Supermarine Spitfire Mk IA

From The Air Combat Wiki

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

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: 2

Speed: 6

Maneuverability: 9

Firepower: 2

Climb Rate: 4

Ground Attack: n/a

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	278	298	321	360	361@ 19029'	155 mph	1:53	5:00	8:57
mph WEP	282	302	325	363	365@ 19029'
kph	447	479	516	579	581@ 5800m	250 kph
kph WEP	454	486	523	584	587@ 5800m

Historical Statistics

Service Date: December 1938

Primary Guns: 4x Browning 0.303" (7.7mm) machine guns with 300 rpg in wings

Secondary Guns: 4x Browning 0.303" (7.7mm) machine guns with 300 rpg in wings

Ordnance: none

Engine(s): 1x Rolls-Royce Merlin III in-line rated for 1,030 hp at sea level (1,080 hp with WEP)

Int Fuel Capacity: 612 lbs (278 kg)

Ext Fuel Capacity: none

Maximum Speeds: 365 mph (587 kph) at 19,000 ft (5,791 m)

Ceiling: 34,000 ft (10,363 m)

Loaded Weight: 5,784 lbs (2,624 kg)

Wing Area: 242 sq ft (22.5 sq m)

Wing Loading: 23.9 lbs/sq ft (116.6 kg/sq m)

Strengths

Maneuverability: With its low wing loading, the Spitfire Ia is one of the better turning planes in the game, though not quite in the class of the Zero or Rat.

Speed: A top speed of 365 mph at altitude is in the high range for planes of the 1939-1940 period.

Weaknesses

Firepower: The eight .303 Brownings are simply not enough to bring down enemy planes on a consistent basis.

Ground Attack: Lacking the ability to carry ordnance of any kind and possessing only rifle caliber machine guns, the Spitfire Ia is useless against ground targets.

History

Unlike the Hurricane, whose pedigree was a long line of combat aircraft, the Supermarine Spitfire came from a long line of racing seaplanes. Similarly, it was the brainchild of a brilliant aerodynamics engineer, Reginald J. Mitchell, who worked himself literally to death to design the machine that would serve as the backbone of the RAF fighter force throughout World War II.

Built around the Rolls Royce PV-12, the progenitor of the famous Merlin, the Spitfire first flew on March 5, 1935. A little over a year later, the Air Ministry issued a production order for 310 machines, which was later increased to 510. By the beginning of the war, the RAF had accepted 306 Spitfires from Supermarine.

As with most first models, numerous improvements were made during production, including the addition of armor plating, the newer Merlin III and a three-bladed deHavilland propeller. The Spitfire Ia, with its eight .303 Browning machine guns, was the primary version used during the Battle of Britain. With its faster speed and superior turning radius, the Spitfire was sent after Luftwaffe fighters, leaving the slower Hurricanes to deal with the bombers.

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

Fighter Ace Planes Inventory

Supermarine Aviation Works, Ltd.

Aircraft Manufacturers During World War II