A pivotal force behind the Spitfire’s success was the Rolls-Royce Merlin and Griffon engines, which were developed in tandem and would become an integral part of the aircraft’s story.
The journey began when the Air Ministry’s Specification F.7/30 outlined the need for a fighter aircraft that could achieve a minimum speed of 250 mph and carry four machine guns. Supermarine’s attempt, the Type 224, was a bulky, gull-wing, open cockpit monoplane powered by a 600hp Rolls-Royce Goshawk engine. However, the aircraft, when it first flew in 1934, failed to impress.
Undeterred by this setback, Chief Designer R.J. Mitchell reimagined the design, drawing inspiration from his earlier success with the Schneider Trophy seaplanes. This led to the creation of the Type 300, but the Air Ministry rejected it once again. The Supermarine design team swiftly responded by redesigning the aircraft with an enclosed cockpit and smaller, elliptical wings.
November 1934 saw the introduction of the Rolls-Royce PV-XII V12 engine, later simply known as ‘the Merlin’. This engine, combined with the new submission saw the issue of contract AM361140/34 and Mitchell found himself with £10,000 for the production of a prototype.
On March 5th 1936, the prototype (K5054) took flight for the first time, piloted by Captain Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers. The first true flight of the Spitfire came just four months after the maiden flight of what is considered to be its partner aircraft, the Hawker Hurricane.
Development flying of the prototype (K5054) continued at a pace and the 10th March 1936 saw the first undercarriage retraction, alongside trials of different propellers to increase maximum speed. Such was the satisfaction with the aircraft that Summers handed over all further test flying to his assistants, Jeffrey Quill and George Pickering, although he personally flew the aircraft (K5054) to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A & AEE) at RAF Martlesham Heath for acceptance trials. On 3rd June 1936, the Air Ministry declared its enthusiasm with the design to such a degree that they placed an immediate order for 310 Spitfires. During this time, Mitchell’s health was deteriorating due to cancer, but his passion for the Spitfire remained unwavering. Even though he could not attend the aircraft’s maiden flight, Mitchell continued to watch the aircraft fly from his garden in Southampton. His vision was taking shape.
Sadly, Reginald J. Mitchell, 'Father of the Spitfire', passed away on 11th June 1937 but his legacy lived on through his assistant, Joseph Smith, who assumed responsibility for the aircraft’s design and development. Production of the Spitfire, however, faced numerous challenges initially, including lack of capacity at Supermarine’s Woolston factory, which was also producing the Supermarine Walrus and Supermarine Stranraer flying boats.
The first production Spitfire (K9787) emerged at Woolston and was first flown by Jeffrey Quill at Eastleigh in May 1937, and although subcontractors were supposed to be involved in the aircraft manufacture, Supermarine’s parent company (Vickers-Armstrongs) was not keen to release the blueprints to other manufacturers.
As a result, the Air Ministry threatened to stop production by forcing Supermarine into production of Bristol Beaufighters as a subcontractor. This had the desired effect and the Vickers-Armstrongs management gave the Ministry an assurance that the delays would be overcome and a further order for 200 Spitfires was placed in March 1938.
Production at the Woolston factory and a new facility in nearby Itchen were severely disrupted when Luftwaffe bombing raids struck the Portsmouth and Southampton Docks on the 24th and 26th September 1940. While the primary target during the 'Southampton Blitz' was the dockyards, the Supermarine Works became a specific target. Fortunately, by this time, most of the component jigs had already been relocated to subcontractors across Southampton and the Home Counties. However, more significantly, the raids caused significant damage, with many production buildings destroyed and 179 lives lost, highlighting the critical need for dispersed aircraft manufacturing across the UK.
Meanwhile, in the Midlands, the Castle Bromwich Works in Birmingham faced its own set of challenges. Although plans for the factory had been made in 1938, Spitfire production there was plagued by issues. Morris Motors was initially responsible for setting up and managing the facility, but they struggled to recruit the skilled workforce needed to build stress-skinned aircraft. With construction delays and escalating costs, only half of the factory was operational by the time production began in 1940.
In response to these challenges, the government handed control of the facility to Vickers-Armstrongs and the company quickly brought in key figures from Supermarine’s workforce. By the height of its output, Castle Bromwich was producing 320 aircraft per month, with the final of its 12,129 aircraft rolling off the line in June 1945.
The Spitfire was produced across 24 marks, with total production thought to be 20,351 aircraft, with the MK.I, MK.V, MK.VII, MK.IX, and MK.XIV marks being the most significant. The Rolls-Royce Griffon engine was introduced in the Mk.XII and mainly used on the Mk.XIV, Mk.XIX, as well as a number of subsequent types. The development of new Spitfire models was partly in response to enemy aircraft developments, such as the Messerschmitt Bf 109 and Focke-Wulf FW 190, as well as new operational roles, notably high-altitude photo-reconnaissance.
The Spitfire’s ability to adapt and evolve throughout its history - reflected in the specification data below - solidified its place as one of the most versatile and iconic aircraft of the Second World War.