SALMSON SAL.2A2 IN FRENCH SERVICES

The Salmson 2 was a French reconnaissance aircraft and light bomber from World War I and the interwar period. The machine was built in a biplane system, was characterized by a wooden structure and had a classic - fixed undercarriage. The flight of the prototype took place in 1916, and serial production continued in 1917-1918. About 3,200 machines of this type were built in its course. The drive was provided by a single Salmson 9Za engine with 230 HP. The deck armament consisted of three 7.7 mm machine guns. The Salmson 2 was developed by Emil Salmson in connection with the requirements set by the French military aviation for a new light bomber from 1916. The machine turned out to be successful and, together with the Breguet 14, was the main reconnaissance and light bomber of the French military aviation in the period 1916-1918! During its construction, the experience gained from the construction and operation of the Salmson 1 (SM-1) aircraft was used. The Salmson 2 aircraft was characterized by very good piloting qualities, was stable and had good performance. Two main development versions were created in the course of production: SM-2A2 (reconnaissance version) and SM-2B2 (bomb version). Airplanes of this type, apart from France, also served in the aviation of Belgium, Japan, the USA and Poland. They were withdrawn from our aviation by 1923.