MA3-2006-01 FRANCUSKI MYŚLIWIEC MORANE-SAULNIER L

The Morane-Saulnier L was a French reconnaissance and fighter aircraft built in the high-wing configuration (the so-called umbrella wing) with a classic solid undercarriage from the First World War. The prototype flight took place in 1913. The length of the aircraft was 6.88 meters with a wingspan of 11.2 meters. The drive was provided by a single Gnome Lambda engine with 81 hp. The deck armament consisted of a single 7.7 mm machine gun. The machine could also carry a load of bombs weighing up to 50 kilograms. The Morane-Saulnier L was born out of a grassroots initiative by Aeroplanes Morane-Saulnier as a development of the company's G model. Compared to its predecessor, the machine received mainly new wings, although they still had the so-called umbrella configuration, and their attachment to the hull was based on struts. The machine turned out to be quite successful and the first order for this aircraft was placed by Turkey, but due to the outbreak of World War I and Turkey's unclear attitude in its first weeks, the French armed forces took over the aircraft that had already been produced. From the turn of 1914/1915 Morane-Saulnier L planes were used as fighter planes. Interestingly, these were the first French planes to use a machine gun synchronizer.