald. ISBN 0-356-03779-7.
Davilla, Dr. James J.; Soltan, Arthur (1997). French Aircraft of the First World War. Mountain View, CA: Flying Machines Press. ISBN 978-1891268090.
Green, William; Gordon Swanborough. The Complete Book of Fighters. Godalming, UK: Salamander Books. p. 415.