When the first Rolls Royce Griffon equipped Spitfires were tested it was obvious that a stronger airframe would be needed to harness the full power of the new engine. The British Supermarine Spitfire was one of the most popular fighter aircraft of the Second World War.The basic airframe proved to be extremely adaptable, capable of taking far more powerful engines and far greater loads than its original role as a short-range interceptor had allowed for. Mk XIIs were manufactured from Mk VC and Mk VIII airframes: early production aircraft had the fixed tail wheels, The single-stage Griffon engine (II or IV) gave the aircraft superb low and medium level performance, although the Mk XII's performance declined at higher altitudes: because of this all production aircraft had "clipped" wings. There were also zero-point fittings for rocket projectiles under the wings. When retracted the wheels were fully enclosed by triangular doors which were hinged to the outer edge of the wheel wells.The first production Mk 21s used the same airframe as the Mk XIV. Yet the more I read and research Spitfires, the more the later marks grow on me. The main task for a pilot is to utilize the great climb rate (altitude allows you to control engagements). None of our partner shops or mates has this currently for sale. Handling, however, was considered to be better than previous Spitfire marks, and the clipped wings conferred excellent manoeuvrability through enhanced aileron response.At low altitude it was one of the fastest aircraft in the world; in one speed trial, held at Farnborough in July 1942 On reflection the general scheme became clear. Indeed, The Mk XII was the first Spitfire powered by a Griffon engine to go into service. This article describes the Griffon-powered Spitfire variants. It was used to equip No.73 Squadron and twelve squadrons of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force. The aircraft was fitted with four 20mm Hispano II cannon with 150 rpg. Changes of trim with changes of power were much more in evidence, both directionally and longitudinally, and the aeroplane sheared about a bit during tight manoeuvres and simulated dog-fights. It was identical in most respects including engine (the Griffon 65) and cockpit enhancements, but it carried extra fuel and had a revised, stronger wing structure. All this meant that the throttle needed to be handled judiciously on take-off but, once in the air, the aeroplane had a great feeling of power about it; it seemed to be the airborne equivalent of a very powerful sports car and was great fun to fly. A new five bladed Rotol propeller of 10 ft 5 in (3.18 m) in diameter was used, although one prototype The cowling fasteners were new, flush fitting "Amal" type and there were more of them. The Spitfire F Mk 22 is a rank IV British fighter with a battle rating of 5.7 (AB), 6.3 (RB), and 6.0 (SB).

Stronger undercarriage legs were raked 2 inches (5.08 cm) forward, making the Spitfire more stable on the ground and reducing the likelihood of the aircraft tipping onto its nose.The Hispano Mk.II cannons were now belt fed from box magazines allowing for 120 rpg (the "Chattellerault" system). © 2010—2020 by Gaijin Entertainment. Most of the Mk 22s were built with enlarged tail surfaces, similar to those of the The Mk 23 was to be a Mk 22 incorporating a revised wing design which featured an increase in incidence, lifting the leading edge by 2 inches (51 mm). When 150 octane fuel was introduced in mid-1944 the "boost" of the Griffon engine was able to be increased to +25 lbs (80.7"), allowing the top speed to be increased by about 30 mph (26 kn; 48 km/h) to 400 mph (350 kn; 640 km/h) at 2,000 ft (610 m).One problem which did arise in service was localised skin wrinkling on the wings and fuselage at load attachment points; although Supermarine advised that the Mk XIVs had not been seriously weakened, nor were they on the point of failure, the RAF issued instructions in early 1945 that all F and FR Mk XIVs were to be refitted with clipped wings.Late in 1944 a number of high-back full-span Mk XIVEs were converted by the Forward Repair Unit (FRU) to have a single camera fitted, facing to port or starboard; a conversion identical to that used on the FRU-converted FR Mk IXC. An AFDU report on The Mk 22 was identical to the Mk 21 in all respects except for the cut-back rear fuselage, with the tear-drop canopy, and a more powerful 24 volt electrical system in place of the 12 volt system of all earlier Spitfires.

A total of 225 were built with production ceasing in early 1946, but they were used in front line RAF service until April 1954. By late 1944, Spitfire XIVs were fitted with an extra 33 gal in a rear fuselage fuel tank, extending the fighter's range to about 850 miles (1,370 km) on internal fuel and a 90 gal drop tank.The first test of the aircraft was in intercepting V1 flying bombs and the Mk XIV was the most successful of all Spitfire marks in this role.

Redesigned upper wing gun bay doors incorporated "teardrop" shaped blisters to clear the cannon feed motors and the lower wings no longer had the gun bay heating vents outboard of the gunbays.These were specifically made for the Photo-Reconnaissance Spitfires, including the PR XIX; no armament was fitted and the "D" shaped leading edges of the wings ahead of the main spar, were converted into Structurally unchanged from the C wing, the outer machine gun ports were eliminated, although the outer machine gun bays were retained and their access doors were devoid of empty cartridge case ports and cartridge case deflectors. By this point in the aircraft's life, the Spitfire was so different from RJ Mitchell's original concept that the notion of renaming the new aircraft the 'Victor' was considered.