P-12

The Boeing P‑12 was a single‑engine, open‑cockpit biplane fighter that served the United States Army Air Corps from the mid‑1920s through the early 1930s. Developed from the earlier Model 95 and designated the Boeing Model 100, the aircraft first flew in 1925 and entered operational service in 1927 as the Army’s standard pursuit aircraft. Powered by a 650‑horsepower Curtiss V‑12 engine, the P‑12 could reach a top speed of roughly 189 mph and climb to 10,000 feet in under ten minutes, performance that far outstripped most contemporaries. Its all‑metal, semi‑monocoque fuselage combined with a welded‑steel tube frame, together with interchangeable upper and lower wings, gave the type both robustness and ease of field repair. Armament consisted of two .30‑caliber machine guns synchronized to fire through the propeller arc, while later variants added provisions for small bombs. The P‑12’s long service life—spanning more than a decade and multiple redesigns—provided the U.S. military with a dependable platform during a period of rapid aeronautical change. By demonstrating reliable high‑altitude performance and pioneering all‑metal construction techniques, the Boeing P‑12 helped pave the way for the monoplane fighters that would dominate the skies in World War II.

Boeing

Classification

Design & Classification