Morane-Saulnier Type L

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Morane-Saulnier Type L was a French parasol wing one or two-seat aeroplane of the First World War. The Type L became one of the first successful fighter aircraft when it was fitted with a single machine gun that fired through the arc of the propeller which was protected by armoured deflector wedges. Its immediate effectiveness in this role launched an arms race of fighter development and the Type L was swiftly rendered obsolete.

Built by Morane-Saulnier, large numbers of the Type L were ordered by the French Aviation Militaire at the outbreak of the war, being designated the MS.3. In total about 600 Type Ls were built and in addition to the French air force, they served with the Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service and the Imperial Russian Air Service.

In December 1914, renowned French aviator Roland Garros, then serving with Escadrille 23, worked with Raymond Saulnier to mount a machine gun on his Type L. Saulnier had experimented with a mechanical interrupter gear but reverted to the simpler solution of using armoured propeller blades. Garros' mechanic further improved the system by fitting deflector wedges to the blades in line with the barrel of the gun. Garros took his Type L fighter into combat in March 1915 and achieved immediate success, shooting down three German aircraft in April, a noteworthy feat at the time. On 18 April 1915, Garros' Type L was forced down behind German lines and was captured before Garros could burn it. This motivated the Germans to develop their own fighter, which materialised at the end of May as the Fokker E.I, fitted with a true synchronizer system.

Ironically, one of the two seat Morane Type Ls, of Escadrille M.S.48, was the victim of the first true fighter victory on July 1, 1915, when Leutnant Kurt Wintgens, while flying his Fokker M.5K/MG pre-production Fokker Eindecker prototype aircraft no. E.5/15, fitted out with a very early example of the Fokker "Zentralsteuerung" gun synchronizer system, downed one over Luneville.

[edit] Specifications (Type L)

General characteristics

• Crew: One or two
• Length: 6.88 m (22 ft 6 in)
• Wingspan: 11.20 m (36 ft 9 in)
• Height: 3.93 m (12 ft 10 in)
• Wing area: m² (ft²)
• Empty weight: kg (lb)
• Loaded weight: 655 kg (1,440 lb)
• Max takeoff weight: kg (lb)
• Powerplant: 1× Gnome Lambda 7-cylinder rotary engine, 60 kW (80 hp)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 115 km/h (71 mph)
• Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,100 ft)
• Rate of climb: m/s (ft/min)
• Wing loading: kg/m² (lb/ft²)
• Power/mass: kW/kg (hp/lb)

• Endurance: 2 h 30 min

Armament

• Guns: 1x .31 in (7.9 mm) Hotchkiss machine gun

[edit] Operators

• Belgium, Czechoslovakia (one aircraft only), Finland (2 aircraft), France, Netherlands (one aircraft only), Peru, Poland, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland (one aircraft only), Ukraine (three aircraft), United Kingdom (Royal Flying Corps, Royal Naval Air Service)

[edit] Related content

Related development

Morane-Saulnier Type N

 

Designation sequence

Type H - Type L - Type N - Type P