2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
what is it?
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.
How to recognise it: 1 engine · 8.7 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 111 years ago, in 1915.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1915
- status
- retired
- number built
- 107
- role
- observation aircraft
- origin
- 🇫🇷 France
- makers
- Morane-Saulnier
- engines
- 1× Le Rhône 9Ja
- length
- 7 m
- wingspan
- 8.7 m
- height
- 2.5 m
- max take-off weight
- 750 kg
- top speed
- 147 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 4,000 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1947170, Wikipedia: Morane-Saulnier BB (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.