IAF Spitfire LF Mk.IXc - The IAF’s Mk.IXc
- Yes.
- No.
This suggestion is for the IAF Spitfire Mk.IXc, an elliptical C-wing variant of the Mk.9 Spitfire. A less common armament variation, but one used by Israel nonetheless by its two first Spitfires (and possibly more I may have missed). (I personally suggest this vehicle sits at ~6.0 as a researchable option for the Israeli Air Tree, as it currently has no researchable elliptical wing spitfire options ingame.
- 5.7
- 6.0
- 6.3
- I Voted No.
Addressing the “Mk.IXc” ingame, and how it doesn’t exist:
Ingame, the Israeli Air Tech Tree hosts the IAF “Spitfire Mk.IXc” which features a Merlin 61 engine making it a “F” variant (for some reason not in the name ingame). The IAF NEVER received any Merlin 61 engines, using the Merlin 66 exclusively on their Spitfire Mk.IXs. As such, all Spitfires were of the “LF” version. The developers either were ignorant in its addition, or added it this way purposefully so that it can fill a space at 4.3 that otherwise could not be filled. Its skin is also ahistorical for its model, and it having access to 80mm rockets should be as well.
This suggestion is for the actual version of the aircraft, but this suggestion is not acting in the place of a bug report. The variant of the aircraft suggested here is missing ingame, and as such this is made to suggest it’s addition. Whatever happens to the one ingame, whether left ingame alongside it or not is unrelated to this suggestion, but I would like to poll opinions based on this aircraft and what’d the players prefer to occur, so an extra poll is present.
Gaijin can either turn the existing variant ingame into the suggested vehicle here through visual and technical modifications, or they can add this suggested vehicle as a separate one and place it in the side section as they’ve done with other fake vehicles in the past. Regardless, the vehicle suggested here is real, that one is not.
- As a Researchable vehicle
- As a Squadron vehicle
- As a Premium vehicle
- As a Event vehicle
- I Voted No.
- The “Mk.IXc” Ingame Should be Corrected to a LF.
- The “Mk.IXc” Ingame Should be Moved to the Side Section and made Un-Researchable.
- Other. (Please Elaborate in the Comments)
History:
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IAF Spitfire LF Mk.IX Dalet 130 warming up its engine. Note the absence of machine guns.
The IAF used the Spitfire Mk.9 series for many years, but D.130 & D.131 were the very first Spitfires to ever entire service with the IAF. The newly formed IAF was in a desperate need for combat capable aircraft during its war for Independence, and their eyes fell on spitfires left behind by the British not long back. When the RAF evacuated the region by the end of the British Mandate, two large junkyards full of mostly scrapped and discarded aircraft and parts were made use of by the newly forming state.
A scavenged PR Spitfire in a British Junkyard, presumed to have become the basis for Spitfire Dalet 131.
They salvaged many parts and somewhat intact discarded airframes, but lacked many crucial pieces preventing the creating of any working spitfires. This all changed when an Egyptian Spitfires LF Mk.9 crashed after being shot down by an Israeli machine gun. Although some sources state this aircraft was used entirely to make D.130, it’s crash tore off an entire wing making this impossible. Regardless, it was recovered, examined, and disassembled by Israeli technicians. 3 more downed spitfires then completed the parts needed to create this aircraft.
EN661’s restoration into a airworthy combat capable state.
Dalet 130 was then created from the original airframe of the British EN661 Spitfire PR Mk.9, and was restored to flying condition and then armed with a universal C wing. The vertical stabilizer, which was pointed, had been destroyed and was restored with a rounded Mk.9 tail. Uniquely, it was given an improvised mirror outside the cockpit and lacked a radio mast for some time.
D.131 before an engine run (Top) and after the first test flight (Bottom). Note the lack of a mirror. (Kilroy was there)
Following engine trials and solving an overheating issue, the aircraft took to the skies as the first Israeli Spitfire on July 23rd 1948 for a 30km flight with Boris Senior at the controls. D.130 went on to eventually be serialized as IAF No.2001, and Radio Sign No.10. It served for a few years but suffered an electric fire in 1951 and was written off.
D.130 eventually became IAF No.2010, and was brought to parity standards with the other Spitfires they obtained. At this stage it was stripped of guns and paint for the best flight performance to preform reconnaissance duties.
In its initial appearance, D.130 was coated in a green primer all around, and featured a metallic set of wings and lower front. The top engine panel came from RAF resources, and the side panels from the aforementioned downed REAF Spitfire. It had an improvised mirror and did not have a radio mast. It featured abnormally large Stars Of David of the sides of the fuselage and under the wings, and an identification band on the back center of the tail which was unique to Spitfires D.130 and D.131 for a brief period of time.
A good reference for the underwing SODs, and the lack of machine guns in the wings at the time.
D.131 was completed not long after D.130, taking to the air on October 14th, entering service a week later. After the war, it had its wings changed to the extremely common Clipped E-wing configuration. It went on to serve many years, but its fate remains unknown.
D.131, although grainy it does show off a C-wing configuration here.
When it first appeared, it had an all green primer livery, it was outright entirely green aside from unpainted underside and bare metal cannon bay access panels. It featured no roundels at this time. It was not given a mirror in any existing images of this aircraft at this period of time, but obtained one at some point between then and its reconfiguration into a Clipped E-wing aircraft.
In Short:
D.130 and D.131 were the very first Spitfires the IAF ever got their hands on, cobbled together from left over discarded “junk” from the RAF and recovered materials from downed enemy aircraft. They were completed with unique modifications made to them for their early initial service, notably: having an improvised mirror or none at all, no radio mast at certain points in time, and unique markings and a unique livery. The tree currently lacks any researchable 6.0 aircraft options, and this suggestion aim to remedy this, while also potentially dealing with a historical inaccuracy at the same time.
Specifications:
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Operating Country: Israel
Type: Fighter Aircraft
Crew: 1 Pilot
Wingspan: ~11.3m
Length: ~9.1m
Height: ~3.9m
Powerplant: Rolls-Royce Merlin-66
Power Outputs: ~1,330hp on max throttle, and ~1,700hp on War Engine Power
Climb Rate: ~31.8m/s
Max speed: ~690km/h
Service Ceiling: ~13km
Range: ~250mi
Empty Weight: ~2,309kg
Fully Loaded: ~3,354kg
Armament:
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- 2x 20mm Hispano cannons. They have 135 rounds each, 270 rounds of ammunition in total.
- 4x 7.7mm Browning Machine Guns. They have 350 rounds each, 1,400 rounds of ammunition in total.
- Up to 2x 250lb AN-M57 Bombs.
Sources:
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“Spitfire Mk.IX in the Israeli Air Force Service 1948-1956” by Alex Yofe, published January 1st, 2005. ISBN 10: 0977462706, ISBN-13: 978-0977462704.
Supermarine Spitfire | Classic Warbirds
Supermarine Spitfire - Wikipedia
Supermarine Spitfire (late Merlin-powered variants) - Wikipedia
Specifications and Features of the Spitfire Mk.IX series acknowledged and implemented into the game by Gaijin Entertainment.
Thank you for taking the time to read my Second Israeli Spitfire suggestion! I hope y’all have a wonderfully blessed day and I’ll see ya in my next suggestion!)