Supermarine Spitfire

*"Many pilots believed the Mk IX was the ultimate Spitfire. Originally conceived in 1942 as a stopgap model to meet the threat of the German Focke-Wulf, Fw 190 fighter, the Mk IX combined a Mk V fuselage with more powerful versions of the Rolls-Royce Merlin V-12. Eventually produced in low, medium, and high-altitude fighter versions (called, respectively, L.F., F., and H.F.), a total of 5,665 planes were built, mostly the low-altitude version. By 1944, RAF had assigned the interceptor role to later model Griffon-engined Spitfires, and the IX was modified to specialize in the ground-attack role.*

*Fitted with the new “E” wing, which carried upgraded armament consisting of two outboard 20-mm cannon and an inboard pair of 0.50-inch machine guns, the new L.F. IXe fighter-bomber also had its wingspan shortened by about four feet by squaring its elliptical wingtips. The result was an excellent tactical weapon to support the Allied advance across Europe."*

-The in-game descriptions of the Spitfire IX "C" and "E" variants

The Spitfire Mk IX was the top fighting plane of Britain, and the best of the Spitfire variants. Well adored by RAF pilots for it's maneuverability and performance in low altitude dogfights, but also had exceptional performance as a fighter-bomber. The biggest improvement from the previous versions was replacing the eight .303 machine guns to four .303 guns and to 20mm cannons in Mk VB models to two 0.5 inch Browning machine guns along with two 20mm cannons for a even greater punch.

## Specifications

L.F. IXC SPECIFICATIONS

WEIGHT: 5,610/7,500 lb. (2,545/3,409 kg)

SPAN: 36' 10" (11.2 m) LENGTH: 29' 11" (9.1 m)

ENGINE: One Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 liquid-cooled V-12 with 1,720 hp

ARMAMENT: Two 20-mm Hispano cannon with 120 r.p.g., plus four 0.303-in. Browning machine guns, plus one 500-lb. bomb and two 250-lb. bombs

MAX SPEED @ ALTITUDE: 404 mph (650 km/h) @ 21,000 ft (6,400 m)

CEILING: 42,500 ft (12,954 m)

INITIAL CLIMB RATE: 3,125 ft/min (952 m/min)

RANGE: 434 mi (698 km); 980 mi (1,576 km) with drop tanks

L.F. IXE SPECIFICATIONS

WEIGHT: 5,800/7,500 lb. (2,636/3,409 kg)

SPAN: 32' 7" (9.9 m) LENGTH: 31' 4" (9.5 m)

ENGINE: One Rolls-Royce Merlin 66 liquid-cooled V-12 with 1,720 hp

ARMAMENT: Two 20-mm Hispano cannon with 120 r.p.g., plus two 0.50-in. Browning machine guns with 250 r.p.g., plus one 500-lb. and two 250-lb. bombs or eight 60-lb. rockets

MAX SPEED @ ALTITUDE: 404 mph (650 km/h) @ 21,000 ft (6,400 m)

CEILING: 42,500 ft (12,954 m)

INITIAL CLIMB RATE: 3,125 ft/min (952 m/min)

RANGE: 434 mi (698 km); 980 mi (1,576 km) with drop tanks

STRENGTHS (ALL VARIANTS)

- Excellent low-altitude performance.

- Mixed .50s and 20-mm guns give heavy punch.

- Can deliver a devastating mix of bombs and rockets.

WEAKNESSES (ALL VARIANTS)

- Inferior handling at high altitudes, especially for clipped-wing IXe.

- Liquid cooling increases engine vulnerability to damage from flak and small arms fire.

## Armament (Spitfire IXc)

Two 20mm Hispano cannons with 120 r.p.g and four 0.303 in Browning machine guns

2x 250 lb bombs

1x 500 lb bomb

1x 1000lb bomb

1x 500lb bomb + 250lb bombs

8x Rockets

8x Rockets + 250lb bomb

8x Rockets + 45 gal drop tank

1x 500lb bomb + 2x 45 gal drop tank

1x 250lb bomb + 2x 45 drop tank

## Armament (Spitfire IXe)

2x Hispano cannons with 120 r.p.g, plus two 0.50-in. Browning machine guns with 250 r.p.g.

2x 250 lb bombs

1x 500 lb bomb

1x 1000lb bomb

1x 500lb bomb + 250lb bombs

8x Rockets

8x Rockets + 250lb bomb

8x Rockets + 45 gal drop tank

1x 500lb bomb + 2x 45 gal drop tank

1x 250lb bomb + 2x 45 drop tank

## Trivia

* The Spitfire IXc is given to the player by default at the start of the British Campaign as a fighter pilot, the Spitfire IXe is unlocked by 09/12/1944.
* The best Spitfire pilot as well as the highest scoring ace of the RAF was Air Vice Marshall James 'Johnnie' Johnson (1915-2001). He had 38 victories which included 14 Messerschmitt Bf 109s and 20 Focke-Wulf 190s, making him a 190 killer (and the bravest Western pilot against the 190). Johnson flew only Spitfires his whole career, variants including the Mk I, Mk II, Mk VB, Mk IX and Mk IXB. After the war he engaged in the Korean War and continued interest in aviation business afterwards until his death in 2001. He had a black Labrador named Sally.