Military Wiki
F.40
1916farman-f40-01z
Role reconnaissance/observation biplane
Manufacturer Farman Aviation Works
Designer Henry Farman
Introduction 1915
Retired 1922

The Farman F.40 was a French pusher biplane reconnaissance aircraft.

Development[]

Developed from a mix of the Maurice Farman designed MF.11 and the Henry Farman designed HF.22, the F.40 (popularly dubbed the Horace Farman) had an overall smoother outline and smoother crew nacelle. A pair of upper tail booms supported a horizontal tailplane and a curved fin. The aircraft went into production in 1915.

Operational history[]

Forty French Air Force escadrilles (squadrons) were equipped with F.40s. They operated for just over a year, but were replaced in early 1917. The F.40 was also operated by the No. 5 Wing of the Royal Naval Air Service, Belgian forces in France, and also by the Russians

Italian aircraft maker Savoia-Marchetti built F.40s for use by the police force until 1922.

Variants[]

  • F.40P - adaption to fire Le Prieur rockets
  • F.41 - shorter wingspan
  • F.56 - larger 127-kW (170-hp) Renault engine
  • F.60 - larger 142-kW (190-hp) Renault engine
  • F.61 - F.41 with 142-kW (190-hp) Renault engine

Operators[]

Flag of Belgium (civil) Belgium
Flag of Brazil Brazil
Flag of Colombia Colombia
Flag of France France
Flag of Greece (1828-1978) Greece
Flag of Italy (1861-1946) Italy
Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands
  • One aircraft only.
Flag of Norway Norway
Flag of Portugal Portugal
Flag of Romania Romania
Flag of Russia Russia
Flag of Serbia Serbia
Flag of the Soviet Union Soviet Union
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom
United States
Flag of Venezuela Venezuela

Specifications[]

Data from [1]

General characteristics

  • Capacity: 2
  • Length: 9.25 m (30 ft 4.25 in)
  • Wingspan: 17.6 m (57 ft 9 in)
  • Height: 3.9 m (12 ft 9.5 in)
  • Wing area: 52 m2 (559.74 ft2)
  • Empty weight: 748 kg (1649 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1120 kg (2469 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Renault 12-cylinder Vee piston, 101 kW (135 hp) each

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 135 km/h (84 mph)
  • Endurance: 2 hours  20 min
  • Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,125 ft)

Armament

  • 1 or 2 × 7.7-mm (0.303 in) machine-guns in observer's cockpit
  • light bombs or 10 × Le Prieur rockets
  • References[]

    1. Donald, David, ed (1997). The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft. Prospero Books. pp. 399. ISBN 1-85605-375-X. 
    All or a portion of this article consists of text from Wikipedia, and is therefore Creative Commons Licensed under GFDL.
    The original article can be found at Farman F.40 and the edit history here.