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Supermarine Spitfire

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Air & Sea transport;
British History Post 1900

                         Spitfire
   Supermarine Spitfire Mk I from No. 19 RAF Squadron
   Type          Fighter
   Manufacturer  Supermarine
   Designed by   R.J. Mitchell
   Maiden flight 5 March 1936
   Introduced    1938
   Retired       1952, RAF
   Primary user  Royal Air Force
   Produced      1938 - 1948
   Number built  20,351 plus 2,334 Seafires
   Unit cost     £15,000
   Variants      Seafire
                 Spiteful

   The Supermarine Spitfire was an iconic British single-seat fighter used
   by the RAF and many Allied countries in the Second World War.

   Produced by Supermarine, the Spitfire was designed by R.J. Mitchell,
   who continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937.
   Its elliptical wing had a thin cross-section, allowing a higher top
   speed than the Hawker Hurricane and other contemporary designs; it also
   resulted in a distinctive appearance, enhancing its overall streamlined
   features. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire saw service during the
   whole of the Second World War, in all theatres of war, and in many
   different variants.

   More than 20,300 examples of all variants were built, including
   two-seat trainers, with some Spitfires remaining in service well into
   the 1950s. Although its great wartime foe, the Messerschmitt Bf 109, in
   its many variants, rivalled the Spitfire's production statistics, the
   Spitfire was one of the few fighter aircraft to be in continual
   production before, during and after the Second World War.

   Vickers (the parent company of Supermarine) first came up with the name
   Shrew for the new aircraft and, on hearing this, Mitchell is reported
   to have said, "...sort of bloody silly name they would give it." The
   name Spitfire was suggested by Sir Robert MacLean, director of Vickers
   at the time, who called his daughter Ann "A little spitfire". The word
   dates from Elizabethan times and refers to a particularly fiery,
   ferocious type of person, usually a woman. The name had previously been
   used unofficially for Mitchell's earlier F.7/30 Type 224 design.

Design and development

   Supermarine's Chief Designer, R.J. Mitchell, had won four Schneider
   Trophy seaplane races with his designs: (Sea Lion II in 1922, S 5 in
   1927, S 6 in 1929 and S 6b in 1931), combining powerful Napier Lion and
   Rolls-Royce "R" engines with minute attention to streamlining. These
   same qualities are equally useful for a fighter design, and, in 1931,
   Mitchell produced such a plane in response to an Air Ministry
   specification (F7/30) for a new and modern monoplane fighter.

   This first attempt at a fighter resulted in an open-cockpit monoplane
   with gull-wings and a large fixed, spatted undercarriage. The
   Supermarine Type 224 did not live up to expectations; nor did any of
   the competing designs, which were also deemed failures.

   Mitchell immediately turned his attention to an improved design as a
   private venture, with the backing of Supermarine's owner, Vickers. The
   new design added gear retraction, an enclosed cockpit, oxygen gear and
   the much more powerful newly developed Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine, later
   named the Merlin.

   By 1935, the Air Ministry had seen enough advances in the industry to
   try the monoplane design again. They eventually rejected the new
   Supermarine design on the grounds that it did not carry the required
   eight-gun armament, and did not appear to have room to do so.

   Once again, Mitchell was able to solve the problem. It has been
   suggested that by looking at various Heinkel planes, he settled on the
   use of an elliptical planform, which had much more chord to allow for
   the required eight guns, while still having the low drag of the
   earlier, simpler wing design. Mitchell's aerodynamicist, Beverley
   Shenstone, however, has pointed out that Mitchell's wing was not
   directly copied from the Heinkel He 70, as some have claimed; the
   Spitfire wing was much thinner and had a completely different section.
   In any event, the elliptical wing was enough to sell the Air Ministry
   on this new Type 300, which they funded by a new specification,
   F.10/35, drawn up around the Spitfire.

   The elliptical wing was chosen for superior aerodynamic attributes but
   it was a complex wing to construct and the Messerschmitt Bf 109's
   angular and easy-to-construct wing offered similar performance (model
   per model) to the Spitfire. It has been reported that the Bf 109 took
   one-third the man hours to construct compared to the Spitfire.

   One flaw in the thin-wing design of the Spitfire manifested itself when
   the plane was brought up to very high speeds. When the pilot attempted
   to roll the plane at these speeds, the aerodynamic forces subjected
   upon the ailerons were enough to twist the entire wingtip in the
   direction opposite of the aileron deflection (much like how an aileron
   trim tab will deflect the aileron itself). This so-called aileron
   reversal resulted in the Spitfire rolling in the opposite direction of
   the pilot's intention.

   The prototype (K5054) first flew on 5 March 1936, from Eastleigh
   Aerodrome (later Southampton Airport). Testing continued until 26 May
   1936, when Mutt Summers, (Chief Test Pilot for Vickers (Aviation) Ltd.)
   flew K5054 to Martlesham and handed the aircraft over to Squadron
   Leader Anderson of the Aeroplane & Armament Experimental Establishment
   (A&AEE).

   The Air Ministry placed an order for 310 of the aircraft on 3rd June
   1936, before any formal report had been issued by the A&AEE, interim
   reports being issued on a piecemeal basis.

   A feature of the final Spitfire design that has often been singled out
   by pilots is its washout feature, which was unusual at the time. The
   incidence of the wing is +2° at its root and −½° at its tip. This twist
   means that the wing roots will stall before the tips, reducing the
   potentially dangerous rolling moment in the stall known as a spin. Many
   pilots have benefited from this feature in combat when doing tight
   turns close to the aircraft's limits, because when the wing root
   stalled it made the control column shake, giving the pilot a warning
   that he was about to reach the limit of the aircraft's performance.

   The early versions were fitted with the P8 Air Ministry magnetic
   compass, of a nautical design which was of over-engineered brass
   construction and mounted on 4 anti-vibration dampers. Internally it
   also had a pressure diaphram to compensate for altitude changes. The
   unit was modified later in the war with the rare P8 M, and later the
   P11. After the war this type of compass was replaced with the new
   American "Eyeball" type seen in most aircraft today.

Production

   To build the Spitfires in the numbers needed, a whole new factory was
   built at Castle Bromwich, near Birmingham as a "shadow" to
   Supermarine's Southampton factory. Although the project was ultimately
   led by Lord Nuffield who was an expert in mass construction, the
   Spitfire was a bit too complex and Supermarine and Vickers engineers
   were needed. The site was set up quickly from July 1938 - machinery
   being installed two months after work started on the site.

Variants

   Duxford, 2001. Preserved trainer version.
   Enlarge
   Duxford, 2001. Preserved trainer version.

   There were 24 marks of Spitfire and many sub-variants. These covered
   the Spitfire in development from the Merlin to Griffon engines, the
   high speed photo-reconnaissance variants and the different wing
   configurations.

Naval versions

   A naval version of the Spitfire, called the Seafire, was specially
   adapted for operation from aircraft carriers. Modifications included an
   arrester hook, folding wings and other specialized equipment. However,
   like the Spitfire, the Seafire had a narrow undercarriage track, which
   meant that it was not well suited to deck operations. Due to the
   addition of heavy carrier equipment, it suffered from an aft
   centre-of-gravity position that made low-speed control difficult, and
   its gradual stall characteristics meant that it was difficult to land
   accurately on the carrier. These characteristics resulted in a very
   high accident rate for the Seafire.

   The Seafire II was able to outperform the A6M5 ( Zero) at low altitudes
   when the two types were tested against each other during wartime mock
   combats. Contemporary Allied carrier fighters such as the F6F Hellcat
   and F4U Corsair, however, were considerably more powerful. A
   performance advantage was regained when late-war Seafire marks equipped
   with the Griffon engines supplanted their Merlin-engined predecessors.

   The name Seafire was arrived at by collapsing the longer name Sea
   Spitfire.

RAF service

   The first Spitfires claimed their first victims in early September
   1939. Unfortunately, the downed aircraft were RAF Hawker Hurricanes,
   attacked by accident.

   R.J. Mitchell and his Spitfire are often credited with winning the
   Battle of Britain. This is a view often propagated within popular
   culture, such as in the film The First of the Few (which was not
   historically accurate).

   The Spitfire was one of the finest fighters of the war; aviation
   historians and laymen alike often claim it to be the most aesthetically
   appealing. It is, however, frequently compared to the Hawker Hurricane,
   which was used in greater numbers during the critical stages of 1940.
   Although early Spitfires and Hurricanes carried identical armament
   (eight .303 inch / 7.696 mm machine guns), the placement of the
   Hurricane's guns was better, yielding a closer pattern of fire. A
   slower top speed, however, made the Hurricane more vulnerable against
   the German fighter escorts. Wherever possible, the RAF tactic during
   the Battle of Britain was to use the Hurricane squadrons to attack the
   bombers, holding the Spitfires back to counter the German escort
   fighters. In total numbers, the Hurricane shot down more Luftwaffe
   aircraft, both fighters and bombers, than the Spitfire, mainly due to
   the higher proportion of Hurricanes in the air. Seven of every 10
   German planes destroyed during the Battle of Britain were shot down by
   Hurricane pilots. Losses were also higher among the more numerous
   Hurricanes.

   The Mark I and Mark II models saw service during the battle and beyond,
   into 1941. Both of these used eight .303 machine guns and although
   having this number of guns sounds impressive, the fact is that this
   relatively small calibre armament was more suited to shooting down the
   wood/canvas machines of the First World War. It was relatively common
   during the Battle of Britain for the (metal) German planes to safely
   return to base with surprisingly high numbers of .303 bullet holes. The
   use of a smaller number of larger calibre guns would have been far more
   effective; this was rectified in later versions of the Spitfire. The
   Mark V entered service in early 1941, and was the first to feature
   cannon armament (although a few Mark Is had two 20 mm Hispano-Suiza
   cannon fitted in 1940). The configuration of two 20 mm cannon and four
   .303 machine guns was standard during the mid-war years.
   A Spitfire from the 303 Kościuszko Squadron.
   Enlarge
   A Spitfire from the 303 Kościuszko Squadron.

   Another contemporary, the Luftwaffe's Messerschmitt Bf 109, was similar
   in attributes and performance to the Spitfire. Some advantages helped
   the Spitfires win many dogfights, most notably, maneuverability - the
   Spitfire had higher rates of turn than the Messerschmitt. Good cockpit
   visibility was probably a factor, as well, as the early Bf-109s had
   narrow, panelled, heavily-framed cockpit windows. At this time, the
   Merlin engine's lack of direct fuel injection meant that both Spitfires
   and Hurricanes, unlike the Bf 109E, were unable to simply nose down
   into a deep dive. This meant the Luftwaffe fighters could simply "bunt"
   into a high-power dive to escape attack, leaving the Spitfire
   spluttering behind as its fuel was forced by negative "g" out of the
   carburettor. RAF fighter pilots soon learnt to "half-roll" their
   aircraft before diving to pursue their opponents. The use of uninjected
   carburettors was calculated to give a higher specific power output, due
   to the lower temperature, and hence the greater density, of the
   fuel/air mixture fed into the motor, compared to injected systems. In
   March 1941, a metal diaphragm, with a hole in it, was fitted across the
   float chambers. It partly cured the problem of fuel starvation in a
   dive, and became known as " Miss Shilling's orifice" as it was invented
   by a female engineer named Shilling. Further improvements were
   introduced throughout the Merlin series, with injection introduced in
   1943. Production of the Griffon-engined Spitfire Mk XII had begun the
   year before.

   The introduction of the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in late 1941 along the
   Channel front proved a shock to RAF Fighter Command, the new German
   fighter proving superior to the current Mark Vb in all aspects except
   turning radius. Losses inflicted on RAF Fighter Command and its
   Spitfires were heavy as air superiority thus switched to the Luftwaffe
   units through most of 1942, until the Merlin 61-engined Mark IX version
   started to see service in sufficient numbers later in the year. In an
   attempt to achieve some degree of parity with the Fw 190, some
   squadrons still operating the Mark V received specially modified
   versions that had four feet of wing-tip removed (to improve their rate
   of roll) and reduced supercharger blades on the Merlin for optimum
   performance at lower altitudes. These aircraft were designated LF Mark
   V officially but were also known by their pilots as "Clipped, Clapped
   and Cropped Spits," also referring to the fact that many of these
   Spitfires, thus modified, had seen better days.

   The first Spitfires to see overseas service were Mark Vs flown from the
   deck of the aircraft carrier HMS Eagle to Malta in March 1942. In the
   months that followed, some 275 Spitfires were delivered to the
   beleaguered island. To counter the prevalent dusty conditions, the
   Spitfires were fitted with a large Vokes air filter under the nose,
   which lowered the performance of the aircraft through induced drag. The
   Spitfire V and, later, much-improved, longer-ranged Mark VIIIs also
   soon became available in the North African theatre and, henceforth,
   featured heavily with the RAF, SAAF and USAAF during the campaigns in
   Sicily and Italy.

   The first Griffon-engined Mk XII flew on August 1942, but only five had
   reached service status by the end of the year. This mark could exceed
   450 mph (724 km/h) in level flight and climb to an altitude of 30,000
   feet (10,000 m) in under eight minutes. Although the Spitfire continued
   to improve in speed and armament, it remained short-legged throughout
   its life except in the dedicated photo-reconnaissance role, when its
   guns were replaced by fuel.

   As the American strategic bombing campaign gathered momentum in
   mid-1943, the need for fighter escort meant much of Fighter Command's
   Spitfire force was utilised in this role while the US fighter groups
   worked up to operational status. The inadequate range of the Spitfire
   however, meant the RAF support operations were limited to northwest
   France and the Channel. As the battle intensified over occupied Europe,
   USAAF fighters like the P-47, P-38 and P-51 bore the brunt of bomber
   protection. The Spitfire IX squadrons had to bide their time until the
   invasion of Europe before engaging the Luftwaffe fighter force.

   By then, the newer Griffon-engined Spitfires were being introduced as
   interceptors, where limited range was not an impediment. These faster
   Spitfires were used to defend against incursions by high-speed
   "tip-and-run" German fighter-bombers and V-1 flying bombs over Great
   Britain.

   As American fighters took over the long-range escorting of USAAF
   daylight bombing raids, the Griffon-engined Spitfires progressively
   took up the tactical air superiority role as interceptors, while the
   Merlin-engined variants (mainly the IX and the Packard-engined XVI)
   were adapted to the fighter-bomber role.

   After the Normandy landings, Spitfire squadrons were moved across the
   Channel, operating from tactical airfields close to enemy lines. As the
   Allied air forces achieved air supremacy, Spitfire pilots had fewer
   opportunities to combat German aircraft, concentrating their efforts on
   roaming over German territory, attacking targets of opportunity and
   providing tactical ground support to the army units. The newer, faster
   marks of Spitfire were retained in Britain to counter the V-1 flying
   bomb offensive in mid-1944, although these aircraft, too, were deployed
   across the Channel before the war in Europe ended.

   Although the Griffon-engined marks lost some of the favourable handling
   characteristics of their Merlin-powered predecessors, they maintained
   their manoeuvring advantage over German (and American) designs in
   Europe throughout their production.

   The first Spitfires in the Far East were two PR IV photo-reconnaissance
   marks in October 1942. The threat of Japanese attacks on Northern
   Australia prompted the dispatch of Spitfire Vbs in late 1942. No 1 Wing
   RAAF (No 54 Squadron RAF, 452 and 457 squadrons RAAF) was formed in
   Darwin, the first kill being achieved in February 1943, and saw
   constant action until September 1943. Spitfire VIIIs were received in
   April 1944. In the Burma/India theatre, the first Spitfire Vs were not
   received until September 1943.

   Spitfire pilots, used to European combat conditions, were shocked to
   find that they could not follow the Japanese Mitsubishi Zero through a
   turn. They were forced to adopt tactics similar to those used by the
   American pilots, akin to manoeuvers that German pilots had been forced
   to adopt when facing Spitfires and Hurricanes. British pilots in the
   Far East relied on their far higher speed, especially in a dive, and
   greater firepower to prevent Japanese pilots from using the Zero's
   turning advantage. Zeros could not tolerate dive speeds much higher
   than their maximum level flight speeds due to increasing aileron
   stiffness and wing structural limits.

Service in other air forces

   American Spitfire MK V of the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter
   Group.
   Enlarge
   American Spitfire MK V of the 334th Fighter Squadron, 4th Fighter
   Group.

   Apart from the RAF, Spitfires served with most of the Allied air forces
   in the Second World War, especially the Royal Canadian Air Force
   (RCAF), Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), South African Air Force
   (SAAF) and Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF). It was one of only a
   few foreign aircraft to see service with the United States Army Air
   Forces. Several European countries also operated Spitfires based in the
   UK, including French, Norwegian, Polish, Dutch and Czechoslovakian
   squadrons in the RAF.

   The RAAF, the Royal Indian Air Force and the RAF also used Spitfires
   against Japanese forces in the Pacific theatre.
   The Spitfire Mk.VIII "Grey Nurse," which saw action with No. 457
   Squadron RAAF in the South West Pacific Area is one of two Spitfires
   still flying in Australia, both owned by Temora Aviation Museum.
   Enlarge
   The Spitfire Mk.VIII " Grey Nurse," which saw action with No. 457
   Squadron RAAF in the South West Pacific Area is one of two Spitfires
   still flying in Australia, both owned by Temora Aviation Museum.

   There is evidence that the Luftwaffe also used captured Spitfires to
   attack Allied targets: one such episode was the strafing of civilians
   from the village of Grendon, Northamptonshire in 1940.

   Following the Second World War, the Spitfire remained in use with many
   air forces around the world, including the Royal Australian Navy,
   Belgian Air Force, Union of Burma Air Force, Royal Canadian Navy as the
   Seafire, Czech Air Force, Danish Air Force, Egyptian Air Force, Armee
   de l'Air and the French Navy Aeronavale, Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air
   Force, Irish Air Corps, Israeli Air Force, Italian Air Force, Royal
   Netherlands Air Force, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Royal Thai Air Force,
   Portuguese Air Force, Swedish Air Force, Syrian Air Force, Turkish Air
   Force, Rhodesian Air Force, and the SFR Yugoslav Air Force.

   Spitfires played a major role in the Greek Civil War, flown by the RAF
   and SAAF during October-December 1944, and by the Hellenic Air Force
   from 1946 to the end of the war in August 1949.

   Spitfires last saw major action during the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, when
   — in a strange twist — Israeli Air Force Spitfires flown by formerly
   RAF pilots in World War II like Ezer Weizman were engaged by Egyptian
   Spitfires and Royal Air Force Spitfires. However, some air forces
   retained Spitfires in service until well into the 1960s.

Speed and altitude records

   The Spitfire Mk. XI flown by Sqn. Ldr. Martindale, seen here after its
   flight on 27 April 1944 during which it was damaged achieving a true
   airspeed of 606 mph (975 km/h).
   Enlarge
   The Spitfire Mk. XI flown by Sqn. Ldr. Martindale, seen here after its
   flight on 27 April 1944 during which it was damaged achieving a true
   airspeed of 606 mph (975 km/h).

   During the spring of 1944, high-speed diving trials were being
   performed at Farnborough to investigate the handling of aircraft near
   the sound barrier. Because it had the highest limiting Mach number of
   any aircraft at that time, a Spitfire XI was chosen to take part in
   these trials. Due to the high altitudes necessary for these dives, a
   fully feathering Rotol propeller was fitted to prevent overspeeding. It
   was during these trials that EN409, flown by John Martindale, reached
   606 mph (975 km/h) in a 45-degree dive. Unfortunately the
   engine/propeller combination could not cope with this speed and the
   propeller and reduction gear broke off. Martindale successfully glided
   the 20 miles (30 km) back to the airfield and landed safely.

   "That any operational aircraft off the production line, cannons
   sprouting from its wings and warts and all, could readily be controlled
   at this speed when the early jet aircraft such as Meteors, Vampires,
   P-80s, etc could not, was certainly extraordinary" — Jeffrey Quill

   On 5 February 1952, a Spitfire Mk. 19 of No. 81 Squadron RAF based in
   Hong Kong achieved probably the highest altitude ever achieved by a
   Spitfire. The pilot, Flight Lieutenant Ted Powles, was on a routine
   flight to survey outside air temperature and report on other
   meteorological conditions at various altitudes in preparation for a
   proposed new air service through the area. He climbed to 50,000 feet
   (15 240 m) indicated altitude, with a true altitude of 51,550 feet
   (15 712 m), which was the highest height ever recorded for a Spitfire.
   However, the cabin pressure fell below a safe level, and in trying to
   reduce altitude, he entered an uncontrollable dive which shook the
   aircraft violently. He eventually regained control somewhere below
   3,000 feet (900 m). He landed safely with no discernible damage to his
   aircraft. Evaluation of the recorded flight data suggested that, in the
   dive, he achieved a speed of 690 mph (1110 km/h) or Mach 0.94, which
   would have been the highest speed ever reached by a propeller-driven
   aircraft. Today, it is generally believed that this speed figure is the
   result of inherent instrument errors and has to be considered
   unrealistic.

Planes remaining in use

   Preserved Spitfire at Duxford.
   Enlarge
   Preserved Spitfire at Duxford.

   About 50 Spitfires and a few Seafires remain airworthy, although many
   air museums have static examples. The RAF maintains some for flying
   display and ceremonial purposes in the Battle of Britain Memorial
   Flight at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

   The Temora Aviation Museum in Temora, New South Wales, Australia, have
   two airworthy Spitfires: a Mk VIII and a Mk XVI, which are flown
   regularly during the museum's flying weekends.

   Area51Aviation, a British company specializing in ex-military aircraft
   (particularly jets) have both a Spitfire and Seafire at their Home
   Airfield at North Weald Airfield.

   The Black Spitfire is a black-painted Spitfire which belonged to
   Israeli pilot and former president Ezer Weizmann. It is on exhibit in
   the Israeli Air Force Museum in Hatserim and is used for ceremonial
   flying displays.

   Kermit Weeks flys a restored Mk XVI from his Fantasy of Flight museum
   in Florida.

Spitfire in film and television

   Spitfires are featured in several motion pictures
     * Battle of Britain (1969) starring Sir Laurence Olivier, Michael
       Caine, Christopher Plummer and many others. Set in 1940, this film
       features several flying sequences involving Spitfires, as well as a
       surprising number of other flying examples of Second World War-era
       British and German aircraft. The film's production company was
       "Spitfire Productions, Steven S.A."
     * Piece of Cake (television) (1987) starring Tom Burlinson. When it
       aired on the BBC in 1987, this was the most watched BBC miniseries
       in history. Based on the novel by Derek Robinson, the six part
       miniseries covered the prewar era from early 1939 to "Battle of
       Britain Day," 15 September 1940. The series had time to develop its
       large cast, and depicted the air combat over the skies of France
       and Britain during the early stages of the Second World War, though
       using several flying examples of late model Spitfires in place of
       the novel's Hawker Hurricanes. There were shots of several
       Spitfires taking off and landing together from grass airstrips.
     * The movie Cruel Blue World was about a Free Czech pilot flying a
       Spitfire during WWII.

Memorials

     * Sentinel, a sculpture by Tim Tolkien in Castle Bromwich, England,
       commemorating the main Spitfire factory.

Operators

     * Australia ( RAAF, RAN), Belgium, Burma, Canada, Czechoslovakia,
       Denmark, Egypt, France, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Israel,
       Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal,
       Rhodesia, South Africa, Soviet Union, Sweden, Syria, Thailand,
       Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, Yugoslavia.

   Profile of RAF Spitfire Vb.Copyright Giovanni Paulli.
   www.paulligiovanni.com
   Enlarge
   Profile of RAF Spitfire Vb.
   Copyright Giovanni Paulli. www.paulligiovanni.com

Specifications

Spitfire Mk Vb

   Data from The Great Book of Fighters and Jane’s Fighting Aircraft of
   World War II

General characteristics

     * Crew: one pilot
     * Length: 29 ft 11 in (9.12 m)
     * Wingspan: 36 ft 10 in (11.23 m)
     * Height: 11 ft 5 in (3.86 m)
     * Wing area: 242.1 ft² (22.48 m²)
     * Empty weight: 5090 lb (2309 kg)
     * Loaded weight: 6622 lb (3000 kg)
     * Max takeoff weight: 6770 lb (3071 kg)
     * Powerplant: 1× Rolls-Royce Merlin 45 supercharged V12 engine,
       1470 hp at 9250 ft (1096 kW at 2820 m)

Performance

     * Maximum speed: 330 knots (378 mph, 605 km/h)
     * Combat radius: 410 nm (470 mi, 760 km)
     * Ferry range: 991 nm (1140 mi, 1840 km)
     * Service ceiling: 35,000 ft (11 300 m)
     * Rate of climb: 2665 ft/min (13.5 m/s)
     * Wing loading: 28 lb/ft² (137 kg/m²)
     * Power/mass: 0.22 hp/lb (360 W/kg)

Armament

     * Guns:
          + 2 × 20 mm (0.787 in) Hispano-Suiza HS.404 cannon, 60 (later
            120) rounds/gun
          + 4 × .303 in (7.70 mm) Browning machine guns, 350 rounds/gun
     * Bombs:
          + 250 lb (110 kg) assorted ordnance or
          + 1 × 500 lb (230 kg) bomb

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supermarine_Spitfire"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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