Difference between revisions of "Spitfire Mk Vc/trop"
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== Description == | == Description == | ||
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| − | + | In order to adapt the [[Spitfire Mk Vc]] for overseas operations, such as in Malta, North Africa, Burma, and Australia, the aircraft was equipped with a large air filter under the nose, as well as other modifications such as a larger oil coolant tank and survival gear behind the pilot's seat. The restricted airflow to the supercharger reduced the performance of the engine, but this was deemed acceptable. A naval camouflage was also applied to better protect the aircraft while flying over the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean. | |
| − | The Spitfire Vc/trop | + | In the game since the start of the Open Beta Test, the Mk Vc/trop will commonly be matched against planes such as the [[Bf 109 G-2/trop]], which performs better in the vertical (climbing/diving), or the [[A6M5]], which performs better in the horizontal (turning). While this aircraft faces tricky opposition, it is far from helpless as one might expect from what is essentially the airframe of a [[Spitfire Mk Ia]]. The Spitfire Mk Vc/trop has two major advantages over its opposition: turn performance, engine performance below 3,000 m, and armament. The plane is blessed with a Merlin 45M engine that grants it phenomenal acceleration below that altitude compared to German opposition, as well as a hard-hitting armament of four Hispano Mk II cannons that gives it an exceptionally high burst mass of 5.17 kg/s, putting it on the same level as the [[Fw 190 A-5]]. |
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== General info == | == General info == | ||
Latest revision as of 18:43, 23 July 2023
| This page is about the British fighter Spitfire Mk Vc/trop. For the non-tropical version, see Spitfire Mk Vc. For other versions, see Spitfire (Family). |
Contents
Description
In order to adapt the Spitfire Mk Vc for overseas operations, such as in Malta, North Africa, Burma, and Australia, the aircraft was equipped with a large air filter under the nose, as well as other modifications such as a larger oil coolant tank and survival gear behind the pilot's seat. The restricted airflow to the supercharger reduced the performance of the engine, but this was deemed acceptable. A naval camouflage was also applied to better protect the aircraft while flying over the Mediterranean and Indian Ocean.
In the game since the start of the Open Beta Test, the Mk Vc/trop will commonly be matched against planes such as the Bf 109 G-2/trop, which performs better in the vertical (climbing/diving), or the A6M5, which performs better in the horizontal (turning). While this aircraft faces tricky opposition, it is far from helpless as one might expect from what is essentially the airframe of a Spitfire Mk Ia. The Spitfire Mk Vc/trop has two major advantages over its opposition: turn performance, engine performance below 3,000 m, and armament. The plane is blessed with a Merlin 45M engine that grants it phenomenal acceleration below that altitude compared to German opposition, as well as a hard-hitting armament of four Hispano Mk II cannons that gives it an exceptionally high burst mass of 5.17 kg/s, putting it on the same level as the Fw 190 A-5.
General info
Flight performance
The Spitfire Mk Vc/trop's engine performs best at low altitudes: between the 2,000 m and 3,500 m. At these low levels, the Spitfire has a competitive top speed, and a decent climb rate. Above this altitude, engine performance begins to suffer dramatically, as acceleration and climb rate decrease. The engine's power output can be maximized by using WEP, without which the plane lacks much of its performance. The Spitfire's acceleration in a dive is less than that of the Bf 109 and Fw 190.
Like all Spitfires, the Vc/trop has above-average manoeuvrability, including a good turn rate and competitive roll rate. It also has decent energy retention both in flat turns and vertical manoeuvres. Watch out though, Fw 190s still have better energy retention and roll rate than the Spitfire, and A6Ms can out-roll it on low speeds.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 3,963 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 560 | 543 | 10500 | 17.2 | 17.8 | 14.4 | 14.4 | 340 |
| Upgraded | 627 | 592 | 15.8 | 16.2 | 27.1 | 19.5 | ||
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flaps | Take-off flaps | Landing flaps | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| X | X | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wings (km/h) | Gear (km/h) | Flaps (km/h) | Max Static G | |||
| Combat | Take-off | Landing | + | - | ||
| 760 | 270 | N/A | N/A | 230 | ~11 | ~6 |
| Optimal velocities (km/h) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons | Rudder | Elevators | Radiator |
| < 321 | < 400 | < 350 | > 450 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 3,800 m | 1,200 hp | 1,704 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen
- 4 mm Steel - Armoured plates behind pilot, coupled with another 6-7 mm Steel plate behind that
- 3 mm Steel - Armoured plate in front of engine above propeller
- 1 mm Steel - Armoured plate in front of front top fuel tank
- 3 mm Steel - Armoured plates around ammunition
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Pilots should invest heavily in the Weapons Maintenance skill of their crew in order to prevent guns from jamming as much. Pilots should only really need the first or second cannon upgrade. The 1943 cannons are useful to have, but not strictly necessary to perform well in this aircraft.
Priorities, in order, are:
- Offensive 20 mm belts
- Radiator
- Compressor
- New 20 mm cannons
- Engine
- Mk.II year 1942
- Engine injection
- Cover
- Wings repair
- Airframe
- Fuselage repair
- Mk. II year 1943
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Spitfire Mk Vc/trop is armed with:
- 4 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, wing-mounted (120 rpg = 480 total)
The Spitfire Mk. Vc/trop is armed with four Hispano Mk.II cannons with 120 rounds per gun. While this is double the cannon capacity of earlier Spitfires, such as the Spitfire Mk Vb/trop, it is still quite small, and unsuitable for firing long bursts at the enemy.
Usage in battles
The Spitfire Mark Vc/trop, unlike the older Mk IIb variant, no longer has overwhelming edges in performance over its opposition. This aircraft is heavier than its predecessors, and has an engine that does better at an altitude range that is much lower than its predecessors. The Spitfire Mk Vc/trop flies best at altitudes between the 2,000 m and 3,500 m range and its engine starts to suffer above this altitude. This plane must be played radically differently in terms of when and where to pick fights. As usual, the 7 P's of Combat apply: Proper Perusal, Planning and Preparation Prevent Poor Performance.
With previous Spitfires, in order to use your plane most effectively, these were more or less suggestions. Flat-turning allowed you to take down enemies relatively consistently even without advanced knowledge. With this Spitfire, and arguably the Spitfire Mk Vb before it, it is absolutely essential to follow these. Without fulfilling these criteria, you will not be able to succeed with flying the Spitfire Vc/trop.
You need to know your opposition inside-out, but also your own plane's performance (Perusal). In order to fight, you need to plan your every move well and have a good idea of how you're going to start your match and at what point you're going to return to base (Planning). You need to know and be prepared to fight enemies that may have better performance than you in a turn, in the vertical, in a straight line, or all three (Preparation).
The ability of a pilot to fight using this plane is determined primarily by their skill and ability to pick their fights against their enemy wisely. Charging head-on into Axis teams, which usually will have an energy advantage over you, will result in the Spitfire's instant and explosive demise at the hands of Bf 109G-2s and C.205s eager to score an easy victory on an allied fighter at a lesser altitude and travelling at a lower speed while within their favoured altitude range (4,000-5,500 m).
General guides for fighting against major nations:
- Germany and Italy: fighters of both those nations are well armed and have decent survivability, have better max speed than Spit and similar or slightly lower rate of climb. If you are below them, better run away far enough to be unworthy of their attention. If enemy attacks you on high altitude, your best chance is to dive and try to outmaneouvre them but do not attempt to fly in a straight line.
- Japan: you won't stand a chance both in dogfight and flight speed so you should avoid fight against this nation when you are alone but if it is impossible, your best chance is in head-on as just a single shell stands high chance of setting enemy ablaze.
- USA: American fighters have decent guns that will shred your plane during a head-on and are durable enough to resist a few hits with 20 mm guns. Fortunately those planes are relatively heavy and lack climb rate so you should be able to gather more potential energy before the duel begins. Once into dogfight, it won't take you more than 2 circles to get a stable position on enemy tail but same as with German and Italian planes, you should not allow them to run away.
- USSR: it is very risky to be in front of a Soviet fighter even for a single moment due to their armament which might consist on 37 or even 45 mm guns that are able to destroy your plane with a single hit but generally you should proceed similarly to fights with German planes .
Let's just mention that fighting bombers might be a very bad idea unless you are trying to take them from their side and have much speed.
One way to use this fighter to its best advantage is to use it as a "Vulture". Climb to 3,500 m and then proceed to roam around the map looking for aircraft low and slow, or for furballs where an enemy aircraft is pursuing a friendly. Dive on these people and "Bounce" them, shooting and entering a furball with them. These tactics will yield great success, provided that you are not chased yourself in turn.
One important thing to note is that this aircraft, especially while stock, cannot fire its weapons in long bursts. While stock, it will result in quick weapon jamming, and even when upgraded, its ammo capacity is absolutely abysmal. Furthermore, stock Hispanos Mk. II lack accuracy at bigger distances and when placed in wings, it gets even worse, so you shouldn't use them with aiming distances above 600 m. On low distances around 400-500 m with suitable aiming distance, enemy plane can be destroyed with just a single salvo (even without killing the pilot). Spitfire is also able to effectively fight tanks in ground RB. When attacking from above it is able to penetrate most medium tanks and SPGs with AP rounds but in such a situation you should use pretty low aiming distance of around 300 m.
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Controllable Not auto controlled |
Not controllable Not auto controlled |
Controllable Not auto controlled |
Separate | Not controllable 1 gear |
Not controllable |
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Great forward armament in 4 x 20 mm Hispano cannons
- Good manoeuvrability (better at turnfighting than every nation except for Japan)
- Decent Energy Retention - can keep speed fairly well in flat turns and loops
- Competitive roll rate that outperforms or is comparable to the majority of its opponents
- Good engine performance and speed below 3,000 m
Cons:
- Low survivability
- Low ammo capacity at only 120 rounds per gun (12 seconds of constant fire)
- No suspended armament
- Massively reduced engine performance at altitudes above 3,500 m
- Poor maximum speed
- Poor dive-acceleration
- No combat nor take-off flaps
History
| Archive of the in-game description | |
|---|---|
|
A single-seat, single-engine all-metal monoplane fighter, this variant of the Spitfire Mk V was fitted with the new Type C "universal" wing, capable of being fitted with a variety of armaments. The Mk VC could be fitted with four 20 mm Hispano cannons, or it could carry two 20 mm Hispano cannons and four 0.303 inch Colt-Browning Mk II machine guns. The cannons in the type C wings had a tape supply and so could carry up to 120 rounds per gun, unlike the type B wings, which were limited to 60 rounds. In addition, the Mk VC had other modifications to the airframe such as a strengthened fuselage, more armour, larger oil cooler and a new windscreen design. Production of the Mk VC variant began in October of 1941, with the first aircraft being equipped with a Rolls Royce Merlin 45 or 46. However, with the appearance of the German Focke-Wulf FW190 fighter, Spitfire pilots found themselves being outmanoeuvred at low and medium altitudes. The Mk VC was then fitted with Merlin 50, 50A, 55, and 56 engines. To improve performance characteristics at low and medium altitudes, some of these engines were fitted with a cropped supercharger impeller to allow maximum power to be reached at lower altitudes. Engines designed this way included the 45M, 50M, and 55M. On the lower altitude models, further changes were implemented. To reduce drag and moment of inertia on the aircraft's longitudinal axis, the wingspan was reduced and the elliptical wingtips were redesigned to be nearly rectangular. Fighters designed with low-altitude combat in mind were designated Spitfire LFMk Vs (Low Flight). Aircraft optimized for mid-altitude combat were designated Spitfire FMk Vs (Flight) and fighters fitted with the Merlin 46, 50A, or 56 were designated Spitfire HFMk Vs (High Flight) and had an increased wingspan with elongated, elliptical wingtips. The Spitfire VC fought in all theatres in which the RAF was active from 1941 to 1944. A total of some 6,500 Spitfire Mk V fighters were produced, of which 2,467 were Mk VCs. | |
Media
- Skins
- Videos
See also
- Related development
External links
- [Devblog] Spitfire Mk.V: model update and new modifications
- Official data sheet - more details about the performance
| Supermarine | |
|---|---|
| Spitfires | |
| Merlin engine | Spitfire Mk Ia · Spitfire Mk IIa · Spitfire Mk.IIa Venture I · Spitfire Mk IIb |
| Spitfire Mk Vb · Spitfire Mk Vb/trop · Spitfire Mk Vc · Spitfire Mk Vc/trop | |
| Spitfire F Mk IX · Spitfire F Mk IXc · Spitfire F Mk XVI | |
| Spitfire LF Mk IX · Plagis' Spitfire LF Mk IXc | |
| Griffon engine | Spitfire F Mk XIVc · Spitfire F Mk XIVe · Prendergast's Spitfire FR Mk XIVe · Spitfire F Mk XVIIIe · Spitfire F Mk 22 · Spitfire F Mk 24 |
| Export | ▄Spitfire Mk Vb/trop · ▃Spitfire LF Mk IXc · ▂Spitfire Mk IXc · Spitfire Mk IXc · Spitfire Mk.IX (CW) · Weizman's Spitfire LF Mk.IXe · ▄Spitfire FR Mk XIVe |
| Seafires | Seafire LF Mk.III · Seafire F Mk XVII · Seafire FR 47 |
| Export | ▄Seafire LF Mk.III |
| Jet fighters | Attacker FB 1 · Attacker FB.2 · Scimitar F Mk.1 · Swift F.1 · Swift F.7 |
| Hydroplanes | Walrus Mk.I |
