- Yes
- Yes, with the Seafire Mk III already in the tech tree
- Yes, as a premium or event aircraft
- No
About this aircraft and its interest in War Thunder
Although the fighter branch of the French tech tree could very well be fleshed out with indigenous prototypes (the Arsenal VG39 or the Dewoitine 55X, for example), the further we go into WW2, the rarer they get. As a gap filling measure, Gaijin decided to rely on the Indochina era, which saw many foreign WW2 equipment being used by the French airforce and navy, the Hellcat and the Bearcat… Or the Seafire Mk III. Adding the Seafire Mk XV, which saw a (very) short service in the French navy would be a good addition to the WW2 fighter line in my opinion.
About the Seafire itself
The Supermarine Seafire Mk.XV was the first Griffon powered Seafire. Sharing the same fuselage as the Seafire Mk III, it had some modifications added from other Spitfire such as the wing-root fuel tanks from the Spitfire IX and the enlarged fin and rudder and retractable tail wheel of the Spitfire VIII. The Griffon installation came from the Spitfire Mk XII The folding wings were taken from the Seafire III. Although it came to late to participate to WW2, it had a career in the years that followed. What interests us is its French career.
The Seafire Mk XV in French service.
After WW2, the French navy wanted to recreate its Aéronavale, and for that it needed new aircrafts that the still smoldering French industry couldn’t really provide. That’s why, after an accord signed with the UK in november 1945, The British navy provided them with Seafire mk III. In 1949, in order to be able to participate in NATO exercises with somewhat capable aircrafts, they bought 15 Seafire MK XV to upgrade their fleet. They were used in the Flottilles 1F, 12F and 54S. Their career was quite short, and marred with several technical incidents that condemned them only 2 years later, in 1951, as Hellcats started replacing them.
General Characteristics :
Empty Weight: 2 858 kg
Loaded Weight: 3 610 kg
Wingspan: 11,23 m
Length: 9,70 m
Height: 3,25 m
Engine: Griffon VI (1950HP)
Maximum Speed: 616 km/h at 4000 m
Climb Rate: 24m/s (1448m/min)
Armament : 4 x .7.7mm mgs, 2 x 20mm HS Mk II canons (240 rounds)
Bomb load : 1 x 250lb bomb or 1 x 500lb bomb, 2x2 MK VIII rocket projectors
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