J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)

SPAD SD

  The SPAD SD was a bomber design built in March 1915. It retained the same basic layout as the SA series of fighters, which meant it was a tractor biplane with a gunner situated in a "pulpit" in front of the engine. It had a crew of four: a gunner in the nose, a gunner behind the cockpit, and two pilots seated side by side. The engine was a 250-hp Panhard. The SD was a large biplane and photos believed to be the SD show that it had a two-bay wing. It appears that a portion of the upper wing featured a rectangular frame extending over the engine housing but stopping short of the roll-bar at the rear portion of the gunner's nacelle. The aircraft was also fitted with a bomb rack. The type was intended for the 1915 concours puissant (for a bomber capable of reaching Essen) but was not selected for production. The prototype was flown by Maurice Prevost during the competition.
  Although it did not win the 1915 concours, the SPAD firm decided to submit another bomber design for the 1916 competition. This design, the SPAD SE, was powered by two pusher engines, thus eliminating the unpopular pulpit position.


SPAD SD Four-Seat Bomber with 240-hp Panhard
   One source gives the following dimensions: span 9.55 m, length 7.30 m, height 2.60 m. However, photographs suggest a considerably larger aircraft.
   Armament would have been two machine guns: one in the front pulpit on a swivel mount and one on a swivel mount in the rear cockpit
   One built