SPAD XIII

"The Spad S. XIII is a French biplane fighter aircraft of World War II, developed from the earlier highly successful SPAD S. VII. The S. VII had been surpassed by the latest German scouts. SPAD designer Louis Bechereau initially produced the S. XII, though it had limited success which eventually led to the development of the S. XIII. The SPAD XIII's maiden flight was on April 4, 1917, and was delivered the following month to the French Air Service. The Spad XIII was flown by famous French fighter pilots such as Georges Guynemer and Rene Fonck. Italy's Francesco Baracca and the United States Army Air Service's Eddie Rickenbacker, also became leading aces with 34 and 26 confirmed victories, respectively. The SPAD XIII differed form its predecessor since it incorporates a number of aerodynamic and other refinements, including a more powerful Hispano-Suiza engine and a second VIckers .303-cal. machine gun for added firepower. The improvements greatly increased its flight and combat performance. It was also faster than its main contemporaries. The SPAD XIII has a maximum speed of 218 km/h and has an armament of 2 x .303-cal. (7.7-mm) Vickers machine guns. The SPAD XIII was one of the most capable fighters of the war and one of the most produced. There were 8,472 built and orders for around 10,000 more cancelled at the Armistice."