Supermarine Spitfire
Fighter · Supermarine · United Kingdom
ⓘ licence & credit
Airwolfhound / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spitfire_-_Season_Premiere_Airshow_2018_(cropped).jpg| Typical crew | 1 |
|---|---|
| Engines | 1 × Rolls-Royce Merlin or Griffon |
| First flight | 1936 |
| Number built | 20,351 |
Photographs
ⓘ licence & credit
Harrison, John Thomas / PDM-owner, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Airborne_between_Darwin,_NT_and_Merauke,_Dutch_New_Guinea.pngView source & full licence →ⓘ licence & credit
Luciaroblego / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aeronabe_de_combate.jpgView source & full licence →ⓘ licence & credit
Abbott, L H (Flying Officer), Royal Air Force official photographer / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_party_of_riggers_working_on_the_tailplane_of_a_Supermarine_Spitfire_of_No._601_Squadron_at_Lentini_West,_Sicily,_7_September_1943._CNA1329.jpgView source & full licence →ⓘ licence & credit
Fotograaf Onbekend / Anefo / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:3_Spitfires,_Bestanddeelnr_900-2908.jpgView source & full licence →ⓘ licence & credit
Jim van de Burgt from Wijk bij Duurstede, Netherlands / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2018,_Bandstand,_Fairford,_Vintage_Village_-_7276_(54063477638).jpgView source & full licence →ⓘ licence & credit
Jim.van.de.Burgt / CC0, via Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:2014Payerne-9583.jpgView source & full licence →About
The Supermarine Spitfire is the most celebrated British fighter of the Second World War, and the only Allied fighter in production from before the war to its end. It grew from R. J. Mitchell’s racing seaplanes of the 1920s, and its hallmark was the thin elliptical wing — shaped by aerodynamicist Beverley Shenstone — which cut drag and gave the aircraft its grace and agility. The prototype first flew in March 1936, and No. 19 Squadron received the first Spitfires in 1938.
Powered initially by the 1,030 hp Rolls-Royce Merlin, and later by far more powerful Merlin and Griffon engines, the Spitfire was developed through a long line of marks across fighter, fighter-bomber and photo-reconnaissance roles. Alongside the more numerous Hawker Hurricane it bore the brunt of the 1940 Battle of Britain. More than 20,000 were built, and it became an enduring emblem of national resistance.
Sources: This page was compiled from publicly available historical sources, including Supermarine Spitfire — Wikipedia and The first flight of the Spitfire — RAF Museum. The text is original and has been written from factual source material; no source text has been copied unless specifically quoted and attributed.
Engines
- Rolls-Royce Griffon — 60° liquid-cooled V12, 37 litres
- Rolls-Royce Merlin — 60° liquid-cooled supercharged V12, 27 litres
3D model
3D model: Supermarine Spitfire Mk.IIa by barking_dogo on Sketchfab, licensed CC BY 4.0.