Supermarine Spitfire F Mk XIVe

From The Air Combat Wiki

Contents 1 Quick Link 2 Fighter Ace Screenshots 3 Fighter Ace Ratings 4 Fighter Ace Performance 5 Historical Statistics 6 Strengths 7 Weaknesses 8 History 9 Sources 10 See Also 11 Quick Link

Quick Link

• Fighter Ace Flight Museum: WWII US / GB / SU / GE / JP / Jets and Post WWII // Planes Inventory (text list)
• Fighter Ace Plane Physics: Speeds / Accelerations / Climb Speeds / Star Ratings
• Fighter Ace Weapons: Guns / Rockets / Bombs / Torpedoes

Fighter Ace Screenshots

Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ
Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ	Fighter Ace museum screenshot by Doug@HQ

Fighter Ace Ratings

Durability: 3

Speed: 8

Maneuverability: 7

Firepower: 6

Climb Rate: 9

Ground Attack: 3

Fighter Ace Performance

Top Speeds						Climb Rates
	Sea Level	4921' 1500m	9843' 3000m	19685' 6000m	Best Speed	Best IAS	to 1000m	to 3000m	to 6000m
mph	359	385	382	415	442@ 26247'	180 mph	0:47	2:12	4:50
mph WEP	374	397	400	432	450@ 26247'
kph	578	620	615	667	711@ 8000m	290 kph
kph WEP	601	638	643	695	724@ 8000m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: April 1944

Primary Guns: 2x Browning M2 0.5" (12.7mm) machine guns with 250 rpg in wings

Secondary Guns: 2x Hispano Mk II 20mm cannon w/120 rpg in wings

Ordnance: 1x 535 lb (242 kg) bomb or 1x 360 lb (163 kg) drop tank under fuselage and 2x 250 lb (113 kg) bombs under wings

Engine(s): 1x Rolls-Royce Griffon 65 in-line rated for 1,735 hp at sea level

Int Fuel Capacity: 118 imp gal (536 l) containing 851 lbs (386 kg) in forward fuselage and two wing tanks.

Ext Fuel Capacity: 360 lbs (163 kg)

Maximum Speeds: 451 mph (725 kph) at 26,000 ft (7,930 m)

Ceiling: 40,000 ft (12,192 m)

Loaded Weight: 7,400 lbs (3,357 kg)

Wing Area: 231 sq ft (21.5 sq m)

Wing Loading: 32.0 lbs/sq ft (156.1 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Speed: With a top speed of almost 450 mph, the Spitfire Mk XIVe is as fast as any other prop plane in the game.

Acceleration: With one of the best power-to-weight ratios of any plane in the game, the Spitfire 14 can get to speed in a hurry.

Energy Retention: The sleek racing lines of the Spitfire allow it to retain its energy well.

Weaknesses

Durability: The light-weight Spitfire was unable to absorb any significant amount of damage.

Range: Even with drop tanks, the Spitfire runs out of fuel in a hurry and pilots should keep an eye on their fuel gauge.

History

With the success of the Mk IX, the development of the Spitfire was able to take more radical turns. One such change was the replacement of the famous Merlin engine with the much more powerful Rolls-Royce Griffon fitted with the five-bladed Rotol propeller.

The Mk XIVe was the first Griffon-based Spitfire to be produced in large numbers, with a total of 957 being built. Early versions used the "C" wing, though the "e" wing became the later standard. Similarly, the first production fighter versions had the standard stepped canopy design, while the photo recon versions used a bubble canopy, which was used on later model fighter variants.

To improve range a 13-gallon fuel tank was installed in the leading edge of each wing. More importantly, the Mk XIV was stressed to allow up to 1000 lbs. of bombs to be carried on wing and fuselage bomb mounts. The "e" wing armament of two .50 caliber machine guns and two 20mm cannon was more than sufficient to bring down the fighters and medium bombers the plane was expected to face.

Sources

Green, William; Famous Fighters of the Second World War; Hannover House, Garden City, NY; 1960.

Scutts, Jerry; Spitfire In Action; Squadron/Signal Publications; Carrollton, TX; 1980.

See Also

Supermarine Spitfire

Supermarine Aviation Works, Ltd.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II

Quick Link

• Fighter Ace Flight Museum: WWII US / GB / SU / GE / JP / Jets and Post WWII // Planes Inventory (text list)
• Fighter Ace Plane Physics: Speeds / Accelerations / Climb Speeds / Star Ratings
• Fighter Ace Weapons: Guns / Rockets / Bombs / Torpedoes