French Aviation 1918
The Breguet 17 was a fighter biplane developed in France towards the end of World War I and operated by that country during the 1920s.
The Breguet 17 was based on the highly successful Bre.14 bomber, but slightly smaller in size. The Bre.17 was fitted with a more powerful engine and heavier machine gun armament in place of a bomb load. The French Army was impressed enough with its performance to place orders for 1,000 of these aircraft during 1918, to be delivered in 1919. The end of World War One also ended these plans, but some limited production did take place into the early 1920s.
The production version was designated as the Bre.17C.2, it served with several escadrilles to augment existing aircraft. The Breguet 17 never formed the basis of any one unit on its own. A single example of the Bre.17 was converted into a prototype night fighter, but no production runs were ever ordered.
The Salmson 2 was a French biplane reconnaissance aircraft made by Salmson. It was developed to a 1916 requirement. Along with the Breguet 14, it was the main reconnaissance aircraft in use with the French army in 1918. At the end of the First World War, one-third of French reconnaissance aircraft were Salmson 2s.
Built in large numbers, the Salmson 2 was the most widely used reconnaissance aircraft in the final year of the war. A versatile two-seater biplane featuring a new Canton-Unné radial engine, it was also employed as a daylight bomber and ground attack aircraft by French and American air services.
