The Supermarine Spitfire was a WW2 fighter aircraft in service with the British Royal Air Force from August 4, 1938. Its prototype, the K5054, performed its first flight on March 5, 1936, from Eastleigh Aerodrome, near Southampton. Fitted with low, elliptical wing, it would become one of the most maneuverable and reliable aircraft of World War II. About 600 Spitfires would be flown by the US Army Air Force pilots during that armed conflict.
Below, the Mk I version of the aircraft in flight as it banks left.
The Supermarine Spitfire would take part in the ferocious legendary dogfights of the Battle of Britain in 1940. Its archenemy was its German counterpart, the Messershmitt Bf 109, against which it would fight for the air supremacy of the skies over England, the English Channel and northern France. Alongside the Hawker Hurricane and Tempest, it would see combat action until the end of the war in 1945. More than 20,000 Spitfires were made in several versions; Mk I, II, III, IV, V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X (photographic reconnaissance), XII, etc. Its naval variant was the Seafire. The variants Mk V and IX were the most massively produced, with the latter being fitted with cannons, aside from the machine guns.
Technical Characteristics
The Supermarine Spitfire was single-seat, single-engine monoplane. It was fitted with low elliptical wings, with the span being larger than the aircraft length. The tailplane also had an elliptical design, with the rudder being bigger than the vertical fin on which it hinged and moved from side to side. The landing gear was retractable, with the wheels folding up outwards into the wings. The tail wheel was of castor type. The fuselage was all-metal, and a steel armor plate was fitted behind the pilot's seat.
Specifications (Mk. IX)
Type: Fighter/Interceptor aircraft
Designer: Reginald Joseph Mitchell
Length: 9.12 m (29 ft, 11 in).
Wingspan: 11.23 m (36 ft, 10 in).
Wing Area: 22.48 square meters (242 sq. ft).
Height: 3.02 m (11 ft, 5 in).
Power Plant: 1,600-HP, Rolls-Royce Merlin 61, V piston engine.
Maximum Speed: 594 km/h (374 mph).
Range: 1,827 km (1,135 miles).
Armament: eight 7.7mm Browning machine guns; two 20mm cannons.
Below, the Supermarine Spitfire prototype K5054.
Two Mk II versions in 1939.
Below, the Spitfire Mk Vc in 1941.
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