90 years of the French fighter Morane-Saulnier MS406

 August 8 marked the 90th anniversary of the Morane-Saulnier MS406, the most widely used French fighter aircraft during World War II. On that day in 1935, its first prototype took to the skies.

Morane-Saulnier created this aircraft when there was still debate over whether a modern fighter should be a maneuverable biplane or a high-speed monoplane. Opting for the latter, the company's designers were able to create an aircraft that had a high speed for the mid-1930s and at the same time was highly maneuverable.

Serial production in France continued until June 1940. In addition, licensed production was established in Switzerland, where it was completed in 1944. A total of 1,176 units were built. The serial MS406 was equipped with a Hispano-Suiza 12Y-31 V-12 liquid-cooled engine with a power of 760 hp. The aircraft had a length of 8.17 m, a wingspan of 10.61 m, a maximum take-off weight of 2,540 kg, a maximum speed of 490 km/h, and a range of up to 1,100 km. Its armament consisted of one 20 mm cannon and two 7.5 mm machine guns.

Due to the rapid defeat by Germany in the 1940 campaign, the MS406 improvement program in France never entered mass production. Instead, the fighter underwent significant upgrades abroad. In Switzerland, it was equipped with a 1,060 hp engine, which increased its maximum speed to 530 km/h. Finland created its own modification of the fighter, installing a Soviet M-105 engine with a power of 1,100 hp. This engine was a development of the Hispano-Suiza 12Y, the license for which was purchased by the USSR at the time. The Finns used captured engines obtained from Germany.

The MS406 was also purchased by China, Lithuania, Poland, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. Captured aircraft were used to a limited extent by Germany and Italy.

By May 1940, the MS406 fighters of the French Air Force had become obsolete. They could fight on equal terms against the early versions of the Bf 109, but were significantly inferior to the most modern Bf 109E at the time. It is not surprising that they suffered heavy losses in battles with the Messerschmitts.