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Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British fighter aircraft used by the RAF and many other Allied countries during World War Two. It was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft and was the only Allied fighter in production throughout the war.
Photo: A Spitfire in flight, circa 1939. (Photo by Roger Viollet/Getty Images)
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Introduction
Supermarine Spitfire
Highlights from 91热爆 programmes Video (10) Audio (1)
Churchill's role in the Battle of Britain
Mo Mowlam MP describes the Battle of Britain and Churchill's intimate involvement in the day-to-day running of the air campaign.
Historian Dan Snow argues that the Supermarine Spitfire is a design icon.
As part of The Culture Show's hunt for the greatest design icon of our time, historian Dan Snow puts foward the case for the Spitfire.
The development of the Spitfire aeroplane during World War Two.
As a Spitfire sweeps through the sky in the background, Raymond Baxter, 91热爆 presenter and former Spitfire pilot, describes its evolution from seaplane to world-famous fighter.
Wing Commander Robert Standford Tuck recalls his Battle of Britain.
Wing Commander Robert Standford Tuck, a highly decorated Spitfire and Hurricane pilot, is interviewed in 1979 by David Jacobs. The Wing Commander recalls his Battle of Britain, what it was like to look the enemy in the eye and how he loved to fly a Spitfire.
Wing Commander Robert Standford Tuck recalls his capture and escape from a German prison camp.
Wing Commander Robert Standford Tuck, a highly decorated Spitfire and Hurricane pilot, is interviewed in 1979 by David Jacobs. The Wing Commander recalls his crash-landing in enemy territory, escaping from a prison camp and befriending a Luftwaffe ace.
With Evan Davis's Spitfire flight, the future of A-levels and Bob Harris's whisper.
Morning news and current affairs with Evan Davis and Justin Webb, including Evan Davis's Spitfire flight, the future of A-levels and Bob Harris's whisper.
More information about: Supermarine Spitfire
The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft that was used by the Royal Air Force and many other Allied countries during and after the Second World War. The Spitfire was built in many variants, using several wing configurations, and was produced in greater numbers than any other British aircraft. It was also the only British fighter to be in continuous production throughout the war. The Spitfire continues to be a popular aircraft, with approximately 55 Spitfires being airworthy, while many more are static exhibits in aviation museums all over the world.
The Spitfire was designed as a short-range, high-performance interceptor aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works (which operated as a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrong from 1928). In accordance with its role as an interceptor, Mitchell designed the Spitfire's distinctive elliptical wing to have the thinnest possible cross-section; this thin wing enabled the Spitfire to have a higher top speed than several contemporary fighters, including the Hawker Hurricane. Mitchell continued to refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his colleague Joseph Smith took over as chief designer, overseeing the development of the Spitfire through its multitude of variants.
During the Battle of Britain (July鈥揙ctober 1940), the Spitfire was perceived by the public to be the RAF fighter, though the more numerous Hawker Hurricane shouldered a greater proportion of the burden against the Luftwaffe. However, because of its higher performance, Spitfire units had a lower attrition rate and a higher victory-to-loss ratio than those flying Hurricanes.
After the Battle of Britain, the Spitfire superseded the Hurricane to become the backbone of RAF Fighter Command, and saw action in the European, Mediterranean, Pacific and the South-East Asian theatres. Much loved by its pilots, the Spitfire served in several roles, including interceptor, photo-reconnaissance, fighter-bomber and trainer, and it continued to serve in these roles until the 1950s. The Seafire was a carrier-based adaptation of the Spitfire which served in the Fleet Air Arm from 1942 through to the mid-1950s. Although the original airframe was designed to be powered by a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine producing 1,030聽hp (768聽kW), it was strong enough and adaptable enough to use increasingly powerful Merlin and, in later marks, Rolls-Royce Griffon engines producing up to 2,340聽hp (1,745聽kW); as a consequence of this the Spitfire's performance and capabilities improved, sometimes dramatically, over the course of its life.
Experience gained during the development of the Spitfire led to the development of the Supermarine Spiteful, a design loosely based on the final variants of the Spitfire but considered sufficiently different to the original Spitfire concept to warrant being declared a separate aircraft. This is an example of the Theseus Paradox.
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