Morane-Saulnier BB
| Type BB, Type BH | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| RFC Morane-Saulnier BB | |
| Role | Observation aircraft |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Morane-Saulnier |
| First flight | 1915 |
| Status | retired |
| Primary user | Royal Flying Corps |
| Number built | 107 |
The Morane-Saulnier BB was a military observation aircraft produced in France during World War I for use by Britain's Royal Flying Corps. 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.
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.
Data from Parmentier
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
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