Did they use jet engines in WW2?

World War II The jet engine was unusual in that it was independently brought to fruition at about the same time in two countries that would soon again be at war. In Great Britain, a Royal Air Force officer, Frank Whittle, invented the gas-turbine engine that would power the first British jet, the Gloster E.

What was the top speed of the fastest Spitfire?

369 mphSupermarine Spitfire / Top speed

The 1,130 Horsepower Merlin engine gave the Spitfire a top speed of 362mph. They also had an added booster feature which allowed them to reach speeds 25-30mph faster, for 5 minutes. This was a serious advantage of the Spitfire compared to its biggest rival, the Messerschmitt.

Did the Spitfire ever have fuel injection?

The final development was the SU injection carburettor, that injected fuel into the supercharger using a fuel pump driven as a function of crankshaft speed and engine pressures; although this was fitted to the 100 series Merlins, which were not used in production Spitfires, it was used in the Griffon 60 and 80 series.

What kind of engine did the Spitfire have?

4 days ago
Merlin
Designed around a 1,000-horsepower, 12-cylinder, liquid-cooled Rolls-Royce PV-12 engine (later dubbed the Merlin), the Spitfire first flew in March 1935. It had superb performance and flight characteristics, and deliveries to operational Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons commenced in the summer of 1938.

Why is it called a Merlin engine?

Following the company convention of naming its piston aero engines after birds of prey, Rolls-Royce named the engine the Merlin after a small, Northern Hemisphere falcon (Falco columbarius). Two more Rolls-Royce engines developed just prior to the war were added to the company’s range.

How many different types of Spitfires were there?

There were 24 marks of Spitfire and many sub-variants. These covered the Spitfire in development from the Merlin to Griffon engines, the high-speed photo-reconnaissance variants and the different wing configurations. More Spitfire Mk Vs were built than any other type, with 6,487 built, followed by the 5,656 Mk IXs.

How much horsepower does a Spitfire have?

After adoption for the prototype Spitfire, the engine, now named ‘Merlin’ was a 27-litre, liquid-cooled V12, producing an initial power output of 1000 horsepower, which was to all but double during the course of the war.

Why was the Supermarine Spitfire so popular?

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.

What do the prefixes on a Spitfire engine mean?

As a result, the prefixes which were used on most later Spitfire variants, L.F. Mark…, F. Mark.. and H.F Mark indicated whether the engines fitted were suited for low, medium or high altitude.