Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk. IXe

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To understand the important role played by the Spitfire at the A.M. it will be appropriate to remember that until the beginning of the 50s, and the relative invasion of American planes, the Spitfire it will be the numerically most important aircraft to carry the tricolor cockade, in fact the Italian Air Force had 137 specimens of different variants (LF IX, HF IX, Mk IX, etc.) online which places Italy in second place, behind the French with 207 examples, among the users of this aircraft in the post-war period, even ahead of countries traditionally dependent on Great Britain such as South Africa. The Spitfire is not a new aircraft for Italy, as the 51st Stormo had already had Mk.Vs in force during the Co-belligerence, the departments that used the Spitfire were the 51st St. CT, the 5th St. CT, the General Staff Flight Department (RVSM), the Lecce Flight School, the Experimental Flight Unit, the Flight Unit of the Fighter Group. In the operational departments, the Spit it had the important function of keeping the pilots coming from the long experience of the war in training and of transforming the young people coming from the flight schools into military pilots. For these tasks it would have been difficult to find a more suitable aircraft, in fact all the pilots who were lucky enough to fly on it keep excellent memories, citing its extraordinary rate of climb, the great manoeuvrability, ease in piloting and even comparing it to a bicycle for the ease, in fact, and for the pleasure it gave. Upon arrival, of the first examples of Spit in Italy, kept the English coloring and serial number (as in the case of the example in the main photo) subsequently the English coloring and serial numbers were removed in in almost all specimens, to be replaced by an aluminum color and Italian serial numbers. These Spitfires entered service in the A.M. in 1946 and were disbarred in 1952, a fair amount number of these aircraft, were handed over to Israel after a review by Macchi. The only example of Spitfire LF Mk. IXe which survived, was restored and is now in the Historical Museum of the Italian Air Force of Vigna di Valle.

Specifications - Performance - Armament:
specifications-performance

Sources:
AEROFAN - 1982/02 (From page 24 to page 30)

2 Likes

+1
we need the more spit in our tree

1 Like

We already have two LF IXe: in the british tree and an israeli premium so it wouldn’t be hard to add to another tree. Were any Italian examples fitted with the pointed tip rudder like these?

It would seem not, however it is difficult to prove because the spitfire specimens were versions taken a bit at random from those used above all by Polish pilots during WWII. The list you see below are all the Spitfires used by AMI with English and Italian serial numbers. It is not easy to trace any versions with pointed tip rudder
Elenco AMI


Recently I took a photo of it, at Vigna di Valle museum
Also +1 ;)

+1

+1 absolutely yes

This one an the Wing Type 2 Mk.V!