SPAD S.XII

Single-Seat, Single Engine Biplane Fighter Aircraft

France | 1917

"The cannon-armed SPAD S.XII was produced in only 300 examples with many of these reserved for experienced pilots."

Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 01/16/2019 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site; No A.I. was used in the generation of this content.

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French flying ace Georges Guynemer pushed the idea of a cannon-armed fighter plane after his experiences in aircraft such as the SPAD S.VII. This led the Societe Pour l'Aviation et ses Derives (SPAD) company to develop such a system. The follow-up design came to be known as the S.XII (or S.12) and featured a 37mm cannon along with its standard single machine gun armament.

Externally, the SPAD S.XII looked every bit as a further development of the SPAD S.VII model. Due to the extra weight imposed on the airframe by the new cannon armament, the fuselage was lengthened over that of the S.VII. A Hispano-Suiza engine was once again used by SPAD and consisted of the 8Bc or 8Bec types, each offering 220 horsepower. What made the 8Bec unique was that the 37mm cannon could be nestled between the cylinder banks. Subtle changes to the wings were also necessitated by the increase in weight.

First flight for the SPAD S.XII was achieved on July 5th, 1917 with limited production examples following. The system proved a handful for the inexperienced but lethal in the hands of a proven military aviator. As the cannon system extended into the cockpit, the aircraft was not controlled through a traditional flight stick. Additionally, reloading the cannon while flying the plane added another responsibility while in-flight. The standard single 7.7mm Vickers machine gun remained a part of the offensive toolbox for the S.XII, a carry-over from the S.VII design.

Though the cannon-mounted SPAD S.XII's initially proved successful, they really required an experienced pilot at the controls of both aircraft and armament. With more and more resources being dedicated to the already proven S.VII and S.XIII designs, the S.XII was limited to a mere 300 production examples and, as such, the system never equipped an entire unit. In any case, the idea of a cannon-armed aircraft was intriguing and perfected to the extreme in the Second World War and beyond.

Like the SPAD S.VII before it and the SPAD S.XIII after it, the SPAD S.XII was designed by Louis Bechereau.

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Power & Performance
Those special qualities that separate one aircraft design from another. Performance specifications presented assume optimal operating conditions for the SPAD S.XII Single-Seat, Single Engine Biplane Fighter Aircraft.

1 x Hispano-Suiza HS 8Bc engine developing 220 horsepower OR 1 x Hispano-Suiza HS 8Bec engine developing 220 horsepower.
Propulsion

126 mph
203 kph | 110 kts
Max Speed

22,474 ft
6,850 m | 4 miles
Service Ceiling

217 miles
350 km | 189 nm
Operational Range

1,090 ft/min
332 m/min
Rate-of-Climb

City-to-City Ranges
Operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).

NYC

LON

PAR

BER

MOS

TOK

SYD

LAX

NYC

Structure
The nose-to-tail, wingtip-to-wingtip physical qualities of the SPAD S.XII Single-Seat, Single Engine Biplane Fighter Aircraft.

1
(MANNED)
Crew

21.0 ft
6.40 m
O/A Length

26.2 ft
(8.00 m)
O/A Width

8.4 ft
(2.55 m)
O/A Height

1,294 lb
(587 kg)
Empty Weight

1,947 lb
(883 kg)
MTOW

Design Balance
The three qualities reflected below are altitude, speed, and range. The more full the box, the more balanced the design.

RANGE

ALT

SPEED

Armament
Available supported armament and special-mission equipment featured in the design of the SPAD S.XII Single-Seat, Single Engine Biplane Fighter Aircraft .

STANDARD:
1 x 7.7mm Vickers machine gun

Some with HS 8Bec engines featured a 1 x 37mm Puteaux cannon mounted between the cylinder banks.

Variants
Notable series variants as part of the SPAD S.XII family line.

S.XII - Base Series Designation

Operators
Global customers who have evaluated and/or operated the SPAD S.XII. Nations are displayed by flag, each linked to their respective national aircraft listing.

Total Production: 300 Units
Contractor(s): Societe Pour l'Aviation et ses Derives (SPAD) - France

[ France; Imperial Russia; Serbia; United Kingdom; United States; Yugoslavia ]

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Going Further...
The SPAD S.XII Single-Seat, Single Engine Biplane Fighter Aircraft appears in the following collections:

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