The Lorraine 12Rcr Radium was an inverted liquid-cooled 60º V-12 piston engine, designed specifically for use by French racing seaplanes competing in the Coupe d'Aviation Maritime Jacques Schneider (commonly known as the Schneider Trophy) air races in the early 1930s.
To help address shortcomings, the STIAé ( service technique et industriel de l'aéronautique) issued a specification to three companies for a racing float-plane to compete in the 1932 Schneider Trophy.
Power for the three aircraft was to be supplied by an engine specifically designed for the task, the Lorraine 12Rcr Radium.
Designed to deliver 2,000–2,200 hp (1,500–1,600 kW) at 4,000 rpm, the 12 Rcr had a high specific power from a displacement of only 28.7 L (1,750 cu in) and weight of 510 kg (1,120 lb).
Testing on the bench was also carried out with Rateau Turbo-chargers, but Six engines were ordered, but it is unclear how many were completed, as the examples supplied to Bernard and Nieuport-Delage were merely empty shells for use as mock-ups.