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SPAD S.XX


Two-Seat Biplane Fighter Aircraft [ 1920 ]



The SPAD S.XX arrived too late to see combat action in World War 1.



Authored By: Staff Writer | Last Edited: 06/04/2018 | Content ©www.MilitaryFactory.com | The following text is exclusive to this site.

GO TO SPECIFICATIONS [+]
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During World War 1 (1914-1918), the advantage in the air war over Europe had changed hands several times, driven by a combination of evolving tactics, experienced pilots and advancing technologies of the period. Aircraft could now fly farther, higher and faster than ever before and carried increasingly potent armament. Towards the end of the war, French engineer Andre Herbemont headed another entry in the storied S.P.A.D. ("Societe Pour L'Aviation et ses Derives") fighter line with the introduction of the S.P.A.D. S.XX (S.20) fighter.

First flying on August 7th, 1918, the aircraft was still in development by the time of cessation of hostilities in November. The S.XX was not officially introduced, therefore, until 1920 and this limited production to approximately 100 units due to the world-wide military draw-down. Manufacture of S.P.A.D. S.XX aircraft was handled by Bleriot while the primary operator of the series became the French Air Force. The aircraft series also saw limited, post-war numbers and service under the flags of Bolivia and Paraguay.

The S.XX was born from the preceding single-seat SPAD S.XVII, itself derived from the single-seat S.XIII fighter. The S.XX differed primarily in its two-seat configuration with the pilot and gunner/observer seated inline across two individual, open-air cockpits. The stout fuselage was of a conventional shape, well-contoured and rounded, with the engine compartment at the front and a single rudder fin at the rear (with applicable horizontal tailplanes). The wings were of equal span with parallel and v-shaped struts joining an upper and lower wing assembly. The upper wing assembly was given considerable sweep while the lower wing was of a conventional straight design. The undercarriage was fixed with two landing wheels while a simple skid aided the tail when the aircraft was at rest. The pilot was afforded 2 x fixed, forward-firing .303 Vickers machine guns over the engine cowl as primary armament while the rear gunner managed a single .303 Lewis gun atop a trainable mount.

Dimensionally, the S.XX sported a wingspan of 32 feet with a fuselage length of 24 feet and height of 9 feet. Empty listed weight was 1,900lbs with a gross weight of 2,880lbs. Power was served through a Hispano-Suiza 8Fb inline piston engine developing 300 horsepower and driving a two-bladed wooden propeller. Performance included a maximum speed of 135 miles per hour, a range out to 250 miles, a service ceiling of 26,240 feet and a rate-of-climb of 1,100 feet per minute.

While the French government originally envisioned a staggering production total during peak war months, its order was severely cut short with the Armistice of November 1918. The Armistice interrupted all manner of programs to date and this included the S.XX which had not yet entered quantitative production by war's end. A bulk of the completed aircraft (95) were of the standard S.XX model while only two of the "improved" S.XX bis were seen - these with larger wing surface areas for better control. One of these was then sold off to Japan's Mitsubishi. From there emerged a line of "one-off" racer platforms that began with the S.20 bis-1 and ended with the S.20 bis-6. Several of these airframes claimed speed records during their time aloft. S.XX/S.20 aircraft served during the 1920s before being given up for more modern types heading into the 1930s.©MilitaryFactory.com
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
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Specifications



Service Year
1920

Origin
France national flag graphic
France

Status
RETIRED
Not in Service.
Crew
2

Production
100
UNITS


Societe Pour l'Avions et ses Derives (SPAD) - France
(View other Aviaton-Related Manufacturers)
National flag of Bolivia National flag of France Bolivia; France; Paraguay
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
Air-to-Air Combat, Fighter
General ability to actively engage other aircraft of similar form and function, typically through guns, missiles, and/or aerial rockets.
Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.


Length
24.0 ft
(7.30 m)
Width/Span
31.9 ft
(9.72 m)
Height
9.2 ft
(2.80 m)
Empty Wgt
1,918 lb
(870 kg)
MTOW
2,866 lb
(1,300 kg)
Wgt Diff
+948 lb
(+430 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base SPAD S.XX production variant)
Installed: 1 x Hispano-Suiza 8Fb inline piston engine developing 300 horsepower.
Max Speed
135 mph
(217 kph | 117 kts)
Ceiling
26,247 ft
(8,000 m | 5 mi)
Range
249 mi
(400 km | 741 nm)
Rate-of-Climb
1,100 ft/min
(335 m/min)


♦ MACH Regime (Sonic)
Sub
Trans
Super
Hyper
HiHyper
ReEntry
RANGES (MPH) Subsonic: <614mph | Transonic: 614-921 | Supersonic: 921-3836 | Hypersonic: 3836-7673 | Hi-Hypersonic: 7673-19180 | Reentry: >19030


(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the base SPAD S.XX production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
STANDARD:
2 x 7.7mm Vickers fixed, forward-firing machine guns synchronized to fire through the spinning propeller blades.
1 x 7.7mm Lewis machine gun on trainable mount in rear cockpit.


Supported Types


Graphical image of an aircraft medium machine gun


(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Hardpoint Mountings: 0


S.XX - Base Series Models; 95 completed.
S.XX bis - Improved S.XX with larger wing surfaces; improved control; 2 examples.
S.20 bis-1 - Standard racer model
S.20 bis-2 - Racer with shortened wing appendages.
S.20 bis-3 - Racer with revised, shortened wings
S.20 bis-4 - Racer with revised, shortened wings
S.20 bis-5 - Gordon Bennett racer; revised wings; two examples completed.
S.20 bis-6 - Racer model with special Hispano-Suiza engine installation.


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