Farman F.40

Template:Short description Template:Infobox aircraft

The Farman F.40 was a French pusher biplane reconnaissance aircraft. The aircraft was also used as light bomber aircraft in the early part of World War I and later it was used as a trainer.

Development

Developed from a mix of the Maurice Farman-designed MF.11 and the Henry Farman-designed HF.22, the F.40 (popularly called the Horace Farman) had an overall smoother crew nacelle. An open tail boom truss supported a horizontal tailplane and a curved fin. The aircraft went into production in 1915.

Operational history

File:1916farman-f40-01z.jpg

Portuguese Farman F.40 in Mozambique

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. The Portuguese Forces in Mozambique included a small squadron of F.40, which participated in the East African Campaign.

A number of 120 Farman F.40s were purchased by Romania. These included the Type 42 and Type 60 variants of which 57 equipped with Template:Cvt De Dion engines, 46 with Template:Cvt Renault engines, and 17 with Template:Cvt Renault engines. The Farmans were assigned to squadrons of Grupul 1, Grupul 2 and Grupul 3 and were used until 1920.Template:Sfn A Farman F.40 was also used to deliver some important documents for the Union with Transylvania to the Romanian National Council in 1918.^[1]

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

Variants

File:Camp d'aviation de Salonique (novembre 1916) - Salonique (environs) - Médiathèque de l'architecture et du patrimoine - APOR070543.jpg

F.40 with Le Prieur rockets

Data from:French aircraft of the First World WarTemplate:Sfn

F.40: 2-seat reconnaissance aircraft with Template:Cvt Renault 130 hp, Template:Cvt span.
F.40: 2-seat reconnaissance aircraft with Template:Cvt De Dion-Bouton 12B, Template:Cvt span.
F.40H: 2-seat seaplane trainer with Template:Cvt Renault 130 hp, Template:Cvt span.
F.40bis: 2-seat reconnaissance aircraft with Template:Cvt Renault 8Gc, Template:Cvt span.
F.40ter: 2-seat reconnaissance aircraft with Template:Cvt Lorraine 8A, Template:Cvt span.
F.40 QC: 2-seat reconnaissance aircraft with Template:Cvt Renault 130 hp, Template:Cvt span and elongated tail.
F.40P: adaption to fire Le Prieur rockets
F.41: 2-seat reconnaissance aircraft with Template:Cvt Renault 8B, Template:Cvt span.
F.41 H: 2-seat seaplane with Template:Cvt Renault 8B, Template:Cvt span.
F.41bis: 2-seat reconnaissance aircraft with Template:Cvt Lorraine 6AM, Template:Cvt span.
F.41bis H: 2-seat seaplane with Template:Cvt Lorraine 6AM, Template:Cvt span.
F.1,40: 2-seat trainer powered by an Template:Cvt Renault 8B, Template:Cvt span.
F.1,40bis: 2-seat floatplane trainer powered by a Template:Cvt Lorraine 6AM, Template:Cvt span.
F.1,40bis: 2-seat trainer powered by a Template:Cvt Renault 8C, Template:Cvt span.
F.1,40: 2/3-seat trainer powered by a Template:Cvt Renault 130 hp, Template:Cvt span.
F.1,40ter: 2-seat trainer powered by a Template:Cvt Lorraine 8Aby, Template:Cvt span.
F.1,41: 2-seat trainer powered by an Template:Cvt Renault 8B, Template:Cvt span.
F.1,41 H: 2-seat floatplane trainer powered by an Template:Cvt Renault 8B, Template:Cvt span.
F.1,46: 2-seat dual-control trainer powered by an Template:Cvt Renault 8B, Template:Cvt span.
F.2,41: 2-seat trainer powered by a Template:Cvt Lorraine 8Bd, Template:Cvt span.

Army type numbers

The French Army applied type numbers to aircraft types in service. Initially these were used in a similar fashion to individual serial numbers, later used to denote similar aircraft types.

Army Type 42: F.40
Army Type 43: F.40
Army Type 44: F.41bis with Template:Cvt Lorraine 6AM engine.
Army Type 51: F.41.
Army Type 51 E2: F.1,41 with wings of altered camber.
Army Type 56: F.40bis.
Army Type 57: F.40ter.
Army Type 60: F.1,40bis.
Army Type 61: F.1,40ter.