Difference between revisions of "Spitfire Mk Vb"
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* Excellent turn rate | * Excellent turn rate | ||
| − | * | + | * Adequate climb rate |
* Structurally strong, will survive sharp turns | * Structurally strong, will survive sharp turns | ||
* Engine temperature is easy to control with cooldown from red to white only taking 10-20 seconds | * Engine temperature is easy to control with cooldown from red to white only taking 10-20 seconds | ||
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;Skins | ;Skins | ||
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* [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=spitfire_mk5b_notrop Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.] | * [https://live.warthunder.com/feed/camouflages/?vehicle=spitfire_mk5b_notrop Skins and camouflages for the {{PAGENAME}} from live.warthunder.com.] | ||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' | ''Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:'' | ||
| + | |||
* ''reference to the series of the aircraft;'' | * ''reference to the series of the aircraft;'' | ||
* ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' | * ''links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.'' | ||
Revision as of 04:24, 4 June 2021
| This page is about the British fighter Spitfire Mk Vb. For the tropical version, see Spitfire Mk Vb/trop. For other versions, see Spitfire (Family). |
Contents
Description
The Spitfire Mk Vb is a rank II British fighter with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB/RB) and 3.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.77 "Advancing Storm".
The Spitfire fills the turn-fighter class in the British line. It can perform many fighting tactics, such as energy fighting as well as turn-fighting. It has an impressive climb rate and turn time.
General info
Flight performance
The Mk V variants of the Spitfire series do not have the upgraded Merlin 61 engine, but instead the Merlin 45 and thus may have poorer performance compared to the Spitfire F Mk IX. Its wings can sustain a lot of stress, keeping still at steep dives and tight turns. Its control surfaces are large which means it has considerable control even at higher speeds.
| Characteristics | Max Speed (km/h at 4,878 m) |
Max altitude (metres) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (metres/second) |
Take-off run (metres) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | |||
| Stock | 560 | 542 | 10500 | 17.4 | 18.0 | 13.6 | 13.6 | 340 |
| Upgraded | 619 | 589 | 16.1 | 16.5 | 24.3 | 18.0 | ||
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 | ~10 | ~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 |
| 4,900 m | 1,190 hp | 1,583 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 3 mm Steel - Armour plating around ammunition cases (each wing)
- 3 mm Steel - Armour plating propeller hub
- 1 mm Steel - Fore cockpit armour plate
- 4 mm Steel - Pilot's seat
- 7 mm Steel - Armour plate behind the pilot
- 6 mm Steel - Pilot's headrest
- 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Armoured windscreen.
Modifications and economy
| Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
20 mm ground target belts are essential for dealing effective damage to enemy aircraft. The radiator upgrade is extremely useful in combating overheating. Other manoeuvrability upgrades are useful for turn fighting.
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Spitfire Mk Vb is armed with:
- 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, wing-mounted (60 rpg = 120 total)
- 4 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine guns, wing-mounted (350 rpg = 1,400 total)
Usage in battles
The Spitfire Mk Vb fills the role of an aerial superiority fighter in the British tier III lineup. It cannot fulfil any ground attack duties due to its low ammunition count and the absence of any heavy machine guns which can penetrate a tank's thin roof armour. In addition, the aircraft cannot carry any bombs or other air-to-ground ordnance. Like most Spitfires, the Spitfire Mk Vb is meant to be used as a pure aerial superiority fighter, while fighter-bomber duties are relegated to other aircraft, such as the Beaufighter series.
The Spitfire Mk Vb is a well-rounded fighter that can turn excellently. When the plane is not fully upgraded, the Spitfire Mk Vb's Merlin-45 engine has less power than the Merlin-XII engine of the Spitfire Mk IIb. However, once all engine upgrades have been acquired the Merlin-45 is easily a superior engine with better cooling and power, blessing this variant of the Spitfire with better energy retention, better energy retention and better cooling than the Mk I and II Spitfires. The Spitfire Mk Vb has outstanding energy retention and easily gains speed in a dive and retains it after pulling out into more level flight. In addition, it does not lose speed too quickly in a turn and thanks to outstanding acceleration from the Merlin-45, the aircraft easily accelerates after pulling high-G turns that initially bled large amounts of speed. However, the newer, more powerful, and heavier engine and airframe means that the aircraft cannot turn as tightly or as fast as its predecessors.
The Spitfire Mk Vb/trop is armed with two pairs of British .303s with 350 rounds per gun and two Hispano Mk.II cannons with 60 rounds per gun. With such a low ammo count, the cannons should be used sparingly, and at close range. The lower-calibre machine guns may be fired independently of the cannons in order to range the enemy and determine the necessary lead.
Experienced Spitfire Mk Vb pilots use close convergence ranges. Generally, the best convergence range for a Spitfire is 300 metres, since the plane fights best at close-range. The basic strategy that many Spitfire pilots use is a tactic whereby they bait head-ons from enemy aircraft, before evading, and turning around to put shots into the target at close range while the enemy is pulling away. When the Spitfire has the initiative in the engagement and has successfully manoeuvred onto a six-o-clock aspect, it is nearly impossible for the enemy to regain the advantage. Using clever management of the throttle and manoeuvres to gain or bleed energy, an experienced pilot can stay on an opponent's six o'clock indefinitely.
This Spitfire has a good turn time compared to its opposition and cannot be out-turned by anything save for the Japanese Zero. However, the plane has low manoeuvrability at low speeds, and a tendency to lock up in high-speed dives.
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:
- Excellent turn rate
- Adequate climb rate
- Structurally strong, will survive sharp turns
- Engine temperature is easy to control with cooldown from red to white only taking 10-20 seconds
- 20 mm cannons easily destroy enemy fighters
Cons:
- Low cannon ammunition count of 60 rounds per gun, requiring trigger discipline
- Guns are wing-mounted, requiring setting an appropriate convergence
- Water overheats extremely quickly when using WEP
- In an up-tier, some Bf 109s will have a significantly better climb rate
History
In-game description
A single-seat, single-engine all-metal monoplane fighter. After the Mk II and two more experimental variants of the Spitfire, the next major variant to see mass production was the Spitfire Mk V. Central to this new Spitfire was its engine – the 1470 HP Rolls Royce Merlin 45. This was equipped with a single stage supercharger and, coupled with a new carburettor design, allowed the Mk V to perform zero G manoeuvres without starving the fuel flow to the engine; a problem which had plagued earlier models of the Spitfire. The engine change necessitated strengthening the engine housing and installing a more effective oil radiator with a circular rather than U-shaped housing, and fitting two strengthening longerons to the upper surfaces of each wing.
The Mk V initially followed a similar pattern to the Mk I and Mk II in that it was fitted either with the Type A or Type B wing, again carrying eight machine guns or two cannon and four machine guns respectively. Less than 100 of the Mk VA were produced; it would be the Mk VB with its formidable 20mm cannon and four machine guns which would be the major production model, with 3911 VBs manufactured.
Some of the fighters were made for tropical climate conditions: a Vokes filter was installed over the carburettor air intake, under the engine. It was covered by special "lips" which helped prevent excessive dust intake, but at the cost of top speed and rate of climb. This variant was named the Spitfire Mk VB/Trop and was used in the Mediterranean theatre of operations, especially North Africa and Malta.
The first Mk Vs entered combat in February of 1941. The improved power and performance characteristics of the Spitfire Mk V made it a competitive match for the new German Messerschmitt Bf109F, but it was found to be inferior to the new Focke-Wulf FW190. As a result, the Spitfire Mk V was the first variant to experiment with the option of clipped wing tips, which increased the aircraft's roll rate and top speed at low level, but sacrificed its rate of climb.
The Mk V formed the backbone of RAF Fighter Command across several theatres of operations, and was considered by some pilots to be the definitive model of the Spitfire.
Notable pilots
-
Douglas Bader flew the Spitfire Mk Va which differed from the Mk Vb in that the Vb had two 20 mm cannons and the Va did not, instead two more .303 machine guns on each wing for eight total.
Media
- Skins
See also
Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:
- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
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 |
