Spitfire LF Mk IX
Contents
| This page is about the aircraft Spitfire LF Mk IX. For other uses, see Spitfire (Family). |
Description
The Spitfire LF Mk IX is a rank IV British fighter
with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB), 5.7 (RB), and 5.0 (SB). This aircraft was introduced in Update 1.35.
The Spitfire LF Mk IX is very much a short range, point interceptor fighter and the stand out fighter in the mid Spitfire lineup. It features an exceptional rate of climb, whilst still retaining the manoeuvrability of its early lineage. The LF IX is considered by most to be the perfect Spitfire due to its balanced all round performance and impressive statistics. The last of the Merlin Engined Spitfires before progressing on to the Griffon powered variants, has the perfect balance of turning performance (second only to its Japanese counterparts) as well as its "Boom and Zoom" capability that becomes more possible with later model Spitfires.
General info
Flight Performance
Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.
| Characteristics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 4,878 m) |
Max altitude (meters) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 629 | 612 | 11500 | 16.6 | 17.0 | 19.6 | 22.2 | 320 |
| Upgraded | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 4,878 m) |
Max altitude (meters) | Turn time (seconds) | Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 724 | 688 | 11500 | 15.1 | 14.9 | 48.4 | 31.8 | 320 |
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flap | Take-off flap | Landing flap | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| X | X | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wing-break speed (km/h) |
Gear limit (km/h) |
Combat flap (km/h) |
Max Static G | |
| + | - | |||
| 774 | 270 | N/A | ~12 | ~6 |
| Optimal velocities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons (km/h) |
Rudder (km/h) |
Elevators (km/h) |
Radiator (km/h) |
| < 321 | < 400 | < 450 | > 250 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 3,200 m | 1,380 hp | 2,084 hp |
| Setting 2 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 6,200 m | 1,310 hp | 1,978 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 38 mm Bulletproof glass in the cockpit front.
- 4 mm Steel plate in the pilot's seat.
- 6-7 mm Steel plates behind the pilot.
- 3 mm Steel plate on top of the fuel tanks.
- 3 mm Steel boxes around the wing ammunition.
- Critical components located at the front of aircraft (fuel, pilot, engine, controls)
- More fuel tanks located in wings near the fuselage
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Spitfire LF Mk IX is armed with:
- 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.II cannon, wing-mounted (135 rpg = 270 total)
- 2 x 12.7 mm M2 Browning machine gun, wing-mounted (260 rpg = 520 total)
Suspended armament
The Spitfire LF Mk IX can be outfitted with the following ordinance:
- Without load
- 1 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bomb
Usage in battles
Describe the tactics of playing in an aircraft, the features of using vehicles in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).
Manual Engine Control
As with all the other british planes this plane is also very forgiving when using Manual Engine Settings
Prop pitch: This should be set to 100% when climbing to utilize it's superior climb rate. This will come in handy both at the start of a match and during combat. However when in level flight or chasing another plane this can be set back as far to 70-80% to get a few more km/h (or mp/h).
Radiator: as soon as you unlock the radiator module you can set this to 30% and leave it there for the entire match. On sicilly however you want to set it to 35-40% until you reach 6000m (19,685 feet)
Supercharger: Switching this at 2000m (6,561 feet) will give you quite a boost in performance and it will retain it's climbrate up until 4500m, after it will suffer miserably but still climb better than almost every plane. Therefore the supercharger gears should be switched at 2km (6,561 feet) altitude
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Controllable | Not controllable | Controllable | Combined | Controllable | Not controllable |
Modules
| Tier | Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Fuselage Repair | Radiator | |||
| II | Compressor | Airframe | |||
| III | Wings Repair | Engine | |||
| IV | Engine Injection | Cover | |||
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Supreme rate of climb that will rival that of the later Griffon Spitfires and most late war props (46.7 m/s in AB, 27 in RB/SB when maxed out, beating the F8F-1B at altitudes below 7 km)
- Excellent acceleration from a standing start due to the boost configuration
- Exceptional maneuverability at all altitudes
- Good energy retention - Better than the Bf 109 K-4 and the Ta 152 H-1
- M2 Browning .50 cal machine guns are more powerful than the old .303 Brownings.
Cons:
- Tendency to break wings its during high speed maneuvers
- Sub average roll rate can make the plane suffer in tight scissors
- Limited dive rate, moderate parasitic drag
- Limited ammo capacity
- High wing loading makes wings extremely fragile to projectiles during high-G turns
- Poor top speed due to high parasitic drag compared to engine power
- Since it is an 'LF (low flight)' Spitfire, high altitude performance will suffer.
History
The Supermarine Spitfire was a British single-engine, all-metal, low-wing monoplane fighter. While the Mk VII and Mk VIII variants was being designed, a Spitfire Mk III was tested in September 1941 with the new Rolls Royce 60 in the hopes of developing an interim fighter to use as a stop gap measure. The new Spitfire performed exceptionally well, and was rushed into production as the Mk IX. The Air Fighting Development Unit described the Mk IX as ‘outstandingly better than the Mk V especially at heights above 20,000 feet’ and even though it was not fitted with the modified control surfaces under development for the Mk VII and Mk VIII, the Mk IX was more than capable of meeting the Focke-Wulf FW190 on favourable terms. The Mk IX was fitted with the Type C ‘universal’ wing and originally carried the tried and tested combination of two 20mm cannon and four 0.303 inch machine guns, but in later versions the four 0.303 machine guns were replaced with two .50 calibre guns.
A total of 5,665 Mk IX were produced and 262 more Mk Vs were converted to Mk IX. Intended as a transitional stop-gap measure for the Mk VII and Mk VIII, the variant remained in production until the end of the war, ultimately becoming the most mass-produced Spitfire version. This mark was also used as a fighter-bomber and as a reconnaissance aircraft. Further modifications were incorporated into the Mk IX throughout its service life, such as a gyroscopic gunsight, bubble canopy and modified engine intercooler. Widely considered to be the most capable fighter in the world at the time of its introduction, it would take the introduction of the Rolls Royce Griffon engine to push the Spitfire into its next stage of evolution.
Media
Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.
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
Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:
- topic on the official game forum;
- encyclopedia page on the aircraft;
- other literature.
