Morane-Saulnier M.S.475 Vanneau V

The Morane-Saulnier M.S.475 Vanneau V was the final production version in the Vanneau family and was a two-seat advanced trainer that remained in use from 1950 into the late 1960s.

The original M.S.470 Vanneau had been designed in Vichy France, but hadn't made its maiden flight until 22 December 1944, after the Liberation. It was a tandem two-seat low-wing all-metal monoplane, powered by a Hispano-Suiza engine and with an undercarriage that protruded slightly from the base of the fuselage when fully retracted in order to act as a buffer during wheel-up landings.

The M.S.470 was ordered into production as the M.S.472, which differed from the prototype by using a Gnome-Rhône 14M radial engine. Deliveries of the production aircraft began in December 1946 and a total of 230 (plus three prototypes) were built.

Work on an improved version of the aircraft was soon underway and the prototype of the M.S.475 Vanneau V made its maiden flight on 8 August 1947. The most obvious difference was the change from the radial engine of earlier production aircraft to an 850hp Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 V-12 engine. The M.S.475 also got a revised wing along with a number of smaller changes. The resulting aircraft was faster and more manoeuvrable than the M.S.472 or M.S.474.

A total of 200 production M.S.475s were built, and deliveries started in March 1950. The M.S.475 remained in service until the late 1960s. It was also the basis of two experimental variants - the M.S.476 with a greatly modified wing and the M.S.477 with a Renault engine.

Engine: Hispano-Suiza 12Y-45 V-12
Power: 850hp
Crew: 2
Wing span: 34ft 11 1/4in
Length: 29ft 8 1/4in
Height: 11ft 10 1/2in
Empty Weight: 5,183lb
Maximum Take-Off Weight: 6,889lb
Max Speed: 277mph
Cruising Speed:
Service Ceiling: 27,885ft
Range: 932 miles
Armament: Two MAC 1934 7.5mm wing mounted machine guns
Bomb-load: Two Alkan racks for light bombs

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How to cite this article: Rickard, J (20 December 2013), Morane-Saulnier M.S.475 Vanneau V , http://www.historyofwar.org/articles/weapons_morane_saulnier_MS475_vanneauV.html

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