Seafire LF Mk.III (France)

This page is about the fighter Seafire LF Mk.III (France). For the British version, see Seafire LF Mk.III. For other versions, see Spitfire (Family).

▄Seafire LF Mk.III

VB.10-02

◘Sea Fury FB 51

800px

▄Seafire LF Mk.III

VB.10-02

◘Sea Fury FB 51

France

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
5.0	5.0	5.0

Class:

Fighter

Naval aircraft

Research:46 000

Purchase:155 000

Show in game

Description

The ▄Seafire LF Mk.III is a rank IV French fighter with a battle rating of 5.0 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update "Winged Lions".

The Seafire LF Mk.III was developed from the previous Seafire Mk.IIc which was a navalized version of a Spitfire Mk. Vc with modifications for carrier operations. France bought 141 Seafire LF Mk.III after the war and they saw combat above Indochina.

General info

Flight performance

Arrestor gear

Accelerates braking by grabbing the brake cable on the deck of the aircraft carrier

Max speed

at 3 963 m592 km/h

Turn time16 s

Max altitude10 500 m

EngineRolls-Royce Merlin-55M

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight3 t

The Seafire has an abysmal climb rate, it is also quite slow for a plane at its BR. Side climbing is advised. The turn time is slightly worse than the Spitfire LF Mk IX but still good enough to outturn most of your foes. The engine overheats rather quickly when using WEP, so avoid prolonged use.

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	561	541	10500	17.2	17.8	14.6	14.6	340
Upgraded	627	592		15.7	16.2	26.9	19.5

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
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	~5

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

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural760 km/h

Gear270 km/h

Armour plates

• 7 mm steel plate behind the 4 mm steel pilot seat
• 6 mm steel headrest
• 38 mm front armoured glass
• 3 mm steel plate protecting liquid cooling system
• 3 mm steel boxes protecting magazines in wings

Modules

• Vital components located at front of the aircraft (engine, fuel tank, pilot, radiator)
• One self-sealing fuel tank, one non self-sealing located above each other in front of the cockpit

Modifications and economy

Repair costBasic → Reference

AB2 034 → 2 631

RB4 794 → 6 203

SB6 713 → 8 686

Total cost of modifications40 600

78 500

Talisman cost1 400

Crew training45 000

Experts155 000

Aces820

Research Aces440 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

80 / 200 / 400 %

160 / 160 / 160 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 900 150 Radiator Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 900 150 Compressor Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 400 175 Wings repair Research: 3 400 Cost: 6 600 260 Engine Research: 3 400 Cost: 6 600 260 Engine injection Research: 4 400 Cost: 8 500 330	Airframe Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 400 175 Cover Research: 4 400 Cost: 8 500 330	bmg303_belt_pack Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 900 150 hispano_belt_pack Research: 2 000 Cost: 3 900 150 bmg303_new_gun Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 400 175 hispano_mk2_new_gun Research: 2 300 Cost: 4 400 175 Mk.II year 1942 Research: 3 400 Cost: 6 600 260 Mk.II year 1943 Research: 4 400 Cost: 8 500 330

20 mm ammo belts should be the first upgrade to be researched due to the very poor stock belt. After that, research the first cannon upgrade module to reduce spread and overheating. Unlock then flight performance upgrades: radiator first due to the rather fast overheating of the engine when using WEP. After that, it is up to the pilot to decide if they would rather profit from better weaponry or flight performance.

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannon

Ammunition240 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

Weapon 24 x 7.7 mm Browning machine gun

Ammunition1 400 rounds

Fire rate1 000 shots/min

The Seafire LF Mk.III (France) is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannons, wing-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)
• 4 x 7.7 mm Browning machine guns, wing-mounted (350 rpg = 1,400 total)

The wing-mounted machine guns are very hard to use at distances over 300 m due to their placement in wing. Cannons does not have such issue as they are closer to the wing roots.

Usage in battles

The Seafire LF Mk.III is a jack of all trades, but master of none. The Seafire does not climb well, so after start of battle, pilots should side climb, stay at around 3,000 m of altitude and let better climbing team mates tackle the first wave of enemy interceptors, trying to pick off those that managed to dive down. Retaining still a great turning capabilities, the pilot is advised to force enemies into turn fighting where they bleed their energy and became vulnerable. Avoid head-ons at all cost due to very fragile radiator and engine where even single bullet will take it out.

Notable enemies

• Bf-109
• Fw-190
• A6M series
• P-47 Thunderbolt
• Yak-3/9
• La-7
• Ki-84

All the enemies in the list above can outclimb you, and with the exception of A6M also outrun. With the exception of A6M, all of those can be out turned by the Seafire in a horizontal engagement.

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 sustainable turn rate
• Quite strong armament
• Clear visibility from cockpit with no frames obstructing view

Cons:

• Abysmal climb rate
• Low max speed compared to opponents
• Very fragile vital components

History

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Media

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See also

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• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

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