The CAMS 32R was a specialized maritime reconnaissance flying boat designed in 1923 by the French manufacturer Chantiers Aéro-Maritimes de la Seine (CAMS). Positioned at the lighter end of the company's production range compared to larger multi-engine models like the CAMS 37 or CAMS 55, the 32R was configured as a two-seat aircraft, typically accommodating a pilot and an observer or gunner. This layout was intended to meet the French Navy's (Aéronautique navale) requirements for coastal patrol and observation platforms during the interwar period.
Technically, the aircraft was powered by a single Hispano-Suiza piston engine producing 180 hp. While the specific model variant of the engine is not documented, the Hispano-Suiza series of the early 1920s typically utilized liquid-cooled V-8 configurations derived from World War I designs. The aircraft's hull-type seaplane configuration allowed it to operate directly from the water, serving as a dedicated reconnaissance tool for naval operations.
Regarding its production, the CAMS 32R is only mentioned in specialist designation lists, and no comprehensive production figures exist. Due to the lack of detailed service records or photographs, it is possible that the aircraft remained at the prototype stage or was produced in very small numbers, though the exact quantity remains unknown. The aircraft was manufactured by CAMS, a firm established near the Seine river in the Saint-Ouen and Gennevilliers areas near Paris, with additional associations to facilities in Le Havre, Normandy.
CAMS operated as a specialist in flying boats throughout the 1920s, often producing designs influenced by engineers such as Maurice Hurel. However, by the mid-1930s, the French aviation industry underwent significant consolidation. CAMS was eventually absorbed into larger national groups (SNCAs) or disappeared as an independent entity, with its lineage becoming associated with firms such as Loire, Lioré-et-Olivier, and Loire-Nieuport. Today, no examples of the CAMS 32R are known to survive in museums or private collections, leaving the type as a fragmentary example of early 20th-century French naval aviation experimentation.