| Salmson 2 A.2 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Reconnaissancebiplane |
| Manufacturer | Salmson |
| Number built | 3,800+ |
| History | |
| First flight | 1917 |
TheSalmson 2 A.2, (often shortened toSalmson 2) was a Frenchbiplanereconnaissance aircraft developed and produced bySalmson to a 1916 requirement. Along with theBreguet 14, it was the main reconnaissance aircraft of the French army in 1918 and was also used byAmerican Expeditionary Force aviation units. At the end of theFirst World War, one-third of French reconnaissance aircraft were Salmson 2s.
During the First World War, the Salmson factory built aircraft engines, generally 9- and later 18-cylinder water-cooled radial engines developed from theSwiss Canton-Unné design, an early stationary radial engine design used for military aircraft. The company's first aircraft was theSalmson-Moineau S.M.1, an unusual three-seat reconnaissance biplane with twin propellers gear-driven from a single Salmson engine mounted sideways in the fuselage but it was not successful although it saw limited production.
The Salmson 2 came from a requirement to replace theSopwith 1½ Strutter andDorand A.R. reconnaissance aircraft in the A.2 (tactical reconnaissance) role. Salmson had built the 1½ Strutter under license, and the Salmson 2, while an original design, had more in common with the Sopwith than to the Salmson-Moineau. The aircraft was of conventional construction with a two-bay biplane configuration, powered by the company's own 230 hp (170 kW)Salmson 9Z water-cooled radial engine. Some minor control problems were quickly resolved in early testing, but the main defect of the Salmson 2, shared with the contemporaryAirco DH.4, was that the pilot and gunner were widely separated, making communication difficult. Production was ordered after trials on 29 April 1917, and deliveries were underway by October of that year. Around 3,200 Salmson 2s were built in France, 2,200 by Salmson and the remainder by theLatécoère,Hanriot, andDesfontaines, companies. Some of these wereSalmson 2 E.2 dual control advanced training (Ecole) aircraft.
.jpg)
Developments of the Salmson 2 included:
In addition to its service with the French army, the Salmson 2 served during the First World War withUnited States air units. Some 700 were purchased, and were generally successful.
Postwar Salmson 2s were purchased byCzechoslovakia, and remained in service until 1924. Others were transferred toPoland, but were withdrawn by 1920, and replaced byBristol F.2Bs.Japan undertook licensed production as theArmy TypeOtsu 1, also known as the Kawasaki-Salmson. The number of aircraft built in Japan is unclear; 300 were built byKawasaki, and the same quantity by theImperial Japanese Army'sTokorozawa supply depot, although the total number of aircraft produced may have been as high as 1,000.
After First World War, the Salmson 2 A.2 produced byLatécoère were the first aircraft used by French pioneering airmail companyAéropostale.
.jpg)
Data from French Aircraft of the First World War[2]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
