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|name=SPAD S.XII
|name=SPAD S.XII
|image= File:13th Aero Squadron - SPAD S XII.jpg
|image= File:13th Aero Squadron - SPAD S XII.jpg
|caption= Closeup of Capt. Biddle in his SPAD S.XII.
|caption= A USAAS SPAD S.XII in 1918.
}}{{Infobox aircraft type
}}{{Infobox aircraft type
|type= [[Fighter aircraft|Fighter]]
|type=biplane cannon-armed fighter
|national origin=France
|national origin=France
|manufacturer=[[Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés|SPAD]]
|manufacturer=[[Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés|SPAD]]
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|more users=[[Red Army]]
|more users=[[Red Army]]
|developed from=[[Spad S.VII]]
|developed from=[[Spad S.VII]]
|number built=unknown, 300 ordered<ref>{{cite web|title=The Cannon Pioneers|url=http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/cannon_pioneers.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516235315/http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/cannon_pioneers.htm|archive-date=2009-05-16|df=}}</ref>
|number built=unknown, 300 ordered<ref>{{cite web|title=The Cannon Pioneers|url=http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/cannon_pioneers.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090516235315/http://www.quarry.nildram.co.uk/cannon_pioneers.htm|archive-date=2009-05-16}}</ref>
}}
}}
|}
|}
The '''SPAD S.XII''' or '''SPAD 12''' was a [[France|French]] single-seat [[biplane]] [[fighter aircraft]] of the [[First World War]] developed from the successful [[SPAD 7]] by [[Louis Béchereau]], chief designer of the [[Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés]] (SPAD).
The '''SPAD S.XII''' or '''SPAD 12''' was a French single-seat [[biplane]] [[fighter aircraft]] of the [[First World War]] developed from the successful [[SPAD VII]] by [[Louis Béchereau]], chief designer of the [[Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés]] (SPAD).


== Development ==
== Development ==
The SPAD XII was inspired by the ideas of French [[flying ace]] [[Georges Guynemer]], who proposed that a manoeuvrable single-seat aircraft be designed to carry a 37&nbsp;mm cannon, a weapon which had previously been mounted only in large two-seat [[pusher configuration|"pusher"]] aircraft such as the [[Voisin III]]. Béchereau took his own SPAD 7 design as the starting point, but the many major and minor changes incorporated into the SPAD 12 made it a quite different aircraft.
The SPAD XII was inspired by the ideas of French [[flying ace]] [[Georges Guynemer]], who proposed that a manoeuvrable single-seat aircraft be designed to carry a 37&nbsp;mm cannon, a weapon which had previously been mounted only in large two-seat [[pusher configuration|"pusher"]] aircraft such as the [[Voisin III]]. Béchereau took his own SPAD VII design as the starting point, but the many major and minor changes incorporated into the SPAD XII made it a quite different aircraft.


[[File:Hispano Suiza 8Ca.jpg|thumb|right|Restored HS.8Ca geared-output engine, similar to the 8Cb used on the SPAD S.XII]]
[[File:Hispano Suiza 8Ca.jpg|thumb|right|Restored HS.8Ca geared-output engine, similar to the 8Cb used on the SPAD S.XII]]
[[File:Hispano-Suiza 8C (MAE).JPG|thumb|right|A geared-output shaft HS.8C engine for a SPAD S.XII, showing the elevated [[intake manifold]] to clear the 37mm cannon mounted in the "vee" between the cylinder banks.]]
The gun chosen for the SPAD XII was not the old [[Hotchkiss et Cie|Hotchkiss]] cannon but a new [[Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP|37&nbsp;mm ''Semi Automatique Moteur Canon'']] (SAMC), built by Puteaux, for which 12 shots were carried. The Hispano-Suiza aviation engine had to be [[Aircraft engine|geared]] to allow the gun to fire through the propeller shaft. The SPAD XII also carried a single 0.303&nbsp;inch [[Synchronization gear|synchronized]] (7.7&nbsp;mm) [[Vickers machine gun]] mounted on the starboard side of the nose. In order to carry the heavy cannon the airframe was lengthened and the wingspan and wing area increased. The wingtips were rounded rather than squared off and the wings given a slight forward stagger. To accommodate the required geared output propshaft engine, which easily allowed for the hollow propeller shaft for the cannon to fire through, and power the resultingly heavier airframe, 587&nbsp;kg compared to the 500&nbsp;kg of the SPAD 7, the 180&nbsp;bhp [[Hispano-Suiza 8]] direct-drive Ab engine was replaced by the geared 220&nbsp;bhp model 8Cb, and gave the SPAD XII a [[clockwise]] rotating propeller, as seen from a "nose-on" view.
The gun chosen for the SPAD XII was not the old [[Hotchkiss et Cie|Hotchkiss]] cannon but a new [[Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP|37&nbsp;mm ''Semi Automatique Moteur Canon'']] (SAMC), built by Puteaux, for which 12 shots were carried. The Hispano-Suiza aviation engine had to be [[Aircraft engine|geared]] to allow the gun to fire through the propeller shaft, avoiding the problem of firing through the moving blades. The SPAD XII also carried a single 0.303&nbsp;inch [[Synchronization gear|synchronized]] (7.7&nbsp;mm) [[Vickers machine gun]] mounted on the starboard side of the nose. In order to carry the heavy cannon the airframe was lengthened and the wingspan and wing area increased. The wingtips were rounded rather than squared off and the wings given a slight forward stagger. To accommodate the required geared output propshaft engine with a hollow propeller shaft for the cannon to fire through, and power the airframe, weighing {{convert|587|kg|lb}} rather than the {{convert|500|kg|lb}} of the SPAD VII, the 180&nbsp;bhp [[Hispano-Suiza 8]] direct-drive Ab engine was replaced by the geared 220&nbsp;bhp model 8Cb, which also gave the SPAD XII a [[clockwise]] (seen "nose-on") rotating propeller.


Test flown by Guynemer, the early production models of the SPAD XII were highly successful after overcoming initial problems with the reduction gear between engine and propeller.<ref>{{cite book |title=''SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I'' |pages= 7, 9 }}</ref> Other aces also had success with the new model. However, deliveries were slow, the SPAD VII and later [[SPAD XIII]] having top priority, and even the modest total of 300 aircraft which were ordered were not all completed.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} Best estimates are only 20 produced. Average pilots found the SPAD 12 a difficult aircraft to master, and the cannon difficult to aim and fire, while manual reloading was difficult. The cockpit filled with fumes upon every firing. Its breech mechanism protruded into the cockpit and prevented the use of a conventional stick to control the aircraft, adding to the difficulties encountered by ordinary pilots. The control setup reverted to a split setup on either side of the pilot, a la [[Deperdussin]].<ref>{{cite book |title=''SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I'' |pages=8–9 }}</ref>
Test-flown by Guynemer, the early production models of the SPAD XII were highly successful after overcoming initial problems with the reduction gear between engine and propeller.<ref>{{cite book |title=''SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I'' |pages= 7, 9 }}</ref> Other aces also had success with the new model. However, deliveries were slow, the SPAD VII and later [[SPAD XIII]] having top priority, and even the modest total of 300 aircraft which were ordered were not all completed.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} Best estimates are only 20 produced. Average pilots found the SPAD XII a difficult aircraft to master, and the cannon difficult to aim and fire, while manual reloading was difficult. The cockpit filled with fumes upon every firing. The cannon's breech mechanism protruded into the cockpit and prevented the use of a conventional stick to control the aircraft, adding to pilots' difficulties. The control setup reverted to a split setup on either side of the pilot, a la [[Deperdussin]].<ref>{{cite book |title=''SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I'' |pages=8–9 }}</ref>


== Service ==
== Service ==
[[File:13th Aero Squadron - Salmson 2A2-3.jpg|thumb|right|Capt. Charles Biddle's 13th Aero Squadron SPAD S.XII, showing the slight positive stagger of the wings.]]
[[File:13th Aero Squadron - Salmson 2A2-3.jpg|thumb|right|The 13th Aero Squadron SPAD S.XII, showing the slight positive stagger of the wings.]]
⚫
No units were entirely equipped with SPAD XIIs.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} The unknown number of aircraft produced were issued in small numbers, intended for use only by the most skilled pilots, such as [[Rene Fonck]], [[Lionel de Marmier]], [[Fernand Henri Chavannes]], [[Henri Hay de Slade]], [[Albert Deullin]] and [[François Battesti]]. They were distributed one or two per squadron.<ref>{{cite book |title=''SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I'' |pages= 9–10 }}</ref> Few were delivered to combat units, eight being recorded on strength in April and again in October; this may be contrasted with the thousands of SPAD VIIs and SPAD XIIIs in service. Single examples for testing were delivered to the [[Royal Flying Corps]]<ref name=bruce560>Bruce 1982, p. 560.</ref> and one to the [[Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps|Aviation Section]] of the [[American Expeditionary Force]], with the AEF's [[13th Aero Squadron]] receiving the code "0", it was primarily flown by the 13th's [[Charles J. Biddle (aviator)|Charles John Biddle]].<ref>{{cite book |title= SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I |first= Jon |last=Guttman |publisher= Osprey Publishing |year= 2002 |isbn= 978-1-84176-316-3 |pages= 12, 14–15 }}</ref>

⚫
No units were entirely equipped with SPAD 12s.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} The unknown number of aircraft produced were issued in small numbers, intended for use only by the most skilled pilots, such as [[Rene Fonck]], [[Lionel de Marmier]], [[Fernand Henri Chavannes]], [[Henri Hay de Slade]], [[Albert Deullin]] and [[François Battesti]]. They were distributed one or two per squadron.<ref>{{cite book |title=''SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I'' |pages= 9–10 }}</ref> Few were delivered to combat units, 8 being recorded on strength in April and again in October; this may be contrasted with the thousands of SPAD 7s and SPAD 13s in service. Single examples for testing were delivered to the [[Royal Flying Corps]]<ref name=bruce560>Bruce 1982, p. 560.</ref> and one to the [[Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps|Aviation Section]] of the [[American Expeditionary Force]], with the AEF's [[13th Aero Squadron]] receiving [http://yankeedog.deviantart.com/art/Capt-Biddle-s-SPAD-XII-Ca-1-28027792 the aircraft, which was given the number "0"], and primarily flown by the 13th's [[Charles J. Biddle (aviator)|Charles John Biddle]] [http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/usa/biddle.php], who ended up with a total of seven confirmed victories in World War I.

Six or more are said to have been held by the [[Red Army]].{{Citation needed|date=December 2012}}


==Operators==
==Operators==
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==Specifications (S.XII)==
==Specifications (S.XII)==

{{Aircraft specs
{{Aircraft specs
|ref=''The Complete Book of Fighters'' <ref>Green and Swanborough 1994, pp. 542–543.</ref>
|ref=''The Complete Book of Fighters'' <ref>Green and Swanborough 1994, pp. 542–543.</ref>
Line 113: Line 110:
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate note=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude={{cvt|2000|m|0}} 6 minutes 3 seconds
|time to altitude={{cvt|2000|m}} 6 minutes 3 seconds
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading note=
|wing loading note=
Line 122: Line 119:
Armament
Armament
-->
-->
|guns=1 x 37&nbsp;mm [[Puteaux]] single shot cannon, 1 x 7.7&nbsp;mm [[Vickers machine gun]]
|guns=1 x 37&nbsp;mm [[Canon d'Infanterie de 37 modèle 1916 TRP|Puteaux single shot cannon]], 1 x .303 in (7.7&nbsp;mm) [[Vickers machine gun]]
}}
}}


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==References==
==References==
⚫
===Notes===
{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category}}
⚫
;Notes
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}

;Bibliography
===Bibliography===
{{Refbegin}}
⚫
* Bruce, J. M. ''The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing)''. London: Putnam, 1982. {{ISBN|0-370-30084-X}}.
* Taylor, John W. R., and Jean Alexander. "Combat Aircraft of the World" New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1969 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 68-25459 (Pg.127)
*{{cite journal |last1=Cony |first1=Christophe |title=Le Spad XII Canon (1<sup>re</sup> partie) |journal=Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire |date=January 1995 |issue=23 |pages=39–42 |trans-title=The Canon-armed SPAD XII |language=French |issn=1243-8650}}
⚫
* Bruce, J. M. ''The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing)''. London:Putnam, 1982. {{ISBN|0-370-30084-X}}.
* Davilla, James J., & Soltan, Arthur M., ''French Aircraft of the First World War.'' Stratford, Connecticut: Flying Machines Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-9637110-4-0}}.
* Davilla, James J., & Soltan, Arthur M., ''French Aircraft of the First World War.'' Stratford, Connecticut: Flying Machines Press, 1997. {{ISBN|0-9637110-4-0}}.
*Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. ''The Complete Book of Fighters''. New York: Smithmark, 1994. {{ISBN|0-8317-3939-8}}.
*Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. ''The Complete Book of Fighters''. New York: Smithmark, 1994. {{ISBN|0-8317-3939-8}}.
*Guttman, Jon, ''SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I.'' Osprey Publishing, 2002. {{ISBN|1841763160}}, 9781841763163.
*Guttman, Jon, ''SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I.'' Osprey Publishing, 2002. {{ISBN|1841763160}}, 9781841763163.
{{Refend}}


{{SPAD aircraft}}
{{SPAD aircraft}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:1910s French fighter aircraft]]
[[Category:1910s French fighter aircraft]]

Latest revision as of 20:03, 1 September 2024

SPAD S.XII
A USAAS SPAD S.XII in 1918.
Role Fighter
National origin France
Manufacturer SPAD
Designer Louis Béchereau
First flight 5 July 1917
Primary users Aéronautique Militaire
Red Army
Number built unknown, 300 ordered[1]
Developed from Spad S.VII

The SPAD S.XII or SPAD 12 was a French single-seat biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War developed from the successful SPAD VII by Louis Béchereau, chief designer of the Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés (SPAD).

Development

[edit]

The SPAD XII was inspired by the ideas of French flying ace Georges Guynemer, who proposed that a manoeuvrable single-seat aircraft be designed to carry a 37 mm cannon, a weapon which had previously been mounted only in large two-seat "pusher" aircraft such as the Voisin III. Béchereau took his own SPAD VII design as the starting point, but the many major and minor changes incorporated into the SPAD XII made it a quite different aircraft.

Restored HS.8Ca geared-output engine, similar to the 8Cb used on the SPAD S.XII
A geared-output shaft HS.8C engine for a SPAD S.XII, showing the elevated intake manifold to clear the 37mm cannon mounted in the "vee" between the cylinder banks.

The gun chosen for the SPAD XII was not the old Hotchkiss cannon but a new 37 mm Semi Automatique Moteur Canon (SAMC), built by Puteaux, for which 12 shots were carried. The Hispano-Suiza aviation engine had to be geared to allow the gun to fire through the propeller shaft, avoiding the problem of firing through the moving blades. The SPAD XII also carried a single 0.303 inch synchronized (7.7 mm) Vickers machine gun mounted on the starboard side of the nose. In order to carry the heavy cannon the airframe was lengthened and the wingspan and wing area increased. The wingtips were rounded rather than squared off and the wings given a slight forward stagger. To accommodate the required geared output propshaft engine with a hollow propeller shaft for the cannon to fire through, and power the airframe, weighing 587 kilograms (1,294 lb) rather than the 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of the SPAD VII, the 180 bhp Hispano-Suiza 8 direct-drive Ab engine was replaced by the geared 220 bhp model 8Cb, which also gave the SPAD XII a clockwise (seen "nose-on") rotating propeller.

Test-flown by Guynemer, the early production models of the SPAD XII were highly successful after overcoming initial problems with the reduction gear between engine and propeller.[2] Other aces also had success with the new model. However, deliveries were slow, the SPAD VII and later SPAD XIII having top priority, and even the modest total of 300 aircraft which were ordered were not all completed.[citation needed] Best estimates are only 20 produced. Average pilots found the SPAD XII a difficult aircraft to master, and the cannon difficult to aim and fire, while manual reloading was difficult. The cockpit filled with fumes upon every firing. The cannon's breech mechanism protruded into the cockpit and prevented the use of a conventional stick to control the aircraft, adding to pilots' difficulties. The control setup reverted to a split setup on either side of the pilot, a la Deperdussin.[3]

Service

[edit]
The 13th Aero Squadron SPAD S.XII, showing the slight positive stagger of the wings.

No units were entirely equipped with SPAD XIIs.[citation needed] The unknown number of aircraft produced were issued in small numbers, intended for use only by the most skilled pilots, such as Rene Fonck, Lionel de Marmier, Fernand Henri Chavannes, Henri Hay de Slade, Albert Deullin and François Battesti. They were distributed one or two per squadron.[4] Few were delivered to combat units, eight being recorded on strength in April and again in October; this may be contrasted with the thousands of SPAD VIIs and SPAD XIIIs in service. Single examples for testing were delivered to the Royal Flying Corps[5] and one to the Aviation Section of the American Expeditionary Force, with the AEF's 13th Aero Squadron receiving the code "0", it was primarily flown by the 13th's Charles John Biddle.[6]

Operators

[edit]
 France
 Russia /  Soviet Union
 Serbia
 United Kingdom
 United States
 Kingdom of Yugoslavia

Specifications (S.XII)

[edit]

Data from The Complete Book of Fighters [7]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Length: 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in)
  • Wingspan: 8 m (26 ft 3 in)
  • Height: 2.55 m (8 ft 4 in)
  • Wing area: 20.2 m2 (217 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 587 kg (1,294 lb)
  • Gross weight: 883 kg (1,947 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Hispano-Suiza 8Cb V-8 water-cooled piston engine, 164 kW (220 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 203 km/h (126 mph, 110 kn)
  • Endurance: 1 hour 45 minutes
  • Service ceiling: 6,850 m (22,470 ft) [5]
  • Time to altitude: 2,000 m (6,600 ft) 6 minutes 3 seconds

Armament

See also

[edit]

Related development

References

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to SPAD S.XII.
  1. ^ "The Cannon Pioneers". Archived from the original on 2009-05-16.
  2. ^ SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. pp. 7, 9.
  3. ^ SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. pp. 8–9.
  4. ^ SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. pp. 9–10.
  5. ^ a b Bruce 1982, p. 560.
  6. ^ Guttman, Jon (2002). SPAD XII/XIII Aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing. pp. 12, 14–15. ISBN 978-1-84176-316-3.
  7. ^ Green and Swanborough 1994, pp. 542–543.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Bruce, J. M. The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing). London: Putnam, 1982. ISBN 0-370-30084-X.
  • Cony, Christophe (January 1995). "Le Spad XII Canon (1re partie)" [The Canon-armed SPAD XII]. Avions: Toute l'aéronautique et son histoire (in French) (23): 39–42. ISSN 1243-8650.
  • Davilla, James J., & Soltan, Arthur M., French Aircraft of the First World War. Stratford, Connecticut: Flying Machines Press, 1997. ISBN 0-9637110-4-0.
  • Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. The Complete Book of Fighters. New York: Smithmark, 1994. ISBN 0-8317-3939-8.
  • Guttman, Jon, SPAD XII/XIII aces of World War I. Osprey Publishing, 2002. ISBN 1841763160, 9781841763163.
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