- Yes
- No
Specifications
Size
Height: 11 ft 5 in (3.48 m)
Wingspan: 32 ft 6 in (9.906 m)
Length: 29 ft 11 in (9.12 m)
Engine
Merlin 45
Maximum permitted boost: +16 lbs
Power output: 1,515 hp at 3,000 rpm, +16lbs boost;
Speed and climb
Speed (TAS, in mph): Altitude - WEP (100%)
- Sea Level - 330 mph (299 at 100%)
- 5000 ft - 351 (319)
- 10000 ft - 372 (338)
- 15000 ft - 371 (353)
- 20000 ft - 361 (354)
- 25000 ft - 342 (336)
Climb in minutes to altitude:
(using the Spitfire Mk.Vb sheet as a reference with projecting the results of the Clipped Wing Mk.V trials)
WEP: 2:25 to 10000 ft ; 6:05 to 20000 ft
100%: 3:25 to 10000 ft ; 7:50 to 20000 ft
Turning performance
Minimum turning circle: 1025 feet at 20000 ft of altitude, a 55 feet increase in comparison with a standard-wing Spitfire Mk.V. Other than that there was barely any difference besides an
Roll rate was improved significantly at all altitudes up to 25000 ft.
Wing loading, though, increased by about 1 lb/ft2.
Armament
2x20-mm Hispano Mk.II cannons with 120 rpg (240 in total)
4x7,7-mm Browning machineguns with 350 rpg (1400 in total)
Weight
Should correlate with Spitfire Mk.Vb’s, since the removal of wing tips practically compensated for the increase in ammunition (30 lbs shaved off by clipping the wings, and approx. 40lbs gained from the increase in 20-mm ammunition).
With miniscule structural improvements in mind we can round it to 6630-6650 lbs “normal take off” (that is full fuel, full ammo, no external payload).
– The introduction, a bit of history and what we (don’t) have in the game –
Well, there’s no arguing that the Spits are quite prevalent in War Thunder. And currently, similarly to real life, there are 2 primary types of wings for most mid-late war Spitfires:
- Normal (standard) wing with rounded tips
- Clipped wing with its tips taken off
Such clipped-wing modifications in the game include:
- Spitfire Mk.XVI, a clipped-wing brethren of Spitfire LF Mk.IX with no 150-octane fuel.
- Prendergast’s FR Mk.XIV (France has also recently got a non-premium copy of this Mark).
- Spitfire LF Mk.IX (CW) in the Israeli research tree.
But, unfortunately, War Thunder is yet to represent the Mark which started the whole concept of clipped wings, as well as the one which proved to gain the most from having its wings shortened.
– The Spitfire Story –
Spitfire Mk.V, originally meant to be a stop-gap to reinforce the RAF in the possibly upcoming “2nd battle of Britain”, later on proved to become the most mass-produced Mark of the famous fighter. But with mass production came a variety of the many changes, both big and small.
- The Wing
Detailed description of type "a", "b" and "c" wings.
Spitfire Mk.V originally went into production with two primary wing types: “a” and “b”.
Type “a” wing was the earliest produced type and could accommodate 8 7,7mm machineguns. While ok for 1936, this concept proved to provide insufficient firepower in the actual combat with the Germans, especially when it came to shooting down sturdier twin-engined fighters and bombers. Overall, there were 94 Spitfire Mk.Va fighters produced.
That called for improving the Spitfire’s firepower, which led to type “b” wing. This type allowed installation of 2 20mm Hispano cannons with drum mags giving each gun 60 rounds. The cannons were accompanied by 4 7,7mm machineguns with 350 rounds per gun.
But before Spitfire Mk.V there was also Spitfire Mk.III, which stood out due to its improved airframe. Part of it, that is the wing, was decided to be transferred onto the Mk.V. This turned into the new type “c” wing, also known as the “universal wing”. It allowed installation of various armament combinations:
- 8 rifle-calibre machineguns
- 2 20mm cannons + 4 7,7mm machineguns
- 4 20mm cannons
It is also worth noting that type “c” wing implemented the belt feeding system for cannons, increasing their ammunition count twofold to 120 rounds per gun.
The first option was hardly ever used, and the latter cannon-only armament proved to have troubles at mid-high altitude fights above Europe. Thus, 4-cannon Mk.Vc Spitfires were primarily used in warmer climates of the Mediterranean and Pacific theaters of operation.
- The Engine
A quick guide into the different kinds of the Merlin engine
Apart from being fitted with 3 different types of wings (and that’s without mentioning the tips yet), Spitfire Mk.V was powered by nine (!) different versions of the Merlin engine: the Mark 45, 45M, 46, 50, 50A, 50M, 55, 55M and the 56.
- The “M” series had cropped supercharger blowers for optimum performance at low altitude.
- The Mark 46 was a higher altitude version of the Merlin 45.
- The 50-series were fitted with a negative-G carburettors.
- The Mark 50A and 56 were high altitude versions similar to Mark 46.
- The Mark 55 and 56 incorporated a two-piece block.
Apart from the aforementioned points, Spitfire Mk.V also saw different changes to its airframe, the two primary ones being the addition of a tropical dust filter (known to us from the Mk.V/trop versions) and, finally, the clipping of its wings by simply not installing the wing tips.
The latter came out of necessity: in 1941 the RAF primarily dealt with the new model of the German Bf 109 F, which the pilots found to be quite evenly-matched with their Spitfires. But in the 2nd half of 1941 a new bird appeared – the Fw 190 A.
This fighter proved to be faster than the Spitfire in all spheres, but another problem was its rate of roll. Even if a Spitfire pilot got on a 190’s tail the latter could quite easily shake the pursuer off with a couple of defensive maneuvers, especially in “scissors”.
And while the speed/climb aspect couldn’t be affected much without a complete engine change (which came with the new Spitfire Mk.IX), there appeared an idea to make Spitfire a better roller by clipping its wing tips. That was to counter the Würger at least in maneuverability until further improvements came, and so the Spitfire Mk.V with clipped wings was tested. The results of comparing 2 similarly-performing Spitfires with different wing setups proved that the clipped wing setup was a good way to give Mk.V a slight edge in low to medium altitude fights.
The results of the test between the standard and the clipped Spitfire (1)
Thus Mk.V became the first Mark to have its wing tips clipped.
And, to be frank, this option proved to be the most beneficial specifically for the Mk.V, with later Marks having their wings clipped for different reasons and with worse results in handling.
– The Spitfire to recreate –
Now, back to the suggestion: I propose to introduce a Spitfire Mk.Vc variant based off of AB509, flown by a RNZAF pilot, Wing Leader of No.142 Wing John Milne Checketts in 1944.
The photo and the side view of AB509
Side view of Spitfire AB509 JM-C, belonging to Wing Commander JM Checketts DSO DFC, Wing Leader of No. 142 Wing. RAF Station Horne.
No.142 Wing comprised of No.130 (RAF) Squadron, No.303 (Polish) Squadron and No.402 (Canadian) Squadron. No.s 303 and 402 Squadron badges appear on the engine cowl.
No. 142 Wing Operated from RAF Station Horne during the period of the Allied invasion of France.
And a bonus: AB509’s paint scheme according to Eduard, only adding it here since it shows the starboard side of the aircraft
Yet, we still need to pin-point the specific version that was AB509, taking into consideration the tremendous variety of engines and wing types.
Luckily, there’s a web page designated specifically to keep the archive of Spitfire production. And there we can find AB509:
As we can see, it’s clearly stated to be a Spitfire Mk.V with a type “c” wing and the Merlin 45 engine.
That means no cropped supercharger, no negative-G carburettor and just +16lbs maximum boost.
Similar to the Merlin 45 currently found on the in-game Spitfire Mk.Vb.
When it comes to the armament, if we look at the photo again we can clearly see only one shadow of a 20mm cannon, meaning the armament configuration of AB509 was that of a mixed type, akin to what we can see on the in-game Spitfire F Mk.IX.
– How will this Spitfire perform? –
Considering the aspects mentioned above, we are to receive a Spitfire with an engine similar to the currently in-game Spitfire Mk.Vb and minimal aerodynamic/weight changes besides the clipped wings.
For that reason I’m going to rely on the performance table for Spitfire Mk.Vb:
Data sheet
I could’ve tried to use the Spitfire Mk.Vc AA.878 report that I mention to prove the permission to use +16lbs boost in Merlin 45, but that specific Spitfire carried additional weight, used to simulate having a 4-cannon armament for the purpose of a different trial.
So I’d rather trust Gaijin in their judgement of the capabilities of a standard-armament Mk.V Spitfire.
Now, we also have to consider the changes brought by clipping the wing. For that I’ll refer to Appendix E in A. Price’s “The Spitfire Story” (p.144) which has already been mentioned/listed earlier:
Level Speed
- 10000 feet: the clipped wing Spitfire (from here on referred to as CW Spitfire) is approx. 5 mph faster than the standard Spitfire
- 15000 and 20000 feet: the speed difference is not measurable
- 25000 feet: the standard Spitfire is slightly faster
- Acceleration: the CW Spitfire proved superior at all altitudes, even if slightly.
Climb
Two zoom-climbs were performed, from 10000 to 15000 feet and from 20000 to 25000 feet respectively.
- From 10000 to 15000 no difference was indicated between the 2 types.
- From 20000 to 25000 the standard Spitfire finished climbing 15 seconds earlier.
Dive
In all tests the CW Spitfire drew away from the standard Spitfire.
Maneuverability
The roll rate in the CW Spitfire was improved significantly, the response to aileron movements was “quick and crisp”.
The minimum turning circle of the CW Spitfire increased by 55 feet and was now 1025 feet (albeit at the altitude of 20000 feet).
With all that in mind, all that needs to be done is to project the changes received onto the already-present Spitfire Mk.Vb performance sheet. There might be observed a slight increase in mass due to having more ammunition for 20mm cannons, but we should also keep in mind a 30 lbs decrease from having the wing tips removed.
The figures regarding its rate of roll can be taken from Spitfire Mk.XVI.
– Why should there be another Spitfire? –
I consider the current in-game representation of Mk.V variants to be a bit misleading as it jumps from the earlier 1941 Mk.Vb straight to the niche 4-cannon Mk.Vc.
In doing so the players miss out on the more frequent variant of Spitfire Mk.V flown above Europe, as well as the significant factor in the whole history of “clipped wings”.
This “blank space” can be filled with the aforementioned variant of Mk.Vc, fitted with a more common armament combination and having its tips clipped to accommodate to fighting Fw 190.
It also possesses the unique camo of a Kiwi pilot, who also chose to represent the other 2 squadrons of the same Fighter Wing (303 and 402, Polish and Canadian respectively). His personal story also includes his being saved by the French Resistance after being shot down over France.
I find this fighter and its pilot to be a good representation of different people uniting against the common enemy, which is one of the rare “better sides” to WW2.
– Where/How can this Spitfire be implemented? –
When it comes to the question of implementation, we need to consider a number of aspects:
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Is the respective research tree full (has enough vehicles to research)?
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Does the aircraft implemented have a unique history?
Both of these aspects lead towards the decision to make Spitfire Mk.Vc (CW) a premium or event vehicle, since the Spitfire research line is already filled to the brim and the fighter suggested is based off of a real aircraft flown by a renowned NZ ace.
Its implementation could be tied to a plethora of dates: the formation of RNZAF, the Spitfire Mk.V’s first flight, the D-Day, battle of Britain or VE Day commemoration.
And when it comes to “ease of implementation”, this Spitfire is just a LEGO of different Marks already present:
- the fuselage can be taken from Spitfire Mk.Vc
- the wing (except for the radiators) can be taken from Spitfire F Mk.IX with wing tips from Mk.XVI
- the engine settings can be copied from Spitfire Mk.Vb
All that’ll be left is to draw the proper markings (AB509, JM-C, the roundels of No.s 303 and 402 Sqn and the triangular flag on the upper fuel tank cover)
– How and where will it fit gameplay-wise? –
Clipped-wing Spitfire Mk.Vc will fit nicely around BR 4.3 (RB) alongside its younger brother F Mk.IX. How will it be different performance-wise?
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Overall it will handle somewhat similarly to Mk.XVI. That means better responsiveness, especially in rolling, at practically all speeds. Might feel a bit twitchy at low speeds, though.
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It will possess better power/weight ratio compared to Spitfire F Mk.IX with similar top speed, but will waste a bit more energy in turns.
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Its pure turn rate will decrease, albeit not significantly.
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It will be more dependent on WEP due to Merlin 45 having noticeably lower military power output than Merlin 60 series (61, 66). It will also perform worse at higher altitudes beyond 6000m.
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It will have the typical Spitfire armament of 2x20+4x7,7 but with twice the amount of 20mm ammo in comparison with Mk.Vb.
Overall it will remain a competent low to medium altitude energy fighter with the better ability to perform boom-and-zoom attacks thanks to improved roll rate.
Turning performance will drop in comparison with other Spitfires (with standard wing), but not severely.
More 20mm ammunition means pilots will be less frequently forced to retreat and rearm, making this Mk.V better fit for the role of an air superiority fighter.
Yet, speed will not increase significantly from the clipped wing tips, leaving the current strategies against Spitfires still effective.
P.S. – “Why should we want another low-tier premium fighter?”
I think that War Thunder could use a bit more unique WW2-era aircraft. And as it currently is, the UK gets the same two unique Spits on a sale for each commemoration (these being Plagis’ and Prendergast’s Spitfires).
The event Yak-3 (early) was a fine addition for the ones fond of WW2 vehicles, as well as for collectors and marketplace dwellers. And its only difference (apart from the unique camo) was a single 12,7mm UBS instead of 2 found in research tree Yak-3.
So, why should we then ignore an opportunity to add a fine premium Spitfire with a number of unique aspects when compared to its research tree brethren? It will simply add more variety and representation to the true chaos of sub-variants that was Mk.V, but in a good way.
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