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At low to medium altitudes, the supercharger was in Moderate Supercharger or M.S. gear (this referred to the gearing and thus the speed, at which the impellers were operating). Once the aircraft reached and climbed through a set critical altitude , (20,000 feet (6,100 m) for the Merlin 61 and 70 series) the power would start to drop as the ...
Supermarine Spitfire variants powered by early model Rolls-Royce Merlin engines mostly utilised single-speed, single-stage superchargers. The British Supermarine Spitfire was the only Allied fighter aircraft of the Second World War to fight in front line service from the beginnings of the conflict, in September 1939, through to the end in ...
The Spitfire was much slower at such a low level; the prototype was only capable of 290 mph (470 km/h) at this height. [1] Consequently, a record-breaking machine would have to be extensively modified. Rolls-Royce began work on a sprint version of the Spitfire's Merlin engine, to run on a special fuel mix. [1]
Spitfire LF Mk IX MH434 of Duxford's Old Flying Machine Company.. The British Supermarine Spitfire was facing several challenges by mid-1942. The debut of the formidable Focke-Wulf Fw 190 in late 1941 had caused problems for RAF fighter squadrons flying the latest Spitfire Mk Vb. [2]
The Rolls-Royce Griffon engine was designed in answer to Royal Navy specifications for an engine capable of generating good power at low altitudes. Concepts for adapting the Spitfire to take the new engine had begun as far back as October 1939; Joseph Smith felt that "The good big 'un will eventually beat the good little 'un."
First of specialised engines for Spitfire Mk V variants and early Seafires. Merlin 45M 1,230 hp (917 kW) at 3,000 rpm 1,585 hp (1,182 kW) at 3,000 rpm, +18 psi (124 kPa) boost, 2,750 ft (838 m) Spitfire LF Mk.V: Version of Merlin 45 with "cropped" (smaller diameter) supercharger impeller allowing greater boost at low altitudes. Merlin 46
The first V-1650s, with a one-stage supercharger, equivalent to the Merlin XX, were used in the P-40F Kittyhawk fighter and in Canadian-built Hawker Hurricanes [broken anchor]. Later versions based on the Merlin 60 series included a more advanced two-stage supercharger for improved performance at high altitudes.
The Spitfire V Manual (AP1565E reprint). London: Arms and Armour Press, 1981. ISBN 0-85368-420-0. White, Graham. Allied Aircraft Piston Engines of World War II: History and Development of Frontline Aircraft Piston Engines Produced by Great Britain and the United States During World War II. Warrendale, Pennsylvania: SAE International, 1995.