Spitfire F Mk XIVe

This page is about the British fighter Spitfire F Mk XIVe. For the premium version, see Spitfire FR Mk XIVe. For other versions, see Spitfire (Family).

Spitfire F Mk XIVe

Spitfire Mk Vc

Spitfire F Mk XVIIIe

Spitfire F Mk XIVe

Spitfire Mk Vc

Spitfire F Mk XVIIIe

Britain

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.0	5.7	5.3

Class:

Fighter

Research:46 000

Purchase:155 000

Show in game

Description

The Spitfire F Mk XIVe was a British WWII-period fighter. Unlike the previous Griffon-powered Mk XIV, the XIVe featured a lowered tail section allowing for better rear view, as well as a new bubble canopy. The armament also differed from the regular Mk XIV as it featured an "E" type wing with two 20 mm Hispano cannons and two 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine guns instead of the "C" type with two cannons and four 7.7 mm machine guns.

The Spitfire F Mk XIVe was introduced in Update 1.41. Featuring much greater engine power due to its Griffon engine, the Mk XIVe is faster than the previous Merlin-powered variants, at the cost of decreased maneuverability. However, the Spitfire is still able to out-turn most of its opponents while retaining the great climb rate and speed.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 6 400 m719 km/h

Turn time17 s

Max altitude12 000 m

EngineRolls-Royce Griffon-65

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight5 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 8,537 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	690	670	12000	18.5	19.2	19.0	19.0	400
Upgraded	767	723		16.7	17.4	32.7	24.5

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	+	-
794	260	N/A	N/A	260	~10	~6

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 321	< 400	< 350	> 500

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,100 m	1,510 hp	2,150 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
8,100 m	1,340 hp	1,852 hp

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural794 km/h

Gear260 km/h

• 38 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front.
• 4 mm Steel plates in pilot's seat.
• 4-7 mm Steel plates behind the pilot.
• 3 mm Steel boxes around the wing ammunition.
• 12.7 mm Steel plate between fuel tanks.
• 6 mm Steel plate in front of liquid cooling system.

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 024 → 2 633

RB4 813 → 6 261

SB6 888 → 8 961

Total cost of modifications40 400

77 900

Talisman cost1 400

Crew training45 000

Experts155 000

Aces820

Research Aces440 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

80 / 190 / 410 %

160 / 160 / 160 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 900 160 Radiator Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 900 160 Compressor Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 400 185 Wings repair Research: 2 500 Cost: 4 800 200 Engine Research: 2 500 Cost: 4 800 200 Engine injection Research: 4 400 Cost: 8 500 350	Airframe Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 400 185 Cover Research: 4 400 Cost: 8 500 350	bmg50_belt_pack Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 900 160 hispano_belt_pack Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 900 160 bmg50raf_new_gun Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 400 185 hispano_mk2_new_gun Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 400 185 SMBC mk.2 Research: 2 500 Cost: 4 800 200 Mk.II year 1942 Research: 2 500 Cost: 4 800 200 Mk.II year 1943 Research: 4 400 Cost: 8 500 350

Priority to research:

1. Radiator - The stock engine overheats too fast, getting this upgrade first will be useful in dogfights where WEP is needed.
2. Compressor - This is a good upgrade to get as the stock engine is pretty average.
3. Offensive 20mm belts - While the 20mm belts are good for the, well, belts, the reason to research this is to research "New 20mm cannons" to sort of mitigate the jamming and accuracy of the 20mm.
4. New 20mm cannons
5. Engine - As the Spitfire will be facing mostly German planes which are primarily energy fighters, this upgrade will help with dogfighting German planes.

After that, the rest is up to the pilots preference, but research the fuselage repair last as it does little to the aircrafts performance.

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannon

Ammunition270 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

Weapon 22 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun

Ammunition520 rounds

Fire rate750 shots/min

The Spitfire F Mk XIVe is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, wing-mounted (135 rpg = 270 total)
• 2 x 12.7 mm Browning M2 machine guns, wing-mounted (260 rpg = 520 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (2)

Setup 11 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bomb

Setup 21 x M.C. 500 lb Mk.I bomb

The Spitfire F Mk XIVe can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 1 x 500 lb G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bomb (500 lb total)

Usage in battles

The Spitfire F Mk XIVe, being outfitted with a Griffon engine, does not have as stellar of a climb rate as its Merlin engine counterparts. However, it still does have a very competitive rate of climb, and can usually come out above all but a few opponents. With such an altitude advantage, the pilot is able to choose which engagements to pursue, and the ability to choose engagements wisely is necessary. Since dogfighting in the Spitfire can involve prolonged turn-fights, make sure that no other enemies are nearby, or that if there are, that they can be dealt with by teammates. This plane's engines gives it great acceleration, and it also accelerates well in dives. Be careful though, since at very high speeds, sharp maneuvers may cause the wings to snap.

As far as maneuverability goes, the Spitfire is still very good at turning, especially at high altitudes. It also has a good roll rate, making rolling scissors maneuvers a viable tactic in dogfights.

With these flight characteristics, the Spitfire is a sort of jack of all trades. It can turn fight well, of course, but it can also boom and zoom or energy fight with much success. However, the plane does have some drawbacks. For one, the powerful engine is prone to overheating, so throttle and WEP management may be necessary. Additionally, performance at low altitudes can be inadequate in certain situations. Finally, the only ordnance that the plane can carry is a single 500 lb bomb. While this can certainly destroy an enemy tank in ground realistic battles, precise aim is required to do so consistently, and the one bomb is the only anti-tank weapon that the plane has. Still, it excels in an anti-fighter role in ground RB; its excellent maneuverability is well suited for the gamemode's tendency to involve one on one dogfights.

The Spitfire F Mk XIVe carries a fairly standard ammunition count: not particularly high and not very low. It's possible to spray a little bit, but it is also wise to keep an eye on your ammo count, and to preserve ammunition if possible.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Auto control available	Not controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Auto control available	Combined	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Supercharger - Use gear 1 from sea level to 4,000 m. Once you've hit roughly 4 km, switch to supercharger gear 2 to maintain performance. The output of the engine in the first gear will slowly gain from sea level to 2 km, then at 4 km and above it will begin to drop performance, which is when you should switch to the second supercharger stage.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Very good at turning, especially at high altitude
• Excellent climb rate
• Very powerful engine that provides a very good acceleration
• Very good dive rate
• Good roll rate
• Very accurate guns when modifications have been researched and equipped
• Lots of ammo for cannons and machine guns
• Can perform turn-fights, Boom-and-Zoom and energy fighting equally
• Effective counter to high-altitude fighters (Ta 152, G.56, etc.)
• Bubble-style canopy offers excellent visibility for simulator battles
• Good turn rate at low speeds

Cons:

• Poor performance and maneuverability at low altitude
• No combat flaps configuration
• Gear and landing flaps rip easily: safe landings must be approached very slowly
• Oil and water overheat quickly
• Guns perform inadequately when stock
• Insufficient close air support payload options
• Inadequate armament for hunting heavy bombers like the B-17G-60-VE or the G8N1
• Poor wing lift coefficient when at high altitude, low speeds and stock

History

Archive of the in-game description

The Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIV was a single engine, single seat fighter which served with the Royal Air Force during the Second World War. In 1941 the Spitfire Mk.IV was the first Spitfire to be trialed with the new Rolls Royce Griffon engine. By the time the Griffon Spitfire entered service with the RAF in February 1943, subsequent modifications had redesignated the aircraft as the Spitfire Mk.XII. As successful as this new Spitfire was at low altitudes, the Mk.XII's performance was actually inferior to the Merlin engine Mk.IX at medium and high altitudes. Thus, the Spitfire Mk.XIV entered service as an interim fix. Fitted with a Rolls Royce Griffon 65 with two-stage supercharger producing 2,050 hp, the Mk.XIV immediately corrected many of the performance shortcomings suffered by the Mk.XII. The fuselage was strengthened to harness the powerful engine and a five bladed Rotol propeller replaced the earlier four bladed examples. Early models were fitted with the Type C wing although later Mk.XIVs were equipped with the Type E wing housing two 20 mm Hispano cannons and two .50 cal Browning machine guns or four 20 mm cannons, as well as a high visibility teardrop canopy. A common modification to the Mk.XIV was the clipped wing, which increased roll rate and gave a marginal increase to speed, but at the most of rate of climb. The Spitfire Mk.XIV entered service with Nos. 91, 322 and 610 Squadrons in southeast England where it saw notable success as an interceptor against V-1 Flying Bombs but also as part of the 2nd Tactical Air Force in operations over occupied Europe. Spitfire Mk.XIVs were also planned for use in the Far East but whilst a number of airframes were shipped to Burma, none were operational before the end of the war. The Spitfire Mk.XIV met mixed reviews from its pilots; whilst there was no doubt of the huge performance increase the new variant offered, it was uncomfortable to fly and lacked the balance and control harmonization of earlier Merlin engine Spitfires. Just under 1,000 Spitfire Mk.XIVs were produced with exports being employed by the Air Forces of India, Belgium and Thailand.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Spitfire F Mk XIVe from live.warthunder.com.

Videos

The Shooting Range #124 - War Machines section at 00:28 discusses the Griffons.

The Shooting Range #95 - Metal Beasts section at 03:42 discusses the Spitfire F Mk XIVe.

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

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance