page_title: SPAD S.XIII
section_title: Operational history
hierarchical_section_title: SPAD S.XIII / Operational history
caption_attribution_description: English: This is the SPAD XIII flown by Arizona native Frank Luke, Jr., the first aviator awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the United States, in World War I. The plane has 80% of its original parts. The other 20% have been restored. It is one of five surviving today and is on display in Terminal 3 of Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
context_page_description: The SPAD S.XIII was a French biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War, developed by Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés from the earlier and highly successful SPAD S.VII.
  During early 1917, the French designer Louis Béchereau, spurred by the approaching obsolescence of the S.VII, decided to develop two new fighter aircraft, the S.XII and the S.XIII, both using a powerful new geared version of the successful Hispano-Suiza 8A engine. The cannon armament of the S.XII was unpopular with most pilots, but the S.XIII proved to be one of the most capable fighters of the war, as well as one of the most-produced, with 8,472 built and orders for around 10,000 more cancelled at the Armistice.
  By the end of the First World War, the S.XIII had equipped virtually every fighter squadron of the Aéronautique Militaire. In addition, the United States Army Air Service also procured the type in bulk during the conflict, and some replaced or supplemented S.VIIs in the Royal Flying Corps, pending the arrival of Sopwith Dolphins. It proved popular with its pilots; numerous aces from various nations flew the S.XIII during their flying careers.
context_section_description: During May 1917, only one month following the type's maiden flight, deliveries to the Armée de l'Air commenced. The new aircraft quickly became an important element in the French plans for its fighter force, being expected to replace the SPAD S.VII as well as the few remaining Nieuport fighters in front line service. However, these plans were disrupted by deliveries occurring at a much slower rate than had been initially forecast; by the end of March 1918, 764 fighters had been delivered compared with a planned force of 2,230.
  Eventually, the S.XIII equipped virtually every French fighter squadron, comprising 74 Escadrilles, during the First World War. At the end of the war, plans were underway to replace the S.XIII with several fighter types powered by the 300 hp (220 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8F, such as the Nieuport-Delage NiD 29, the SPAD S.XX and the Sopwith Dolphin II. These plans lapsed following the signing of the Armistice of 11 November 1918, which ended the First World War and the SPAD S.XIII remained in French service as a fighter aircraft until 1923.
  The S.XIII was flown by numerous famous French fighter pilots such as Rene Fonck (the highest scoring Allied ace, credited with 75 victories), Georges Guynemer (54 victories), and Charles Nungesser (45 victories), and also by the leading Italian ace Francesco Baracca (34 victories). Aces of the United States Army Air Service who flew the S.XIII include Eddie Rickenbacker (America's leading First World War ace with 26 confirmed victories) and Frank Luke (18 victories). Andrews attributes the S.XIII's natural stability, which lent itself to being a steady gun platform, as having been a key attribute for its success.
caption: A SPAD XIII painted to represent the aircraft flown by Arizona native Frank Luke, Jr., the first aviator awarded the Medal of Honor, the highest military decoration in the United States, in  World War I.
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