Between 1920 and 1951 the Société des Moteurs Salmson in France developed and built a series of widely used air-cooled aircraft engines.[1]
After their successful water-cooled radial engines, developed from 1908 to 1918, Salmson changed their focus to air-cooling to reduce weight and increase specific power (power per unit weight). The majority of the engines produced by Salmson were of radial type with a few other arrangements such as the Salmson T6.E. In common with other engines produced by this manufacturer, the air-cooled radial engines featured the unorthodox Canton-Unné internal arrangement that dispensed with a master rod in favour of a cage of epicyclic gears driving the crankpin. Production ended in 1951 with the liquidation of the manufacturing company.
The 3,7 and 9 cylinder Salmsons were license-built in Great Britain, during the 1920s and 1930s, by the British Salmson engine company as the British Salmson AD.3, British Salmson AC.7, British Salmson AC.9, and British Salmson AD.9.
In common with several other French aero-engine manufacturers Salmson named their engines with the number of cylinders then a series letter in capitals followed by variant letters in lower-case. Engines not included in the 1932 table which follows are listed here:
Salmson air-cooled engines available in 1932 are listed here[2]
| Name | Type | Year | Bore | Stroke | Capacity | Power | Weight | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7AC | 7-cyl radial | at 1,800 rpm | ||||||
| 9AB | 9-cyl radial | at 1,700 rpm | ||||||
| 9AC | 9-cyl radial | at 1,800 rpm | ||||||
| 9AD | 9-cyl radial | at 2,000 rpm | ||||||
| 9ADb | 9-cyl radial | at 2,200 rpm | ||||||
| 9ADr | 9-cyl radial | at 2,700 rpm | ||||||
| 9NA | 9-cyl radial | at 1,800 rpm | ||||||
| 9NAs | 9-cyl radial | at 1,800rpm | ||||||
| 9NC | 9-cyl radial | at 1,800 rpm | ||||||
| 9NCt | 9-cyl radial | at 1,800 rpm | ||||||
| 18AB | 18-cyl 2-row radial | at 1,700 rpm | ||||||
| 18ABs | 18-cyl 2-row radial | at 1,700 rpm |