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 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.IIIs after the war and they saw combat above Indochina, mostly providing close air support and raiding enemy camps from the sky with ground ordnance.

It was introduced in Update "Winged Lions". Compared to the regular version of the Spitfire, the Seafire has a mediocre climb rate, being slower at accelerating and also having a poor top speed. The engine is the main issue, since it also overheats regularly when using WEP. The 20 mm cannons are prone to jamming and overheating, and it is recommended to quickly research the modifications for the Mk.II 1943 cannons. However, being a Spitfire, the Seafire is still a very capable dogfighter, and it can outperform many aircraft like the P-51s and Bf 109s in similar conditions; however, avoid prolonged fights at all costs, since the Seafire has very poor energy retention.

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

The 20 mm cannon 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 teammates tackle the first wave of enemy interceptors, trying to pick off those that managed to dive down. Still retaining great turning capabilities, the pilot is advised to force enemies into turnfighting where they bleed their energy and become vulnerable. Avoid head-ons at all cost due to the very fragile radiator and engine: even a single bullet will take it out.

Enemies worth noting

• 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 also outrun you with the exception of the A6Ms. However, all those foes (except the A6Ms) can be outturned by the Seafire in an 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

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Seafire LF Mk.III (France) from live.warthunder.com.

See also

• Seafire LF Mk.III

External links

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• other literature.