| Full Name: | Supermarine Spitfire |
| Variants: | Mks I to 24 and Seafire I, III, XV, XVII and 45-47 |
| Type: | Single-seat fighter, fighter-bomber or reconnaisance; (Seafire) carrier-based fighter |
| Country of Origin: | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer: | Supermarine Aviation Works (Vickers) Ltd. |
| First Flight: | (Prototype) 5 March 1936; (production Mk 1) July 1938 |
| Engine(s): | One Rolls-Royce Merlin or Griffon V12 liquid-cooled (see Aircraft History below for more details) |
| Wingspan: | 36 feet 10 inches (11.23 m); clipped: 32 feet 2 inches, or, more often, 32 feet 7 inches (9.93 m); extended: 40 feet 2 inches (12.24 m) |
| Length: | 29 feet 11 inches (9.12 m); later, with 2-stage engine, typically 31 feet 3.5 inches (9.54 m); Griffon-engined: typically 32 feet 8 inches (9.96 m); final versions (e.g. Seafire 47) 34 feet 4 inches (10.46 m) |
| Height: | 11 feet 5 inches (3.48 m); Griffon-engined: typically 12 feet 9 inches (3.89 m) |
| Weights: | Empty: (Mk 1) 4,810 lb (2,182 kg); (IX) 5,610 lb (2,545 kg); (XIV) 6,700 lb (3,040 kg); (Seafire 47) 7,625 lb (3,458 kg)
Maximum loaded: (I) 5,784 lb (2,624 kg); (IX) 9,500 lb (4,310 kg); (XIV) 10,280 lb (4,663 kg); (Seafire 47) 12,750 lb (5,784 kg) |
| Maximum Speed: | (I) 355-362 mph (580 km/h); (IX) 408 mph (657 km/h); (XIV) 448 mph (721 km/h); (Seafire 47) 451 mph (724 km/h) |
| Initial Climb: | (I) 2,530 ft (770 m)/min; (IX) 4,100 ft (1,250 m)/min; (XIV) 4,580 ft (1,396 m)/min; (Seafire 47) 4,800 ft (1,463 m)/min |
| Range: | On internal fuel (I) 395 miles (637 km); (IX) 434 miles (700 km); (XIV) 460 miles (740 km); (Seafire 47) 405 miles (652 km) |
| Armament: | See Aircraft History below |
| Spitfire Mk I | Initial version, 450 ordered in June 1936 with 1,030 hp Merlin II, two-blade fixed-pitch propellor and four 0.303 inch Browning guns. Later came the Mk IA (which was to equip most Spitfire squadrons during the Battle of Britain) with eight guns, bulged canopy and three-blade DH variable-pitch propellor and Mk IB with two 20mm Hispano and four 0.303 Brownings (the Mk IB was not considered a success). Another early variant was the reconnaisance-configured PR.I (with suffixes from A - G), equipped with a vertical camera. Production: 1,583 |
|---|---|
| Spitfire Mk II | The first of 920 Mk II's was delivered to the RAF in August 1940. Whilst externall almost identical to the Mk I, the Merlin III was replaced with the 1,175 hp Merlin XII and Rotol propellor. It also carried more armour protection than the earlier models, an extra 73 lb (33 kg) being shared between the pilot, the glycol header tank and the upper fuel tank. The Mk IIA was fitted with eight 0.303 inch Brownings and the Mk IIB with four 0.303 and two 20mm cannon. Production: (IIA) 750; (IIB) 170 |
| Spitfire Mk III | The Mk III never went into full-scale production. It was to be fitted with the Merlin XX engine, which developed 1,390 hp and so the fuselage and engine mountings needed strengthening, as did the main gear legs. A retractable tailwheel was also incorporated. The most radical change was the cropping of the wing tips in an attempt to improve the aircarft's rate of roll, even at the expense of radius of turn. Armament was to comprise four 20mm Hispano cannon, the machine guns being removed; but although intended as an air superiority machine par excellence, the Spitfire III was to be overtaken by the events of war. |
| Spitfire Mk IV | Another variant that never entered production was the Mk IV. This was the first of the line to be powered by the Griffon engine, which would have given a substantial performance increment. The cowling was redesigned to accommodate the larger engine, and several structural changes made. The proposed armament comprised no less than six 20mm cannon. Wing tanks increased the overall fuel capacity to 130 Imp galls (591 litres), while larger tyres were fitted to cope with the increased weight. Slotted flaps were also proposed, but the standard flap was found to be quite adequate. However, even before the prototype flew, the PR.IV, which was a modified Mk I without armament but with extra fuel and oil capacity, and one or more cameras, entered production. The original Mk IV was later redesignated the Mk XX. Production: (PR.IV) 229 |
| Spitfire Mk V | While Mks III and IV were under development, the nature of the threat they were to counter had changed with the introduction into service with the Luftwaffe of the Messerscmitt Bf109F. Whereas the Bf109E had been slightly superior to the Spitfire II at altitudes in excess of 20,000 ft (6,100 m), the Bf109F was even better. There was an urgent need to counter it with a fighter capable of a higher rate of climb, greater speed, and better high altitude performance. The Mk III Spitfire might have been the answer, but neither it nor its engine could be mass produced in time. The compromise was to install the Merlin 45 engine in a strengthened Spitfire I airframe, together with a larger radiator. This compromise solution became the Spitfire V, which was to become the most numerous of all the Spitfire variants produced. Production: (Mk VA) 94; (Mk VB) 3,923; (Mk VC) 2,447 |
