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The M.S. 410 was an attempt to improve the firepower of the Morane Saulnier M.S. 406. That aircraft was armed with two 7.5mm machine guns and one 20mm engine mounted cannon. The M.S. 410 doubled the number of wing mounted machine guns, and replaced the drum feed using in the M.S. 406 with a more efficient belt feed. M.S. 406 No. 1028 was used as the prototype, undergoing tests in January and February 1940. As a result of the tests, an order was placed to covert 500 existing M.S. 406s to the new standard. 150 of the improved wings were also ordered, and if time had allowed would have been used to modify any damaged M.S. 406s. No M.S. 410s were ready in time to see service during the battle of France, although eleven were later supplied to Finland by the Germans, and an unknown number went to Croatia.
French Fighters of World War II, Alain Pelletier. This book tells the story of the French fighter aircraft that attempted to stand up the Luftwaffe in 1940. It covers seven main aircraft and a larger number of minor variants. Each aircraft is taken from development and prototypes through the battle of France and into the period after the armistice. [see more]
