Specifications
Year: 1917
Status: Retired, Out-of-Service
Manufacturer(s): Societe Pour l'Aviation et ses Derives (SPAD) - France
Production: 300
Capabilities: Fighter;
Status: Retired, Out-of-Service
Manufacturer(s): Societe Pour l'Aviation et ses Derives (SPAD) - France
Production: 300
Capabilities: Fighter;
Crew: 1
Length: 21.00 ft (6.4 m)
Width: 26.25 ft (8 m)
Height: 8.37 ft (2.55 m)
Weight (Empty): 1,294 lb (587 kg)
Weight (MTOW): 1,947 lb (883 kg)
Length: 21.00 ft (6.4 m)
Width: 26.25 ft (8 m)
Height: 8.37 ft (2.55 m)
Weight (Empty): 1,294 lb (587 kg)
Weight (MTOW): 1,947 lb (883 kg)
Power: 1 x Hispano-Suiza HS 8Bc engine developing 220 horsepower OR 1 x Hispano-Suiza HS 8Bec engine developing 220 horsepower.
Speed: 126 mph (203 kph; 110 kts)
Ceiling: 22,474 feet (6,850 m; 4.26 miles)
Range: 217 miles (350 km; 189 nm)
Rate-of-Climb: 1,090 ft/min (332 m/min)
Ceiling: 22,474 feet (6,850 m; 4.26 miles)
Range: 217 miles (350 km; 189 nm)
Rate-of-Climb: 1,090 ft/min (332 m/min)
Operators: France; Imperial Russia; Serbia; United Kingdom; United States; Yugoslavia
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.
Armament
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 / Models
• S.XII - Base Series Designation
