Is there any aircraft in the aviation world that even comes close to the iconic status enjoyed by the Supermarine Spitfire ? A modern monoplane fighter aircraft that made its maiden flight from Eastleigh Aerodrome on 5 March 1936, the Spitfire earned its legendary reputation during the Battle of Britain when pilots in the Royal Air Force witnessed the overwhelming might of the Luftwaffe, an aviation hope for a Nation and its people in their darkest hour.
The Spitfire Mk.IX variant was arguably the most important Spitfire version in the entire production run. That is precisely why it is somewhat surprising to learn that it was actually a kind of emergency solution.
The arrival of the Luftwaffe's new Focke Wulf 190 fighter over the Western Front in August 1941 meant that RAF Spitfire Mk.Vs operating over the English Channel were falling in increasing numbers to the 'strangle' and something had to be done .
One of the key features of the new Spitfire was the use of a powerful new version of the Rolls Royce Merlin engine and it was suggested that fitting this new engine to a Spitfire Mk.V airframe would give the fighter a welcome boost in performance.
The first 100 Spitfire Mk.IX fighters were actually Mk.Vc airframes adapted for the new Merlin 61 two-stage, two-stage supercharged engine, the combination producing a thoroughbred fighter aircraft more than capable of matching the FW190 and the " F" variant of the Messerschmitt Bf 109.
As the last major Merlin-powered variant of the Spitfire, this 'emergency bridging fighter' became something of an aviation classic.
plastic model kit
1:24 scale
unbuilt/ unpainted
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