Morane-Saulnier BB

Type BB, Type BH
Type BB, Type BH
	RFC Morane-Saulnier BB
General information
Type	Observation aircraft
National origin	France
Manufacturer	Morane-Saulnier
Status	retired
Primary user	Royal Flying Corps
Number built	107
History
First flight	1915

Last updated November 09, 2025

The Morane-Saulnier BB was a military observation aircraft produced in France during World War I for use by Britain's Royal Flying Corps.^[1]^[2] 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.^[2] A water-cooled Hispano-Suiza 8A engine was trialled as an alternative in the Type BH, but this remained experimental only.^[1] 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.

Operational history

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.^[2]

Variants

MS.7: official French government STAe designation for the BB
MS.8: official French government STAe designation for the BH
BB: Le Rhône 9J rotary powered variant
BH: Hispano-Suiza 8A V-8 powered variant
CECA-MS or CECA-Saulnier: designations used for BB/BH built in Spain

Operators

United Kingdom

Spain

Spanish Air Force

Russia

Imperial Russian Air Service

Specifications (BB)

Data from Parmentier

General characteristics

Crew: Two, pilot and observer
Length: 7.00 m (23 ft 0 in)
Wingspan: 8.65 m (28 ft 5 in)
Height: 2.54 m (8 ft 4 in)
Wing area: 23.0 m² (247 sq ft)
Gross weight: 750 kg (1,650 lb)
Powerplant: 1 × Le Rhône 9Ja , 82 kW (110 hp)

Performance

Maximum speed: 147 km/h (92 mph, 80 kn)
Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,000 ft)

Armament

1 × flexible, rearward-firing .303 Lewis gun for observer

Notes

1 2 Taylor 1989, 684
1 2 3 "The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft", 2538
↑ Bruce 1982, p.306.

References

The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing.
Bruce, J.M. (1982). The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing). London: Putnam. ISBN 0-370-30084-X.
Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
Parmentier, Bruno. "Morane-Saulnier BB". Aviafrance - Un siècle d'aviation française. Retrieved 2008-11-07.

v t e Morane-Saulnier aircraft
Designation letters	A B C F G GA GB H I J K L LA LH M N Nm O P Q S T TRK U V WR X Y AC AE AF AFH AI AN/ANB/ANR/ANL/ANS AR AS AT AU AV BB BH
Numerical sequence	MoS.1 MoS.2 MoS.3 MoS.4 MoS.5 MoS.6 MoS.7 MoS.8 MoS.9 MoS.10 MoS.11 MoS.12 MoS.13 MoS.14 MoS.15 MoS.16 MoS.17 MoS.18 MoS.19 MoS.20 MoS.21 MoS.22 MoS.23 MoS.24 MoS.25 MoS.26 MoS.27 MoS.28 MoS.29 MoS.30 MoS.31 MoS.32 MoS.33 MoS.34 MoS.35 MoS.36 MoS.37 MoS.38 MoS.39 MoS.40 MoS.41 MoS.42 MoS.43 MoS.44 MoS.45 MoS.46 MoS.47 MoS.48 MoS.49 MoS.50 MoS.51 MoS.52 MoS.53 MoS.56 MoS.60 MoS.120 MoS.121 MoS.129 MoS.130 MoS.131 MoS.132 MoS.133 MoS.134 MoS.136 MoS.137 MoS.138 MoS.139 MoS.140 MoS.141 MoS.147 MoS.148 MoS.149 MS.152 MS.160 MS.180 MS.181 MS.185 MS.200 MS.221 MS.222 MS.223 MS.224 MS.225 MS.226 MS.227 MS.229 MS.230 MS.250 MS.251 MS.260 MS.275 MS.278 MS.300 MS.301 MS.302 MS.315 MS.316 MS.317 MS.325 MS.340 MS.341 MS.342 MS.343 MS.345 MS.350 MS.405 MS.406 MS.408 MS.410 MS.411 MS.430 MS.433 MS.435 MS.450 MS.470 MS.472 MS.474 MS.470 MS.475 MS.476 MS.477 MS.479 MS.500 MS.501 MS.502 MS.504 MS.505 MS.506 MS.560 MS.570 MS.603 MS.630 MS.631 MS.660 MS.661 MS.662 MS.700 MS.701 MS.703 MS.704 MS.730 MS.731 MS.732 MS.733 MS.755 MS.760 MS.785 MS.860 MS.880 MS.1001 MS.1500
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