The Morane-Saulnier M.S.225 was a French fighter aircraft of the 1930s. It was produced in limited quantities to be used as a transitional aircraft between the last of the biplanes and the first

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...

fighters.

Design and development

The M.S.225 was a parasol monoplane, with a wide fixed landing gear, and powered by a Gnome-Rhône 9Krsd radial engine. Having a circular fuselage the M.S.225 was much more robust than its immediate predecessor, the M.S.224. Created as a stop-gap before the introduction of more advanced aircraft still under development, the Morane-Saulnier M.S.225 was first shown in the form of a model at the

Paris Air Show The Paris Air Show (french: Salon international de l'aéronautique et de l'espace de Paris-Le Bourget, Salon du Bourget) is a trade fair and air show held in odd years at Paris–Le Bourget Airport in north Paris, France. Organized by the French ...

of 1932. After successful flight tests of the prototype, series production started at once. Classified in the category C.1 (single-seat fighter), 75 aircraft were produced. A total of 53 aircraft were delivered to the Air Force in November 1933. The ''Aéronavale'' received the first of the 16 aircraft it had ordered in February 1934. Three were also sold to China.

Operational history

The M.S.225s of the ''Armée de l'Air'' served in the ''7e Escadre de Chasse'' (7th Fighter Wing) at

Dijon Dijon (, , ) (dated) * it, Digione * la, Diviō or * lmo, Digion is the prefecture of the Côte-d'Or department and of the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in northeastern France. the commune had a population of 156,920. The earlies ...

, and in two ''escadrilles'' of the ''42e Escadre'' (42nd Wing), based at

Rheims Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne. Founded by ...

. They were withdrawn from front-line service between 1936 and 1937. The aircraft also flew with the '' Aéronavale l'Escadrille 3C1'', established in

Marignane Marignane (; oc, Marinhana) is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southern France. Geography It is a component of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis, and the largest suburb of the cit ...

, this formation later transferring to the Air Force at the beginning of 1936, where it became ''Le Groupe de Chasse II/8''.Taylor and Alexander 1969, pp. 110–111. The Air Force Aerobatic Squadron based at

Étampes Étampes () is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southwest from the center of Paris (as the crow flies). Étampes is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department. Étampes, together with the neighboring c ...

used five modified M.S.225s, with a larger vertical stabilizer, while the last unit of the Air Force to operate this aircraft was the flying school based at

Salon-de-Provence Salon-de-Provence (, ; oc, label= Provençal Occitan, Selon de Provença/Seloun de Provènço, ), commonly known as Salon, is a commune located about northwest of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d' ...

. At the outbreak of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, only 20 M.S.225s were still in flying condition, the majority of them being scrapped in mid-1940.

Variants

;M.S.225 :Production variant with a Gnome-Rhone 9Krs engine, 75 built. ;M.S.226 :Variant fitted with an arrestor hook in 1933 for aircraft carrier operations, powered by a Gnome & Rhône 9Kdr. ;M.S.226bis :Variant of the 226 with folding wings first flown in 1934. ;M.S.227 :Variant used as test bench for the 515 kW (690 hp)

Hispano-Suiza 12Xcrs The Hispano-Suiza 12X was an aircraft piston engine designed in France by Hispano-Suiza during the early 1930s. A 12-cylinder Vee, liquid-cooled design, the 12X was used on several aircraft types, some of them being used in limited numbers during ...

engine, with a four-bladed propeller. ;M.S.275 :First flying in 1934, this version had a modified aerofoil and empennage, and was powered by a 515 kW (690 hp) Gnome-Rhône 9Krse; did not enter production. ;M.S.278 :Conversion of the M.S.225 equipped with a 388 kW (520 hp)

Clerget 14Fcs Clerget-Blin (full name being ''Société Clerget-Blin et Cie'') was a French precision engineering company formed in 1913 by the engineer and inventor Pierre Clerget and industrialist Eugène Blin. In 1939, the company was absorbed into the ''G ...

diesel engine.Orbis 1985, p. 2555.

Operators

; * Armee de l'Air *

Aeronavale French Naval Aviation (often abbreviated in French to: ''Aéronavale'' (contraction of Aéronautique navale), or ''Aviation navale'', or more simply ''l'Aéro'') is the naval air arm of the French Navy. The long-form official designation is ' ...

; *Three aircraft only.

Specifications (M.S.225)

References

Bibliography

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External links

Aviafrance

{{Morane-Saulnier aircraft 1930s French fighter aircraft World War II French fighter aircraft High-wing aircraft MS.225 Single-engined tractor aircraft