ANF Les Mureaux 115

The ANF Les Mureaux 115 was a French two‑seat reconnaissance‑fighter developed in the early 1930s by the aviation company ANF Les Mureaux. Born from a series of experimental prototypes, the 115 entered prototype flight in 1932 and was quickly earmarked for the French Air Force’s tactical observation units. Its airframe employed a modern all‑metal, low‑wing monoplane design with a stressed‑skin fuselage, a departure from the wood‑and‑canvas constructions that still dominated many contemporaries. Powered by a 600 hp Hispano‑Suiza 12Ycrs V‑12 engine, the aircraft could reach 350 km/h and possessed a service ceiling of 9,000 m, giving it an advantageous blend of speed and altitude for reconnaissance missions. The cockpit accommodated a pilot and an observer, each with separate dual‑control stations and provision for a rear‑firing machine gun. The 115’s fixed, split‑type undercarriage was robust enough for operation from rough forward airfields. Although only a limited production run of about 40 units was completed before the programme was superseded by newer designs, the Les Mureaux 115 demonstrated France’s shift toward sleek, metal monoplanes and informed the development of later pre‑war fighters such as the Bloch MB.150 series. Its brief service highlighted the rapid evolution of aerial reconnaissance tactics in the interwar period.