Morane-Saulnier Type L

The Morane-Saulnier Type L was a French parasol wing one or two seat scout aircraft flown from the opening months of the First World War. It became one of the first genuinely successful fighter aircraft once fitted with a forward firing machine gun protected by armored deflector wedges on the propeller blades, an improvised solution that let a pilot fire straight ahead without a synchronization gear. The design's success helped touch off a rapid escalation in fighter development that left it outdated within a couple of years.