Morane-Saulnier MS.221

The Morane-Saulnier MS.221 was a French single-seat parasol-wing fighter built in 1928 to compete in the Jockey light fighter programme, which sought lower-cost fighters with light armament but rapid climb and long endurance. It replaced the underpowered MS.121 by using the same basic airframe and armament with a 30 percent power increase from a 600 horsepower Gnome-Rhone 9Ae Jupiter radial engine, and two prototypes were built. Because it proved slower at altitude than its competitors, one prototype was re-engined with a turbo-supercharged Jupiter and redesignated MS.222, and a further clean-up with a split-axle undercarriage produced the MS.223, which first flew in April 1930. The light fighter concept was abandoned in 1930, and Morane-Saulnier turned back to heavier fighters.