Category:Société des Moteurs Salmson

The Société des Moteurs Salmson (SMS) was a French manufacturer etablished in 1890. Initially a pump manufacturer, Salmson (as commonly said) turned to automobile and aeroplane manufacturing in the 20th century. About aircraft, the company designed its a few rare type as most of the production was licence-built aircraft (Hanriot, Sopwith, ...).
These first contracts enabled the company to build the factory where its first design (a joint venture with René Moineau, a former engineer at Breguet Aéroplanes), the Salmson-Moineau S.M.1 A3, would be produced. The aircraft itself is relatively conventional except for the location of the only engine: a liquid-cooled Salmson 9A radial engine mounted on the right side of the fuselage (to reduce drag). The two propellers were driven by a system of gears and drive shafts. Despite 155 aircraft built, it was not a success.
Next design was the successful Salmson 2.
With the end of the Great War (World War One), the company focused on engines and some automobiles before designing two new types of aircraft in the 1930s : the Salmson Cricri and the Salmson Phrygane.
They were the last aircraft, the company continued to produce cars until 1957. Today (2025), a subsidiary specializing in pumps still exists, despite a chequered history in which sales and takeovers have regularly changed its trade name.

See also

• Salmson aircraft at Wikipedia