Seafire F Mk XVII
Contents
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This page is about the aircraft Seafire F Mk XVII. For other uses, see Spitfire (Disambiguation) |
Description
The Seafire F Mk XVII is a Rank IV British naval fighter
with a battle rating of 5.3 (AB/RB) and 5.7 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory".
First thing to know, the XVII is low altitude fighter, unlike the next Seafire - the FR 47 which is a high altitude fighter. Climbing rate is fantastic until 2,500 m, it can still perform quite well until 3,500 m but going over is not recommended as the engine will fail to provide enough power. It is recommended to climb at the beginning of the game until 2,000 m, targeting enemy attackers aircraft, backing, climbing up to 3,500 m, baiting down enemy fighters and finishing them on your own ground (under 2,000 m).
The Seafire Mk XVII has an excellent manoeuvrability, stock the turn time is 18.3 s (AB) and 18.6 s (RB/SM) and once fully upgraded it reaches 16.6 s (AB) and 17s (RB/SB). Once the first pass of an enemy dodged, sticking to its tail is not a difficult task as it can out turn many of its opponents especially German planes and american ones.
Stock, the plane is very difficult to handle, the climb rate is horrible (17 m/s in AB, 19.5 in RB/SB), energy retention is lacking, weaponry is inefficient, speed is terrible (603 kph max speed in AB, 586 kph max speed in AB/SB)... Players will have bitter time to unlock every and each module of the plane and should stick to boom and zoom strategy until the performance modules are fully unlocked and installed. 20 mm ammo belts should be research as soon as it is available to research, but focusing on the performance is the key, 7.7 mm and bombs should be left are the last modules to unlock. Stock the plane is NOT worth playing in RB, play it in AB until you have at least unlocked all the performance modules.
The 2 Hispano Mk.V 20 mm guns once the air belt equipped are devastating, composed of 50% of HEF-I and 50% of HEF-SAPI (HEF-I HEF-I HEF-SAPI HEF-SAPI) it wrecks others fighters in small burst and does not require much more for medium bombers if used at convergence point. On the other hand the 7.7 mm appears like an archaic weapon, ineffective but kept as a souvenir of the "good ol'time" of the Spitfire Mk Ia. Ineffective, yes but not useless actually, the 7.7 mm with tracer can be use as visual guide to see where you are firing with the 20 mm air belt which does not contain tracers! Quite useful tip in RB for inexperienced players.
Unfortunately the plane is lacking rockets for ground attacks like its elder brother the Seafire FR 47, nevertheless it can equip up to 2 x 250 lb + 500 lb bombs which are enough to easily destroy medium tanks or finish a damaged base. Payload is useful in late RB game but it should be avoided to start a game with as it effect significantly the performances.
General info
Flight Performance
| Characteristics | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stock | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 3,962 m) |
Max altitude (meters) |
Turn time (seconds) |
Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| 604 | 586 | 10,900 | 18.3 | 19.6 | 17.0 | 19.5 | 480 |
| Upgraded | |||||||
| Max Speed (km/h at 3,962 m) |
Max altitude (meters) | Turn time (seconds) | Rate of climb (meters/second) |
Take-off run (meters) | |||
| AB | RB | AB | RB | AB | RB | ||
| ? | ? | 10,900 | ??.? | ??.? | ?.? | ?.? | 480 |
Details
| Features | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Combat flap | Take-off flap | Landing flap | Air brakes | Arrestor gear |
| ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | X | X |
| Limits | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wing-break speed (km/h) |
Gear limit (km/h) |
Max Static G | ||
| + | - | |||
| 774 | 280 | ~13 | ~8 | |
| Optimal velocities | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Ailerons (km/h) |
Rudder (km/h) |
Elevators (km/h) |
Radiator (km/h) |
| < 321 | < 400 | < 470 | > 250 |
| Compressor (RB/SB) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Setting 1 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 1,980 m | 1,510 hp | 1,976 hp |
| Setting 2 | ||
| Optimal altitude | 100% Engine power | WEP Engine power |
| 4,350 m | 1,370 hp | 1,767 hp |
Survivability and armour
- 38 mm Bulletproof glass - Armored windscreen
- 4 mm Steel - Armored plates in pilot seat
- 6-7 mm Steel - Armored plates behind pilot's seat
- 1 mm Steel - Armored plate between fuel tanks
- 3 mm Steel - Armored boxes around wing ammunition
Armaments
Offensive armament
The Seafire F Mk XVII is armed with:
- 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk.V cannon, wing-mounted (120 rpg = 240 total)
- 4 x 7.7 mm Browning .303 machine gun, wing-mounted (350 rpg = 1,400 total)
Suspended armament
Main article: Bombs
The Seafire F Mk XVII can be outfitted with the following ordinance:
- Without load
- 2 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (500 lb total)
- 3 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (750 lb total)
- 1 x G.P. 500 lb Mk.IV bomb + 2 x G.P. 250 lb Mk.IV bombs (1,000 lb total)
Usage in the battles
Manual Engine Control
| MEC elements | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mixer | Pitch | Radiator | Supercharger | Turbocharger | ||
| Oil | Water | Type | ||||
| Controllable | Not controllable | Not controllable | Not controllable | Separate | Not ontrollable | Not controllable |
Modules
| Tier | Flight performance | Survivability | Weaponry | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Fuselage Repair | Radiator | Offensive 7 mm | HSBC mk.2 | ||
| II | Compressor | Airframe | HSBC mk.3 | |||
| III | Wings Repair | Engine | New 7 mm MGs | Offensive 20 mm | ||
| IV | Engine Injection | Cover | New 20 mm Cannons | HMBC mk.3 | ||
Pros and cons
Pros:
- Twin 2 mm Hispanos are a staple of British planes at this point
- Very manoeuvrable as with other Spitfire variants
- Good bomb load for a Spitfire: up to 2 x 250 lb + 500 lb bombs
- Good climb rate...
Cons:
- ...until about 2,000 m
- Loses A LOT of performance above 2,500 m
- Outperformed compared to other planes at the same BR
- .303 cals in the armament are no longer sufficient
- Other Griffon Spitfires have better performance
- Default belts are terrible
- Runs out of cannon ammo far too quickly, only 240 rounds
History
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Media
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Read also
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- reference to the series of the aircraft;
- links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.
Sources
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- page on aircraft encyclopedia;
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