Supermarine Spitfire Mk IA
Supermarine · United Kingdom · first flew 1938 · fighter
The Supermarine Spitfire Mk IA is the initial production variant of R.J. Mitchell's iconic British fighter, armed with eight .303 in Browning machine guns and powered by the Rolls-Royce Merlin III, that bore the brunt of Fighter Command's effort in the Battle of Britain.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Low-mounted, elliptical |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | flush-riveted stressed-skin fuselage with small cockpit canopy |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- thin elliptical wing with characteristic wingtip shape
- broad-chord Merlin engine cowling with shallow chin intake
- flush-riveted stressed-skin fuselage with small cockpit canopy
The double-curved elliptical wing with pointed tips is immediately recognisable; the slim fuselage, circular engine cowling, and small cockpit canopy are the hallmarks of the early Spitfire before the later broad-chord wings and bubble canopies were introduced.
Specifications
- The Supermarine Spitfire Mk IA has a length of 9.12 m (30 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 11.23 m (37 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 594 km/h (369 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
The prototype K5054 first flew in March 1936 and the Mk I entered service with No. 19 Squadron in August 1938. By the summer of 1940 approximately 1,000 Spitfire Is had been delivered, equipping nineteen squadrons that fought alongside the Hawker Hurricane to defeat the Luftwaffe's daylight offensive.
Variants
The Mk IA carried eight machine guns; the Mk IB replaced four guns with two 20 mm Hispano cannon. The Mk II that followed used the improved Merlin XII and a Rotol constant-speed propeller.
Where you'll see it
Front-line RAF service from 1938 to 1941, with Mk Is quickly cycled to operational training units as superior marks arrived; the Spitfire family ultimately served in over fifty air forces worldwide across dozens of variants.
Related aircraft
- Supermarine Sea Otter
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk I
- Supermarine Spitfire
- Supermarine Spitfire Mk II
- Arado Ar 198
- Avia B.35
- Blackburn Roc
- Bloch MB.152 C1
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