Supermarine Seafire

This aircraft was created as a necessary measure due to the absence in England of a fighter capable of operating from the deck of an aircraft carrier and at the same time fighting on equal terms with land vehicles. The Wildcat and Sea Hurricanes , which formed the basis of the fighter portion of carrier-based aircraft, could not effectively engage enemy interceptors in battle and had little chance against the Bf-109F. Initially, the new aircraft was traditionally called "Sea Spitfire", but then the name was reduced to "Sefire." Deliveries of the first Sefire Mk.I began on July 15, 1942.

In November 1944, the British Admiralty issued Order No. 7/44, discussing a plan to create a carrier-based fighter based on the Spitfire Mk.21.

Modification Mk. 45

1. Griffon 60 engine with two-stage supercharger
2. Reinforced chassis (compared to Mk.21)
3. Landing hook type "sting"
4. Catapult grips

It was decided to leave the wing clumsy. The first aircraft (called the Seafire Mk.45) was tested at Farnburo. The pilot was E. Brown. He liked the ease and simplicity of piloting - the pilot was pleased. The company "Supermarine" proposed to install on the plane instead of a single 5-blade propeller "Rotol" a pair of three-blade coaxial screws of the opposite rotation. Mk.45 was built in a small series of only 50 cars.

After the war, namely in June 1945, the next experimental Seafire - Mk.46 took off. Now it was a flying stand for new coaxial screws. Mk. 46 was tested at conventional ground airfields and aircraft carriers. On the latter, the aircraft showed itself especially well, so it was decided to construct on its basis a full-fledged carrier-based fighter.

In early 1947, this aircraft was created and launched in a series called Seafire Mk.47.

Modification Mk. 47

1. Hydraulically folding wing
2. Griffon 88 engine

In August 1946, four squadrons of the British fleet were commissioned by Sefira XV. One of them immediately moved to Mk.XVII. The Sefira Mk.XV began to serve on the aircraft carriers Venerebl, Ocean and Glory, and the Mk.XVII were subordinated to the 2nd Tactical Air Army for a long period of time and were based on Lubeck. In April 1947, the Mk.XVII aircraft briefly entered the wing of the Ocean carrier, but six months later the squadron equipped with them was transferred to the Australian fleet and transferred to the Sea Fury.

The first Royal Navy squadron equipped with the Sefires Mk.47 was the 800th. The squadron was part of the aircraft wing of the Triumph aircraft carrier. In September 1949, after the ship arrived in Singapore, its carrier-based aircraft were relocated to Sembawang Air Force Base. There, they actively participated in strikes against the forces of anti-British partisans in Malaya .

During the Korean War (1950-1953), the Seafires worked well, but as the pilots themselves said, they broke too quickly. The main weak point of the aircraft was the tail. Serviceable "Sefire", remote from the combat zone, were transferred to the air defense squadrons.

Seafire operated throughout the Korean War, but was then decommissioned as obsolete at the end of 1953 and replaced with a Sea Fury aircraft.

TTX for Supermarine Seafire Mk. 47:

Specifications

• Crew : 1 person
• Length : 10.46 m
• Height : 3.88 m
• Wing Area: 22.66 m²
• Empty weight: 3938 kg
• Normal take-off weight: 4627 kg
• Maximum take-off weight : 5730
• Powerplant : × 1 PD Rolls Royce Griffon 88
• Engine power: × 1 x 2350 hp

Flight characteristics

• Maximum speed: 760 km / h
• Practical range: 1515 km
• Practical ceiling : 13135 m
• Rate of climb : 1464 m / min

Armament

• Rifle-cannon: four 20 mm guns
• Bombs : Three 227 kg (500 lb) bombs

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