28:
148:. Aviation historians once considered the type a failed attempt to create a fighter aircraft based on the B.E.2 – that was improvised and rushed into service to meet the Fokker threat. Many writers perpetuate this or a similar view. J.M. Bruce, on the other hand, has pointed out that this is simplistic at best and doesn't fit historically.
194:
Nor was the B.E.12 "rushed" into service as would have been relatively easy as it was a straightforward conversion of a type in production. Trials with the prototype continued through late 1915 and seem to have been mainly concerned with the development of the new RAF 4 engine, especially the design
167:
shot down a
British aircraft that was bombing Douai aerodrome. At the time the B.E.12 was conceived the necessity for an aeroplane to defend itself was by no means as clear as it became later. The idea of dispensing with defensive armament altogether and replacing the observer's seat with extra fuel
248:
fighters coming into service. It continued to be employed as a bomber but since an effective defensive gun could not be mounted it was too vulnerable and was finally withdrawn from all front line duties in France in March 1917. By the time the B.E.12a became available in numbers the original model
199:, was always rather dubious. The type was also tested as a bomber. By the time a synchronised Vickers gun was fitted to the type in May 1916, armament trials had already been undertaken with upward-firing Lewis guns, similar to those used by the night fighter version of the B.E.2c.
252:
Several Home defence squadrons flew B.E.12s, along with examples of the B.E.12a and B.E.12b variants. Its stability and range were advantageous for night missions but its rate of climb was inadequate for intercepting the improved German airships of 1916/17, let alone the
219:
used the B.E.2c airframe but had the 200 hp
Hispano-Suiza engine. It was intended as a night fighter and carried wing mounted Lewis guns in place of the synchronised Vickers. Apparently it had a good performance but the engine was more urgently needed for the
206:
variant flew for the first time in
February 1916 and had the modified wings of the B.E.2e. It was rather more manoeuvrable than the B.E.12 but was otherwise little improved. The B.E.12a saw service with home defence units, training establishments and
123:
Intended for use as a long-range reconnaissance and bombing aircraft, the B.E.12 was pressed into service as a fighter, in which role it proved disastrously inadequate, mainly due to its poor manoeuvrability.
240:, on the 25th. As might have been expected, the new type had all the inherent stability of the B.E.2c and when pressed into service as a fighter proved quite useless, especially in the face of the new German
1019:
914:
1161:
264:
In the Middle
Eastern theatre and in Macedonia, the B.E.12 and B.E.12a proved more useful, typically as long range reconnaissance aircraft rather than as fighters, although
1187:
814:
183:
did not exist until
December and was not available in numbers until the following March. The latest Royal Aircraft Factory single-seat fighter of the time, the
287:
No original BE12s are known to exist but The
Vintage Aviator Ltd in New Zealand has built an airworthy reproduction which is flown from the firm's
807:
651:
786:
1249:
179:
In mid-1915 there was no way for a
British single-seat tractor aircraft to carry a forward-firing armament as the Vickers-Challenger
1254:
800:
224:
and very few B.E.12b fighters went into service with home defence squadrons. Some of those built may never have received engines.
1244:
646:
1259:
275:
The B.E.12b served only with Home
Defence squadrons; deliveries began in late 1917, but due to the more urgent need of the
261:
L.48 was shot down by a Home
Defence B.E.12 on 17 June 1917 but otherwise, there are few recorded successes in this role.
688:
195:
of a satisfactory air scoop. Cooling of the rear cylinders of the RAF 4, an air-cooled V12 and later the engine of the
762:
743:
191:– proving if nothing else that its designers were very well aware of the basic requirements of a successful fighter.
151:
The prototype (a modified B.E.2c airframe fitted with the more powerful 150 hp (110 kW) RAF 4a air-cooled
236:
did not reach France until 1 August 1916. It was followed by the only other squadron to fly the type in France,
1065:
1061:
279:
squadrons for their
Hispano-Suiza engines many were either never fitted with engines, or completed as B.E.12s.
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capacity and/or bombload was typified by several contemporary designs, such as the bomber versions of the
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1192:
303:– Initial production version powered by a RAF 4a engine – basically a B.E.2c conversion (250 built by
1182:
1197:
465:
249:
had already proved to be unsatisfactory and this variant was never used operationally in France.
323:– Re-engined version powered by a 200 hp (150 kW) Hispano-Suiza engine (200 built by
113:
56:
51:
176:. In any case the B.E.12 cannot have been produced specifically as an "answer" to the Fokker.
173:
792:
458:
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8:
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with the front (observer's) cockpit replaced by a large fuel tank, and the 90 hp
758:
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272:, used his to shoot down several German aircraft and become the only B.E.12 ace.
27:
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109:
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152:
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155:) was already in the process of conversion in June 1915, while the "
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169:
609:– some aircraft carried various arrangements of rearward firing
543:
159:" cannot be said to have started before the first victory by a
773:
The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985)
144:
engine of the standard B.E.2c replaced by the new 150 hp
145:
141:
822:
313:– With the wings and tail unit of the B.E.2e (50 built by
755:
The Aeroplanes of the Royal Flying Corps (Military Wing)
546:
V-12 air-cooled piston engine, 150 hp (110 kW)
492:
War Planes of the First World War:Volume Two Fighters
736:
War Planes of the First World War:Volume Two Fighters
567:
102 mph (164 km/h, 89 kn) at sea level
681:
Britain's Forgotten Fighters of the First World War
116:. It was essentially a single-seat version of the
715:
697:
1236:
808:
815:
801:
652:List of aircraft of the Royal Flying Corps
585:5,000 ft (1,500 m) in 11 minutes
484:
683:. Stroud UK: Fonthill. pp. 93–95.
647:List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force
108:was a British single-seat aeroplane of
1237:
317:, 50 built by Coventry Ordnance Works)
227:
796:
752:
733:
552:4-bladed fixed-pitch wooden propeller
524:11 ft 1.5 in (3.391 m)
678:
619:up to 336 pounds (152 kg) bombs
518:37 ft 0 in (11.28 m)
13:
512:27 ft 3 in (8.31 m)
14:
1271:
780:
530:371 sq ft (34.5 m)
266:Captain Gilbert Ware Murlis Green
1250:Military aircraft of World War I
282:
46:General purpose aircraft/Fighter
26:
1255:Royal Aircraft Factory aircraft
824:Royal Aircraft Factory (R.A.F.)
727:
1245:1910s British fighter aircraft
706:
672:
663:
307:, 50 built by Standard Motors)
127:
1:
657:
579:12,500 ft (3,800 m)
211:squadron in the Middle East.
106:Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12
1260:Aircraft first flown in 1915
789:– British Aircraft Directory
635:Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
331:
7:
1050:Reconnaissance Experimental
623:
536:1,635 lb (742 kg)
294:
232:The first B.E.12 squadron,
10:
1276:
32:An early production B.E.12
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928:
857:
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94:
86:
81:
73:
63:
50:
42:
37:
25:
20:
257:that replaced them. The
497:General characteristics
485:Specifications (B.E.12)
466:Australian Flying Corps
712:Bruce 1968, V. 2 p.26.
669:Bruce 1968, V. 2 p.20.
605:(7.7 mm) synchronised
187:, was a nimble little
114:Royal Aircraft Factory
57:Royal Aircraft Factory
968:Fighting Experimental
832:Armoured Experimental
738:. London: Macdonald.
950:Coastal Experimental
858:Blériot Experimental
753:Bruce, J.M. (1982).
734:Bruce, J.M. (1968).
459:No. 150 Squadron RFC
454:No. 144 Squadron RFC
449:No. 142 Squadron RFC
444:No. 141 Squadron RFC
439:No. 112 Squadron RFC
434:No. 101 Squadron RFC
1100:Santos Experimental
966:Farman Experimental
775:. Orbis Publishing.
721:Bruce 1982, p. 397.
703:Bruce 1982, p. 395.
679:Hare, Paul (2014).
629:Related development
607:Vickers machine gun
429:No. 89 Squadron RFC
424:No. 78 Squadron RFC
419:No. 77 Squadron RFC
414:No. 76 Squadron RFC
409:No. 75 Squadron RFC
404:No. 66 Squadron RFC
399:No. 51 Squadron RFC
394:No. 50 Squadron RFC
389:No. 48 Squadron RFC
384:No. 47 Squadron RFC
379:No. 39 Squadron RFC
374:No. 37 Squadron RFC
369:No. 36 Squadron RFC
364:No. 21 Squadron RFC
359:No. 19 Squadron RFC
354:No. 17 Squadron RFC
349:No. 14 Squadron RFC
344:No. 10 Squadron RFC
228:Operational Service
174:Sopwith 1½ Strutter
110:The First World War
38:General information
1155:Tatin Experimental
1102:Scout Experimental
1034:Night Experimental
757:. London: Putnam.
471:No. 1 Squadron AFC
339:Royal Flying Corps
291:, Masterton base.
181:"interrupter" gear
163:on 1 August, when
136:was essentially a
68:Royal Flying Corps
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1231:
583:Time to altitude:
255:aeroplane raiders
102:
101:
87:Introduction date
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112:designed at the
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781:External links
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690:978-1781551974
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745:0-356-01473-8
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641:Related lists
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534:Empty weight:
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283:Reproductions
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165:Max Immelmann
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90:1 August 1916
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58:
55:
53:
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36:
29:
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754:
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728:Bibliography
717:
708:
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98:28 July 1915
95:First flight
74:Number built
64:Primary user
52:Manufacturer
15:
558:Performance
550:Propellers:
540:Powerplant:
242:Halberstadt
128:Development
1239:Categories
1224:Harry Tate
787:RAF B.E.12
658:References
611:Lewis guns
571:Endurance:
528:Wing area:
161:Fokker E.I
153:V12 engine
1207:Nicknames
1183:Baby/Beta
516:Wingspan:
490:Data from
475:Palestine
332:Operators
59:, Various
1219:Goldfish
1171:Airships
826:aircraft
624:See also
591:Armament
295:Variants
259:Zeppelin
246:Albatros
170:Avro 504
1071:H.R.E.3
1066:H.R.E.2
603:.303 in
573:3 hours
522:Height:
510:Length:
325:Daimler
321:B.E.12b
315:Daimler
311:B.E.12a
305:Daimler
217:B.E.12b
204:B.E.12a
82:History
1025:F.E.12
1020:F.E.11
1015:F.E.10
920:B.E.12
915:B.E.11
910:B.E.10
761:
742:
687:
617:Bombs:
544:RAF 4a
301:B.E.12
277:S.E.5a
238:No. 21
234:No. 19
222:S.E.5a
209:No. 19
189:pusher
172:, and
138:B.E.2c
134:B.E.12
21:B.E.12
1193:Delta
1188:Gamma
1162:T.E.1
1146:S.E.7
1141:S.E.6
1136:S.E.5
1124:S.E.4
1119:S.E.3
1114:S.E.2
1109:S.E.1
1091:R.E.9
1086:R.E.8
1081:R.E.7
1076:R.E.5
1062:R.E.2
1057:R.E.1
1041:N.E.1
1010:F.E.9
1005:F.E.8
1000:F.E.7
995:F.E.6
990:F.E.4
985:F.E.3
980:F.E.2
975:F.E.1
957:C.E.1
941:B.S.2
936:B.S.1
905:B.E.9
900:B.E.8
895:B.E.7
890:B.E.6
885:B.E.5
880:B.E.4
875:B.E.3
870:B.E.2
865:B.E.1
849:A.E.3
844:A.E.2
839:A.E.1
599:Guns:
504:Crew:
197:R.E.8
185:F.E.8
146:RAF 4
142:RAF 1
118:B.E.2
759:ISBN
740:ISBN
685:ISBN
244:and
215:The
202:The
132:The
104:The
43:Type
1198:Eta
601:1×
473:in
268:of
77:601
1241::
542:×
120:.
1129:a
1064:/
816:e
809:t
802:v
767:.
748:.
693:.
613:.
506:1
477:.
327:)
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