In an effort to obtain as many aircraft as possible the USAAF contracted Fleetwings, a specialist fabricator of sheet stainless steel,[1] to produce a basic training monoplane.

[2] The XBT-12 was an all-metal low-wing cantilever monoplane with a fixed tailwheel landing gear and powered by a Pratt & Whitney R-985 engine.

The aircraft had two identical tandem cockpits for instructor and pupil covered by a continuous canopy.

It was the first military aircraft to be constructed primarily from welded stainless steel.

[1] Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing; also [4]General characteristics Performance