Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI
Supermarine · GB · first flew 1944 · fighter
The Mk XVI is mechanically a Mk IXe powered by the American-built Packard Merlin 266, distinguished in service by the cut-down rear fuselage and tear-drop canopy that became the template for late-war Spitfires.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, elliptical |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Cut-down rear fuselage with tear-drop bubble canopy (on most production aircraft) — earliest Spitfire mark to have this as standard |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Cut-down rear fuselage with tear-drop bubble canopy (on most production aircraft) — earliest Spitfire mark to have this as standard
- Packard-built Merlin 266: externally identical to the Mk IXe but US-manufactured engine
- Clipped wingtips very common (though not universal) on Mk XVI
Look for the bubble canopy and cut-down rear fuselage — no other Merlin Spitfire has this as a production fit. Indistinguishable from a Mk IXe in the air if early high-back variant; clipped tips help narrow it further. The Packard Merlin exhaust stack pattern is identical to the Rolls-Royce unit.
Specifications
- The Supermarine Spitfire Mk XVI has a length of 9.54 m (31 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.91 m (33 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 651 km/h (405 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Produced from late 1944, with 1,054 built. The bubble canopy gave pilots unprecedented rearward vision. Most served with 2nd Tactical Air Force in the ground-attack role, often with bomb racks and clipped wings.
Variants
Early Mk XVI retained the standard high-back fuselage and canopy; late production introduced the cut-down rear deck. E-wing (two 20 mm + two .50 cal) was standard.
Where you'll see it
2nd TAF in NW Europe, 1944-45. Several airworthy examples exist on the warbird circuit; the bubble-canopy variant is particularly photogenic and common at UK airshows.
Related aircraft
- Supermarine Seafire Mk XV
- Supermarine Spiteful
- Supermarine Spitfire PR Mk XIX
- Supermarine Seafire Mk III
- Arado E.580
- Bell XP-77
- Blohm & Voss BV 155
- Curtiss SC Seahawk
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