The Farman company developed and produced aero engines from 1915; the 12We was the company's most produced engine. Following the cylinder layout of the Napier Lion this engine featured three banks of four cylinders and employed water cooling.[1]
The 12We was first flown in a Farman F.60 Goliath in October 1922 and later set a distance record powering a Farman F.62 in 1924, the engine ran continuously for 38 hours.[2]