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Depending on the supercharger fitted, engines were rated as low altitude (e.g.; Merlin 66, Griffon III), where the engine produced its maximum power below about 10,000 feet (3,000 m), medium altitude (Merlin 45), where the engine produced its maximum power up to about 20,000 feet (6,100 m), and high altitude (Merlin 70), where the engine produced its maximum power above about 25,000 feet ...
Spitfire F.24 in the RAF Museum, London. The final Spitfire variant, the Mk 24, was similar to the Mk 22 except that it had an increased fuel capacity over its predecessors, with two fuel tanks of 33 gal (150 L) each installed in the rear fuselage. There were also zero-point fittings for rocket projectiles under the wings.
The Mk I PR Type D (also called the Extra Super Long Range Spitfire) was the first PR variant that was not a conversion of existing fighter airframes. The Type D carried so much fuel that it was nicknamed "the bowser". The D-shaped wing leading edges, ahead of the main spar, proved to be an ideal location for an integral tank.
The basic F.37/34 (as Spitfire was still then known) wing and undercarriage were mated to a modified fuselage which provided room for a gunner and a remote control four-gun turret (originally armed with .303 Brownings, later with Lewis light machine guns.) Other modifications included a cooling system mounted in a chin radiator housing.
Spitfire F Mk.IIa P7819 (G-TCHZ). Under restoration to fly. It became part of 9 Maintenance Unit before joining 303 Squadron in 1941. It was shot down later that year which killed F/O Mierszwa. [222] The remains were later recovered and acquired by Martin Phillips for an airworthy restoration. [4] Spitfire F Mk.IIa P8088 (G-CGRM).
From RAF Coltishall flying Spitfire XVIs it carried out operations against V2 sites in the Netherlands over an area ranging from The Hook to Den Helder, until disbanding on 15 May 1945 at Coltishall. Among No. 602's pilots was Raymond Baxter , later to become well known on television as a presenter of the BBC TV series Tomorrow's World .
The critical Mach number of the Spitfire's original elliptical wing was higher than the subsequently used laminar-flow section, straight-tapering-planform wing of the follow-on Supermarine Spiteful, Seafang, and Attacker, illustrating that Reginald Mitchell's practical engineering approach to the problems of high-speed flight had paid off. [141]
The Spiteful was ordered into production as the Spiteful F.XIV, the numerals being carried over from the original Spitfire Mk XIV. [18] The numbering was chosen to allow for Merlin-engined variants though ultimately none were built. [12] In total, 650 aircraft were ordered from Supermarine. [13]