Morane-Saulnier M.S.406

what is it?

The Morane-Saulnier M.S.406 is a French fighter aircraft developed and manufactured by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. It was France's most numerous fighter during the Second World War and one of only two French designs to exceed 1,000 in number. At the beginning of the war, it was one of only two French-built aircraft capable of 400 km/h (250 mph) – the other being the Potez 630.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 10.6 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 452 km/htop speed
• range 1,100 kmwithout refuelling
• size 2,540 kgmax take-off weight
• built 1,074made in total

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 91 years ago, in 1935.
• 🏎️Top speed is 3.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
• 🚗Wingspan of 10.6 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🌍Range of 1,100 km: 6× Amsterdam to Brussels.
• 🏔️Can fly 1.1× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1935-08-08

introduced

1938

status

retired

number built

1,074

role

fighter

origin

🇫🇷 France

makers

Morane-Saulnier

engines

1× Hispano-Suiza 12Y-31

crew

1

length

8.2 m

wingspan

10.6 m

height

3.3 m

max take-off weight

2,540 kg

top speed

452 km/h

range

1,100 km

ceiling

9,400 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.