Morane-Saulnier BB

{{Infobox Aircraft Begin

| name=Type BB, Type BH

| image=Morane-Saulnier BB French First World War reconnaissance aircraft in RFC markings.jpg

| caption=RFC Morane-Saulnier BB

}}{{Infobox Aircraft Type

| type=Observation aircraft

| national origin=France

| manufacturer=Morane-Saulnier

| designer=

| first flight=1915

| introduced=

| retired=

| status=retired

| primary user=Royal Flying Corps

| number built=107

| developed from=

| variants with their own articles=

}}

File:Morane-Saulnier BB French First World War reconnaissance aircraft captured by Germany.jpg

The Morane-Saulnier BB was a military observation aircraft produced in France during World War I for use by Britain's Royal Flying Corps.Taylor 1989, 684"The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft", 2538 It was a conventional single-bay biplane design with seating for the pilot and observer in tandem, open cockpits. The original order called for 150 aircraft powered by 110-hp Le Rhône 9J rotary engines, but shortages meant that most of the 94 aircraft eventually built were delivered with 80 hp Le Rhône 9C rotaries instead. A water-cooled Hispano-Suiza 8A engine was trialled as an alternative in the Type BH, but this remained experimental only. A production licence was sold to the Spanish company Compañía Española de Construcciones Aeronáuticas (CECA), which built twelve fitted with Hispano-Suiza engines in 1916.

Operational history

The type equipped a number of RFC and RNAS squadrons both in its original observation role and, equipped with a forward-firing Lewis gun mounted on the top wing, as a fighter.

Variants

;MS.7 :official French government STAe designation for the BB

;MS.8 :official French government STAe designation for the BH

;BB :Le Rhône 9J rotary powered variant

;BH :Hispano-Suiza 8A V-8 powered variant

;CECA-MS or CECA-Saulnier : designations used for BB/BH built in Spain

Operators

;{{UK}}

;{{ESP}}

Spanish Air Force

;{{RUS}}

Imperial Russian Air Service

Specifications (BB)

{{Aircraft specs

|ref=Parmentier

|prime units? = met

|crew=Two, pilot and observer

|length m=7.00

|length ft=23

|length in=0

|span m=8.65

|span ft=28

|span in=5

|height m=2.54

|height ft=8

|height in=4

|wing area sqm=23.0

|wing area sqft=247

|gross weight kg=750

|gross weight lb=1,650

|eng1 number=1

|eng1 name=Le Rhône 9Ja

|eng1 kw=82

|eng1 hp=110

|max speed kmh=147

|max speed mph=92

|ceiling m=4,000

|ceiling ft=13,000

|armament = *1 × flexible, rearward-firing .303 Lewis gun for observer

}}

{{aircontent

|see also=

|related=

|similar aircraft=

|lists=

}}

Notes

References

{{cite book |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft |publisher=Aerospace Publishing|location=London }}
{{cite book |title=The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing) |last=Bruce |first= J.M.|year=1982 |publisher= Putnam|location=London |isbn=0-370-30084-X }}
{{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London }}
{{cite web |last=Parmentier |first=Bruno |title=Morane-Saulnier BB |work=Aviafrance - Un siècle d'aviation française |url=http://www.aviafrance.com/1387.htm |accessdate=2008-11-07}}