Were these two Spitfire developments a step too far? In this month’s Aeroplane Database, Tony Buttler investigates
Development
Creating a Spitfire and Seafire follow-on — and the performance problems that resulted
The improvements and changes introduced to the Supermarine Spitfire enabled new variants to match the equivalent developments in the enemy’s fighters, to the point that by the end of the war their destructive power and performance — especially their speed — were far in excess of the marks that in 1940 had taken part in the Battle of Britain. It was hoped that the new tapered, laminar-flow wing on the Spiteful would push that performance even higher.