MoraneSaulnier MS406 C1

The M.S.406 was a French Armée de l'Air fighter aircraft built by Morane-Saulnier starting in 1938. Numerically it was France's most important fighter during the opening stages of World War II.

Although sturdy and highly maneuverable, it was under-powered and weakly armed when compared to its contemporaries. More critically, it was out-performed by the Messerschmitt Bf 109E during the Battle of France.

This is a MS.406 that was intended for service with the Chinese Air Force , but impounded by colonial authorities in Indochine. It served the Armee de l'Air at Tong Airbase, near Saigon, French Indochina, late 1940 - early 1941.

Performance
Maximum speed: 486 km/h (303 mph) at 5,000 m (16,400 ft)
Range: 1,000 km (620 mi)
Rate of climb: 13.0 m/s (2,560 ft/min)
Wing loading: 141.9 kg/m² (29.1 lb/ft²)
Power/mass: 260 W/kg (0.16 hp/lb)

Armament
1× 20 mm Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon
2× 7.5 mm MAC 1934 machine gun

This piece was created in Illustrator CS and is entirely vector.