Morane-Saulnier MS.406 announcement

[343KKT_Kintaro]

Buzzsaw just announced that, potentially, the Morane-Saulnier MS.406 could be included in the Dover series planeset. If this happens, Buzzsaw says taht, at first, the MS.406 would be an AI aircraft... and, later, perhaps a flyable:

 

CORRECTION by Buzzsaw

 

Aircraft could be flyable for the release of TF 6.0... or not.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

Flown by Finns also to moderate success. Main complaint was lack of speed and engine power. Handling and maneuverability was good. Interesting plane to see in CloD ?

[343KKT_Kintaro]

47 minutes ago, 343KKT_Kintaro said:

CORRECTION by Buzzsaw

 

Aircraft could be flyable for the release of TF 6.0... or not.

 

 

Thanks Buzzsaw  

 

 

[Missionbug]

Now that is more like it.

 

As we do have a map already it seems only right and proper to add the MS-406 and other stuff if possible for France, a much neglected part of sim life really and such a collection of unusual types.

 

So then, Buzzsaw, will there be the opportunity for your individual 3d artists to add their own stuff of choice, like the 406, as well as other relevant French types of the period so folks can buy them as an add on/collector plane or are you only intending to just to sell a particular DLC?

 

Take care and be safe.

 

Wishing you all the very best, Pete.

[Buffo002]

MS 406 was used even after the fall of France not only by the Vichy and the Free French, but also by many other states and on various battlefields...
China, the Independent State of Croatia, Finland, Germany, Italy, etc.

[343KKT_Kintaro]

I think I already proposed a list in the past, but for the "stealth France 1940 aircraft set" (Buzzsaw's words!) this is what I'd propose now as flyables for the Dover series (doable or not... depending on available documentation, obviously):

 

Dewoitine D.520 (done!)

Morane-Saulnier MS.406 (already in the works)

Curtiss H.75

Bloch MB.152

Potez 630 / Potez 63.11

Lioré et Olivier LeO 45

Martin Maryland

Bloch MB.174 / Bloch MB.175

 

Added to the above "Armée de l'Air" aircraft, the German planes that we already have in "Blitz" would be enough for a nice reenactment of the Battle of France.

 

 

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

MS410 would not be hard either, basically retractable cooler instead of fixed like in 406. Finland had a few 410's too.

 

PS! Also having Finnish testing data on Morane and possibly H.75, which did not perform as optimistically as US data shows.

Edited September 29, 2023 by LLv34_Flanker

[343KKT_Kintaro]

1 hour ago, LLv34_Flanker said:

S!

 

MS410 would not be hard either, basically retractable cooler instead of fixed like in 406. Finland had a few 410's too.

 

PS! Also having Finnish testing data on Morane and possibly H.75, which did not perform as optimistically as US data shows.

 

For me, the MS.410 definitely presents a look that is cooler than the MS.406... but only 10, maybe less, of the 410-converted Moranes were sent to the front line in May/June 1940 (maybe less) and, after the defeat, only a few tens of MS.406s were finally converted into MS.410s during the Vichy rule. But, well... why not... When the MS.406 is completed, the devs could modify it easily and develop an MS.410.

 

 

[THERION]

The Swiss Air force used the MS.406 too. Even after the war they actually used them as school planes...

 

My French teacher was trained on MS.406 in the early 50ies, before moving on training in the Vampire...

 

There are still some in flyable condition in France and in Switzerland.

[Buffo002]

At the end of this link is the M.S. 406 he worked and for which states + also in the text

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morane-Saulnier_M.S.406

[Volant_Eagle]

7 hours ago, LLv34_Flanker said:

MS410 would not be hard either, basically retractable cooler instead of fixed like in 406. Finland had a few 410's too.

Actually you have that backwards. The 406 had the retractable radiator and the 410 had the fixed. The WIP pictures show a retractable radiator. You maybe just mixed up your words but I think this an easy misconception to have. This is because the only (afaik) Moranes still in existence (either flying or static) are actually Swiss D-3801s not MS.406s even though sometimes they get painted in French colors.

 

The D-3801 is nearly identical to the MS.406 except for the new fixed radiator design. The MS.410 also had the new fixed radiator along with several other improvements. These included new exhaust ejectors and 4 belt fed MGs instead of 2 drum fed MGs. However, I'm not sure that all MS.410s received all the same improvements.

 so 

On 9/28/2023 at 5:16 AM, Buffo002 said:

MS 406 was used even after the fall of France not only by the Vichy and the Free French, but also by many other states and on various battlefields...
China, the Independent State of Croatia, Finland, Germany, Italy, etc.

Thanks, I knew the MS.406 saw service in a lot of places after the BoF, but I didn't realize it was quite that extensive. It does seem however that likely none made it to China. Those ordered by China were diverted to French Indochina (Vietnam). These did see some action there though. They occasionally engaged Japanese aircraft intruding their airspace (France and Japan weren't at war) and fought against Thai H75s. Although Germany and Italy had them I don't believe they ever fought with them. I believe they only used them as trainers or to fulfill other duties away from the front line. If anyone can show me evidence to contrary I would appreciate it.

 

The most notable foreign use of the MS.406 has to be with the Fins. I do believe these would have had various modifications though (and I'm not talking about the 410 or the Morko Morane). These mainly would have had to do with the armament but also could have included different gunsights and instrumentation. French and allied equipment was not readily available so replacements and ammo supply was a problem. I know the Hispano cannons got swapped out for MG151/20s at some point. I suspect the MGs also got swapped out for a different type but I haven't been able to confirm it and don't know what the new type would have been. If anyone has more detail on the Finish modifications I'd be very interested to know about them.

 

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

@Volant_Eagle Thanks for correction, mixed up the types  Will check the flight data at home today. Another interesting plane that actually saw service would be the MS406 with the Klimov VK-105PF engine, converted by Finns at end of WW2. Quite a change according to pilots.

[Buzzsaw]

On 10/2/2023 at 1:41 AM, LLv34_Flanker said:

S!

 

@Volant_Eagle Thanks for correction, mixed up the types  Will check the flight data at home today. Another interesting plane that actually saw service would be the MS406 with the Klimov VK-105PF engine, converted by Finns at end of WW2. Quite a change according to pilots.

Certainly should be a change... difference between approx. 960 hp and 1200+.  ?

 

The two engines were related... the Klimov VK-105PF engine was a development of the Hispano 12Y31 which equipped the Morane... so replacing the Hispano with the Klimov would likely not have been that difficult.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Klimov_M-105

 

All of the French fighters in 1940 were seriously underpowered... French engine tech was behind the British, Americans and Germans... to the point that in 1940 the French realized their problem and were looking at licensing the Allison from the US.  They really should have heavily invested in upgrading the Hispano in the late '30's... in 1940 it was basically unchanged from when it was used in the development of the Morane in 1935... if the Soviets could build a new version, then you would expect the French could too... but they didn't.

 

French Fighters with comparable hp to the German/British in 1940 would have been more than a match for the Luftwaffe.... and the D.520 would have been a real beast.

[343KKT_Kintaro]

1 hour ago, Buzzsaw said:

All of the French fighters in 1940 were seriously underpowered

 

 

Sadly... yes. WWI was the opposite situation of WWII : during the Great War, French engines were excellent and the German Oberursels equipping Fokker Dr.Is, for example, were nothing but French Le Rhône engines that the Germans manufactured under licence (ironic).

 

Other than that, Buzzsaw, what about the Curtiss H.75? Is it doable to develop an H.75 from your existing Kittyhawks and Tomahawks? Or would a hypothetical H.75 need, in the Dover series, to be developed from scratch?

 

 

[=FEW=Hauggy]

A surprise no doubt but a welcomed one! Thanks to whoever is making these French aircrafts!

We get an extra front basically thanks to this or those modellers. I already quite like the D.520 and I feel lucky to have a game that does that.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

The "Mörkö Morane" (Monster Morane) as Finns dubbed it took a bit of re-modeling the nose etc. Cooling needed to be improved  and a larger oil cooler installed. Only a handfull were converted before end of hostilities in 1944.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

Browsed through Finnish tests of the MS.406 and Mörkö Morane. The latter was how the MS should have been, original totally outlassed and riddled with faults complicated further with hard maintenance. Mechanics were arguing which was most horrendous to mainitain, Fiat G.50 or Morane. The latter won it seems , by a margin.

 

So people are lucky to get the "on paper" version to CloD, not the actual and outclassed one. Nevertheless good to have a rarely modelled plane ?

Edited October 10, 2023 by LLv34_Flanker

[Buzzsaw]

On 10/10/2023 at 5:26 AM, LLv34_Flanker said:

S!

 

Browsed through Finnish tests of the MS.406 and Mörkö Morane. The latter was how the MS should have been, original totally outlassed and riddled with faults complicated further with hard maintenance. Mechanics were arguing which was most horrendous to mainitain, Fiat G.50 or Morane. The latter won it seems , by a margin.

 

So people are lucky to get the "on paper" version to CloD, not the actual and outclassed one. Nevertheless good to have a rarely modelled plane ?

We are providing the C-1 model... which has the retractable radiator.

 

There will be no compromises on the performance, it will be modeled on the tests of the C-1.

 

There is no question the MS.406C-1 was badly outclassed by the Bf-109E's... all the German fighters needed to do was maintain an altitude advantage and they were basically untouchable.  Only if the German pilots got over confident and engaged in dogfights would the Moranes stand a chance.

 

Of course, there were instances when the MS.406 Squadrons were able to surprise German Jagdflieger Staffels and get the bounce, but the stats for loss/victories show clearly the Moranes were inferior.

 

However, the story doesn't end with Fighter vs Fighter... during the Battle for France, the Bf-109's short range was a factor, just as it was in the BoB... and for deep raids on French airfields often the bombers or Stukas were either unescorted or only had Bf-110 escort.  In those situations, if they had warning and could get in the air, the Morane was a dangerous opponent with its nose cannon and wing MGs.

 

In fact, if the French had a Radar network similar to the British one which was so crucial during the BoB, then the German losses would have been much higher... as a Bomber interceptor, the Morane had the potential to be more effective than the Hurricane.... its firepower was superior.

 

But the French did not have a Radar network, and so the airfield raids were hugely successful in destroying large amounts of the Armee de l'Aire on the ground.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

I will write a more comprehensive post about Morane when at computer. Finland acquired planes on 2 batches, before and after Battle of France. The latter from Vichy France(insert correct name as do not want to offend the French). First planes were new, the 2nd used ones, flown from 10-170hrs. The delegation chose best of the crop so to say.

 

The guns were deemed inadequate and unreliable. Especially the wing mounted 7;5mm MAC machineguns were deemed almost useless against a bomber with even slightest of armor. Dubbed "rat guns" by Finnish pilots. The 20mm gun was unreliable, getting off barely 10 shots before stopped working due the culprit of many issues: compressed air system. List goes on.

 

Will delve deeper into it after making a draft of the data. Not bashing the plane, it was liked by pilots due the handling characteristics. But the mechanical issues and poor performance caused increasing losses and plane type was withdrawn from hotter areas of the front. 

[jeanba]

The Morane 406 was basically a prototype which was rushed into production without being redesigned to take into account manufacturing constrains (let alone mass manufcaturing constrains) nor teething problems. 

This resulted in high price due to complex manufacturing processes.

Lot of design flaws or improvisations (such as the radiator) which were acceptable for a prototype made their way to production planes (which was far less accepatble)

Of course, not optimizing the blueprints for mass production created manufacturing defects which added to above.

 

The "right" Morane should have been the 410 but it was available too late (even compared to other french planes)

 

Indeed, it is very interesting to compare the Dewoitine 520 blueprints and the Morane design on this topic.

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by jeanba

[jeanba]

14 hours ago, Buzzsaw said:

 

 

However, the story doesn't end with Fighter vs Fighter... during the Battle for France, the Bf-109's short range was a factor, just as it was in the BoB... and for deep raids on French airfields often the bombers or Stukas were either unescorted or only had Bf-110 escort.  In those situations, if they had warning and could get in the air, the Morane was a dangerous opponent with its nose cannon and wing MGs.

 

Yes and no : The Morane was very slow so it took time to catch up the bombers and in case of rear attack, the gunners had plenty of time to fire.

For frontal attack ..., the Morane could afford one, but its slow speed meant it took a lot of time to reposition.

It was barely ok against the Ju87, but that was a big problem against He111, Ju 88 and even Do17

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

So here goes the info etc. I promised. Will propably type in parts as can be a bit long maybe. So bear with me

 

Service in Finland

 

France donated to Finland 50 planes, but only 30 were acquired. Planes were assembled in Malmö, Sweden. In groups of 2-5 planes were transferred to Finland and put into service in Fighter squadron 28. During Winter War the Moranes achieved 14 kills on 288 sorties. 1 plane was lost to AA, pilot injured. From German war booty 57 more Moranes were bought, most of them requiring an overhaul. Also "Free France" offered Moranes to Finland form their storage in Chateauroux. Germans were middlemen in this purchase of 30 planes chosen by the FiAF delegation. Planes had flown 10-170 hours. In total Finland had 87 Moranes of which some were MS.410 variants.

 

Fighter squadron 28 used Moranes until end of hostilities in 1944. 36 planes were lost of which 16 in combat, 7 by AA, 12 in accidents etc. 17 pilots lost their lives and 3 were POW. 104 aerial victories were achieved. Another squadron using Moranes was Reconnaissance squadron 14. It achieved 17 aerial victories while losing 6 planes. 2 in combat, 1 by AA and 3 by technical faults or accidents. 2 pilots lost their lives flying the plane.

 

Use and modifications

 

Planes were upgraded and modified in overhauls and during maintenance a lot. For example front glass was replaced with a one piece glass without sight hole, landing gear was strenghtened, the tail skid changed to a lockable tailwheel and a 10mm armor plate for pilot added. Also the throttle was modified to work increasing power by being pushed forward instead of reverse it was before. Armament was being upgraded in various ways and varying results. The Hispano Suiza 404 20mm cannon was replaced by a 12,7mm Berezina UBS machine gun, but the gun could not take the loads and belts kept breaking. Also sometimes the gun would shoot itself empty when electrical system was set to ON. Gun itself had good penetration and muzzle velocity. Some planes were mounted with the Colt 12,7mm MG in center. The original Hispano Suiza 404 20mm gun was unreliable and usually pilots could only get off 5-10 rounds before gun stopped working. The wing mounted 7,5mm MAC MG had minimal penetration thus called "rat guns". Some of them were replaced with Browning guns of same calibre. Until summer of 1944 the fuzes of the 20mm gun were too sensitive and exploded on the surface of target causing minimal damage.

 

Compressed air system was very quirky and prone to leaks, jamming valves and freezing. This caused a lot of problems and even French in their much milder winter had reported issues with the system. At least 2 planes had accidents during flight when the compressed air bottles exploded. Guns also stopped working with compressed air system malfunctioning.

 

Engine was problematic. It did not give full power, especially on warmer days. Had a lot of problems with overheating, valve sockets coming loose and fuel delivery problems. Valve socket faults were cured with using better materials. The hydraulic pump broke relatively often, valves and springs breaking. Tubing leaked as joints got loose of all the tightening required. Hydraulic pressure gauge also leaked. Main reason for most issues with the hydraulic system was the too high pressure used in it, used fluid and gaskets.

 

Gauges and actuating devices had a lot of faults. The speedometer had to be re-calibrated on all planes as error was 10% or more. Measurement system relied on a venturi type instead of pitot tube. Slip gauge was "all over the place" etc. Original propellors did not keep their set pitch angle resulting in basically two settings: coarse and fine. This was made worse by difficult access to accessories and devices to maintain them. Radio set was good and rather modern, but very tricky to tune and required a skilled technician. When working a good connection could be achieved up to 60-70km. The switch for switching radios was originally in a hard place to reach behind the pilot. A mechanic made a field mod where the switch was changed to a different one and moved to the throttle lever making the radios a lot more useful in combat situations.

 

Reports to withdraw plane from service in 1942

 

While Morane was adequate during it´s design phase, it´s true potential was never utilized and improved by French before the war thus making it already obsolete by 1939 in Western front. Weaponry, systems, durability and engine should have been upgraded substantially. In Finland the situation was not so dire in 1939-1940 when VVS did not have advanced fighters and bombers at their disposal. Situation changed rather rapidly after 1941 when new types began to arrive in greater numbers to the front. Morane was slower, worse climbing and had poor acceleration compared to new planes of VVS. Also shortage in supplies of spare parts and very complex maintenance degraded combat efficiency. FiAF Colonel Richard Lorentz stated that even the plane was maneuverable, it was not enough against the new types of VVS planes. Also the firepower was inadequate compared to VVS fighters. This led to the idea of mating the VK-105P/PF engine to Morane thus "Mörkö Morane" was born. First of them flew in february 1943. After quickly solving initial teething issues with cooling, the planes were being converted so that at end of 1945 all remaining 41 Moranes were converted to Mörkö Moranes. Firepower was increased substantially when the MG151/20 cannon with 150 rounds was installed, instead of the original HS 404.

 

Mörkö Morane vs normal Morane

 

Performance improved quite a lot with the VK105P engine compared to the original Hispano-Suiza 12Y 31. Climb rate was increased from 10m/s to 13-17m/s and top speed to 435-445km/h TAS at SL and 490-510km/h TAS at 3.5-4km altitude. Plane retained it´s good handling qualities and maneuverability even takeoff weight went up to 2750kg. A combat turn of 360deg could be done in about 16 seconds. Climb to 5km in about 8min. Manufacturer gave rather optimistic values for the original MS.406: 18m/s climb rate and 6.5min to 5km. None of these could be achieved with original engines and lighter airframe. Finland tested and used different propellors on the Morane as the original Chauviere 351 was problematic. Best results were achieved by testing the Swiss Escher Wyss propellor, which improved performance. Also propellors like Hispano Suiza 10B, SB-2 bomber´s Hamilton Standard copy and Ratier 1607 constant speed propellor were tested. 

 

Top speed of original Morane 406 with the Chauviere 351 propellor never achieved manufacturer's values for top speed 486km/h at 5km and 400km/h at SL, nor climb rate of 18m/s. Values were on fully maintained planes 370km/h at SL and 430km/h TAS at 5km. With the radiator extended 20km/h of speed was lost. Climb rate was barely 10m/s at SL and decreased rapidly after 3km. So basically Mörkö Morane was closer to "paper values" than the original plane. Colonel Boillot from French AF also stated that planes in French service barely achieved 420km/h at 5km altitude.

Flying and other characteristics

 

With the original H-S 12Y 31 engine pilot had in use 830hp at SL with boost pressure of 960mmHg / 2400rpm. At 3150m power was 860hp at 2400rpm and 880mmHg boost setting. Use of takeoff power was only roughly one minute. Continuous power at sea level was 760hp. Coolant used was ethyleneglycol and due engine having overheating problems the radiator had to be kept open hampering top speed up to 20km/h. Instrumentation was very basic and erractic recuiring calibration, as mentioned above. Instrument flying was not easy due basic and erratic instrumentation. Especially during low light also due exhaust flames disturbing the pilot considerably. Otherwise pilots got used to the cockpit layout and functions fairly quickly.

 

Ground handling was easy with use of brakes. The tailwheel assembly was also modified to be steerable by FiAF vs the original fixed tail skid. Plane had very little tendency to veer during takeoff run due weak engine's low torque effects. Takeoff run was rather long 300m due to low power to weight ratio. Plane took off by itself at around 120km/h. Plane achieved climb speed of 200km/h relatively fast and landing gear was retracted. A peculiarity was that the landing gear had no uplock system, but kept there by constant hydraulic pressure. This caused landing gear to "peek out" from the wells in high G turns, if pressure was inadequate. And if hydraulic system was hit or damaged the gear dropped to down position.

 

Controls were light and effective. Stability was good for normal flying but had issues in combat. The short plane was nervous in combat situations causing it to move erratically while aiming. If pilot made corrections it caused a short term oscillation that was not easy to get rid of. Due this the shooting results were not particularly good, with guns also causing problems. Stick force per G was low, roughly 2 kiloponds thus pilots could easily pull high G´s. Stick force gradient in relation to speed was also low. Installation of the pilot armor shifted the CoG backwards making pitch axis even more sensitive.

 

A full throttle 360deg turn starting at 320km/h could be done in 16 seconds or less. Radius of the turn was 265m and forces 4G. Low power reduced constant turn capabilities and if pilot had to resort to series of tight turns, the poor acceleration made it practically impossible to gain  favorable situation again. Acceleration from slow speed to full level speed took 65 seconds or more. Deceleration took some 50 seconds. Due lubrication and fuel system limitations inverted flight was restricted to 4 seconds. Stall was relatively bening and a stall with power on the plane had tendency to fall on right wing. Maximum dive speed was 510km/h IAS and pilots reported severe shaking and vibrations thus giving a feeling the plane would break up.

 

For aerobatics the plane had no special rules or restrictions. Spin was prohibited, but if getting into one pilot had to let speed build up first before attempting recovery or the spin could flip to opposite direction. Starting a loop and an Immelman was done at speed of 380km/h. Speed at top was then 200km/h. Slowest speed for performing a loop was around 300km/h and with this speed an Immelman took 25 seconds and gained 500m of altitude. A slow roll had to be done more like a barrel roll due the before mentioned engine restrictions. A fast roll to the right was quirky and hard to stop precisely. To left no problems. If there was too much pull during rolls, the tail shook violently.

 

Takeoff was easy due low torque effects and if plane was properly trimmed. Landing was also very easy, but special care had to be taken to hit the right landing spot as climbing abilities when in landing configuration were poor. Approach with speed over 200km/h, propellor to fine pitch(16-20sec press of a button with original propellor). Landing gear down caused a slight nose down effect. Landing gear also had a warning lamp next to windscreen lighting up, if throttle was pulled to idle. Flaps down caused a strong nose down effect and braking, trim had to be set fully aft. Normal approach speed in landing configuration was 160km/h and on threshold around 140km/h. Plane sat on 3 points at 115km/h and it was very easy to maintain directional control. If plane bounced, no throttle was to be added as plane tilted. Landing roll was about 300m and at the end of roll plane had a tendency to harmlessly wobble sideways due the construction of the landing gear.

 

So there you go, some insight from Finnish Air Force using the MS.406. Will be interesting to see the plane in CloD. Sorry for typos and maybe not so good english ?

Edited October 17, 2023 by LLv34_Flanker
Typos etc.

[5th_Barone]

15 minutes ago, LLv34_Flanker said:

S!

 

So here goes the info etc. I promised. Will propably type in parts as can be a bit long maybe. So bear with me

 

Service in Finland

 

France donated to Finland 50 planes, but only 30 were acquired. Planes were assembled in Malmö, Sweden. In groups of 2-5 planes were transferred to Finland and put into service in Fighter squadron 28. During Winter War the Moranes achieved 14 kills on 288 sorties. 1 plane was lost to AA, pilot injured. From German war booty 57 more Moranes were bought, most of them requiring an overhaul. Also "Free France" offered Moranes to Finland form their storage in Chateauroux. Germans were middlemen in this purchase of 30 planes chosen. Planes had flown 10-170 hours. In total Finland had 87 Moranes of which some were MS.410 variants.

 

Fighter squadron 28 used Moranes until end of hostilities in 1944. 36 planes were lost, of which 16 in combat, 7 by AA, 12 in accidents etc. 17 pilots lost their lives and 3 were POW. 104 aerial victories were achieved. Another squadron using Moranes was Reconnaissance squadron 14. It achieved 17 aerial victories while losing 6 planes. 2 in combat, 1 by AA and 3 by technical faults or accidents. 2 pilots lost their lives flying the plane.

 

Use and modifications

 

Planes were upgraded and modified in overhauls and during maintenance a lot. For example front glass was repalced with a one piece glass without sight hole, landing gear was strenghtened, the tail skid changed to a lockable tailwheel and a 10mm armor plate for pilot added. Also the throttle was modified to workto increase power by being pushed forward instead of reverse it was before. Armament was being upgraded in various ways and results. The 20mm cannon was replaced by a 12,7mm Berezina UBS machine gun, but the gun could not take the loads and belts kept breaking. Gun itself had good penetration and muzzle velocity. Some planes were mounted with the Colt 12,7mm MG in center. The original Hispano Suiza 404 20mm gun was unreliable and usually pilots could only get off 5-10 rounds before gun stopped working. The wing mounted 7,5mm MAC MG had minimal penetration thus called "rat guns". Until summer of 1944 the fuzes of the 20mm gun were too sensitive and exploded on the surface of target causing minimal damage.

 

Compressed air system was very quirky and prone to leaks, jamming valves and freezing. This caused a lot of problems and even French in their much milder winter had reported issues with the system. At least 2 planes had accidents during flight when the airbottles exploded. Guns also stopped working with compressed air system malfunctioning.

 

Engine was problematic. It did not give full power especially on warmer days. Had a lot of problems with overheating, valve sockets coming loose and fuel delivery problems. Valve socket faults were cured with using better materials. The hydraulic pump broke relatively often, valves and springs breaking. Tubing leaked as joints got loose of all the tightening required. Pressure gauge also leaked. Main reason for most issues with the hydraulic system was the too high pressure used in it, used fluid and gaskets.

 

Gauges and actuating devices had a lot of faults. Propellors did not keep their set pitch angle. This was made worse by difficult access to accessories and devices. Radio was good and rather modern but very tricky to tune and required a skilled technician. When working a good connection could be achieved up to 60-70km. The switch for switching radios was originally in a hard place to reach behind the pilot. A mechanic made a field mod where the switch was changed to a different one and moved to the throttle lever making it a lot more useful in combat situations.

 

Reports to withdraw plane from service in 1942

 

While Morane was adequate during design phase, it´s true potential was never utilized thus making it already obsolete by 1939 in Western front. Weaponry, systems, durability and engine should have been upgraded substantially. In Finland the situation was not so dire in 1939-1940 when VVS did not have advanced fighters and bombers at their disposal. Situation changed rather rapidly after 1941 when new types began to arrive in greater numbers to the front. Morane was slower, worse climbing and had poor acceleration compared to new planes. Also supplies of spare parts and very hard maintenance degraded combat efficiency. Colonel Richard Lorentz stated that even the plane was maneuverable it was not enough against the new types of planes. Also the firepower was inadequate compared to VVS fighters. This led to the idea of mating the VK-105P/PF engine to Morane thus "Mörkö Morane" was born. First of them flew in february 1943. After quickly solving initial teething issues with cooling the planes were being converted so at end of 1945 all remaining 41 Moranes were converted to Mörkö Moranes. Firepower increased when the MG151/20 cannon with 150 rounds was installed instead of the original HS 404.

 

Mörkö Morane vs normal Morane

 

Performance improved quite a lot with the VK105 engine. Climb rate was increased from 10m/s to 13-17m/s and top speed to 435-445km/h TAS at SL and 490-510km/h TAS at 3.5-4km altitude. Plane retained it´s good handling qualities and maneuverability even weight went up to 2750kg. A combat turn of 360deg could be done in about 16 seconds. Climb to 5km in about 8min. Manufacturer gave rather optimistic values for the original 406, 18m/s climb rate and 6.5min to 5km. None of these could be achieved with original engine and lighter airframe. Finland used different propellors on the Morane and the original Chauviere 351 was problematic. Best results were achieved by testing the Swiss Escher Wyss propellor which improved performance. Also propellors like Hispano Suiza 10B, SB-2 bomber´s Hamilton Standard copy and Ratier 1607 constant speed propellor were tested. 

 

Top speed of original Morane 406 with the Chauviere 351 propellor never achieved manufacturers values of top speed 486km/h at 5km and 400km/h at SL, nor climb rate of 18m/s. Values were 370km/h at SL and 430km/h TAS at 5km. With the radiator extended 20km/h speed was lost. Climb rate was barely 10m/s at SL and decreased rapidly after 3km. So basically Mörkö Morane was closer to paper values than the original plane. Colonel Boillot from French AF also stated that planes in French use barely achieved 420km/h at 5km altitude.

More to come...hope you liked this so far..

We want more!

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

Original post edited now. Will add more if necessary. I hope you enjoy.

[LLv34_Flanker]

S!

 

Could also check info on the Curtiss H75A "Hawk", If interested ? Was used by FiAF as well and was nicknamed "Sussu" by pilots who flew it. Kyösti Karhila for example flew the Curtiss before transferring to LLv 34 and Messerschmitts. He liked the Sussu, even it began to show it's age in 1943 with newer Yak and Lavochkin fighters appearing, as well the fast Pe-2 and A-20 Havoc bombers.