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A long requested Spitfire variant joins the game with the return of a rather legendary pilot!
Spitfire Mk Vb Floatplane: A Premium Fighter / Hydroplane for Great Britain at Rank II
At a glance:
- Legendary fighter floatplane
- Solid offensive armament
- Decent flight performance
- One very special pilot! Smashing!
Vehicle History
The genesis of the Spitfire can be traced long back to the Supermarine S.6 schnider trophy winning seaplane. But strangely, the concept of a floatplane version of the famous Supermarine fighter wasn’t floated until 1940, with the invasion of Norway making apparent that the luxury of airfields may not always be something the RAF could rely on. A Spitfire Mk I was first selected for this conversion, with some floats taken from an existing hydroplane, but was deemed unsuccessful and later reverted back to a conventional fighter.
It was only with the Mk V series that the concept became a real reality in 1942, as Japan had entered the war. Revived plans for this variant saw custom designed and built floats made, by the same designer that worked on the earlier Supermarine racing seaplanes, and a number of other modifications made to the airframe compared to the standard Mk V, like a four-bladed propellor, revised intake and large ventral fin. A total of 3 Mk Vb floatplanes were produced and shipped off to Egypt in 1943, where they were planned to be used against the Luftwaffe in the Mediterranean to disrupt the invasion of the Greek Islands. However, the islands fell before they could be put to use.
Introducing the Spitfire Mk Vb Floatplane!
Floatplanes are always a popular novelty in War Thunder. But what happens when you combine that concept with an iconic fighter? Let’s meet the Spitfire Mk Vb floatplane!
During the Wings Over Water Event, you’ll have the opportunity to obtain this brand new variant, that has two fixed floats underneath the fuselage. Among a number of other modifications made, such as a larger tail stabilizer and the inclusion of a four bladed propeller (normally found on later marks), this Spitfire lets you explore the seven seas, or any other body of water for that matter. Pilots already familiar with the Mk V family of Spitfires will already be acquainted with the performance of the Merlin 45 series engine. Whilst you will experience some performance loss compared to a regular “clean” Spitfire Vb, the Spitfire floatplane is among the best in terms of fighter performance for floatplane fighters. Beating out the A6M2-N and N1K1 in terms of raw speed, with over 500kph in top speed!
That high top speed can be put to good use in Naval battles, where the Spitfire floatplane will be a speedy fighter to help you capture objective points swiftly, hopping from point to point as this Spitfire was originally intended to do in the Pacific and Mediterranean. This makes it a valuable asset for any British Naval roster too! The downside to the aircraft is its lack of any suspended ordinance. Unlike its Japanese floatplane fighter counterparts and much like the standard Mk V Spitfire, there is no bomb ordinance available of any kind. So this won’t be your best companion in ground battles other than a defensive fighter, but will excel in naval battles as well as be a fun aircraft for air battles.
Fun Fact: The Spitfire’s genesis can be found in Supermarine’s previous Schnider trophy winning floatplane designs, such as the Supermarine S.5, S.6 and S.6B, all designed by R. J. Mitchell like the Spitfire itself. So you could say the Spitfire floatplane was the aircraft going “full circle” to its roots!
You can expect the familiar arsenal of 2 x 20 mm Hispano Mk II cannons, coupled with 4 x 7.7 mm Browning machine guns. This is the staple for all Spitfires of this era and more or less in line with the other floatplane fighters too. But with your edge in top speed, the Spitfire generally shines through as the most capable floatplane fighter in game to date.
We also can’t forget to mention who’s behind the controls of this event reward aircraft too. Who would be brave enough to pilot this experimental prototype series of floatplane Spitfire? That’s right, none other than Nigel himself returns as the pilot for this plane! Tally Ho, splendid job good sir!
You can obtain the Spitfire Vb Floatplane for your own collection during the Wings Over Water Event! Bolster your naval lineups with this formidable island hopper or simply add a rare gem to your hanger! A must for both pilots and naval captains. Have fun folks!
Please note that this vehicle’s characteristics may be changed before it is added to the game.
