Merlin or Griffon - what is the difference?

The Merlin V12 powered the early-to-mid marks (Mk I to IX), growing from about 1,000 to 1,700 hp. The larger Griffon powered later marks (Mk XII, XIV and beyond) with over 2,000 hp - more speed and climb, at the cost of a heavier, longer nose.

Aircraft Museum › Fighter › Spitfire

Supermarine Spitfire
“The Few’s Fighter”

Q: Can I fly in a Spitfire?

Not through MiGFlug - MiGFlug does not currently offer a Spitfire flight, though you can fly several other genuine military jets (see migflug.com/flights-prices/). Two-seat Spitfire passenger experiences do exist in the UK with warbird operators such as Goodwood Aerodrome and the Boultbee Flight Academy, typically in a restored TR9 two-seater at premium prices.

Q: Is the Spitfire still flyable today?

Yes, as warbirds. Dozens remain airworthy worldwide and restored two-seat Spitfires in the UK offer passenger experience flights, but no air force flies it operationally any more.

Q: How many Spitfires were built?

Approximately 20,300 or more across all marks (about 20,351 by some counts, more with the naval Seafire), making it one of the most-produced fighters in history.

R.J. Mitchell’s elliptical-winged masterpiece — the Merlin-powered fighter that helped win the Battle of Britain, stayed in frontline production before, during and after the Second World War, and remains the most beloved British aircraft ever built.

~20,300+Built — more with Seafires

~24 marksMk I to Mk 24, Merlin & Griffon

1936First flight (prototype K5054)

1938–1954RAF frontline service

Photo: Adrian Pingstone (Arpingstone) · Public domain

RoleSingle-seat fighter & interceptorEraWWII – early jet ageДвигательRolls-Royce Merlin / Griffon V12OriginUnited Kingdom · SupermarineStatusRetired / warbirdCan a civilian fly the Spitfire?

История

The fighter that saved Britain

The Supermarine Spitfire was the creation of Reginald J. Mitchell, whose signature contribution was a thin, elegant elliptical wing that minimised drag while leaving room at the root for guns, fuel and undercarriage. Powered first by the Rolls-Royce Merlin V12, the prototype K5054 first flew on 5 March 1936 from Eastleigh near Southampton, and the type entered RAF service in 1938 with No. 19 Squadron at Duxford.

In the summer of 1940 the Spitfire earned its immortality over southern England. During the Battle of Britain the more numerous Hawker Hurricane bore much of the load, but it was the faster Spitfire — a match for the Messerschmitt Bf 109 — that captured the public imagination and became the enduring symbol of British defiance. When the invasion was called off, the Spitfire had become far more than a fighter: it was the machine that, alongside the Hurricane, had saved Britain.

It was built in extraordinary numbers — commonly cited at ~20,300+ airframes (more still with the naval Seafire) — and evolved across roughly 24 principal marks. Uniquely, it was the only Allied frontline fighter in continuous production and development before, during and after the entire Second World War. After Mitchell’s early death in 1937, Joe Smith carried the design through to the final Griffon-engined marks.

The curved elliptical wing made it instantly recognisable — and cemented its reputation as one of the most beautiful aircraft ever built.A national icon — why the Spitfire still stops crowds

01The Spitfire’s numbers: how ~20,300 fighters kept one airframe competitive for a decade

Production totals for the Spitfire are large enough that sources disagree on the exact figure — credible tallies cluster around 20,300 to 20,351 Spitfires, and more when the carrier-borne Seafire is included. Manufacture ran from roughly 1937 to 1947, spanning the whole of the Second World War and beyond.

What makes the Spitfire singular is not just the count but the continuity. Between the Merlin-engined Mk I of 1938 and the Griffon-engined Mk 24, engine power and top speed roughly doubled while the basic airframe stayed recognisably the same. No other Allied fighter was improved so relentlessly, for so long, keeping a 1930s design in the front line into the jet age.

Design & Engineering

What makes the Spitfire special

The thin elliptical wing

Mitchell’s elliptical wing combined the lowest possible induced drag for a given lift with a high critical Mach number — letting late-war Spitfires dive to very high speeds — and enough internal volume for guns, ammunition, fuel and the retractable undercarriage. The catch was cost: it reputedly needed roughly three times the man-hours of the Bf 109’s simpler wing.

Rolls-Royce Merlin, then Griffon

The supercharged Merlin V12 grew from around 1,000 hp in the Mk I to about 1,700 hp by the two-stage Mk IX. Later marks adopted the bigger 36.7-litre Griffon delivering over 2,000 hp — nearly double the early Merlin — for the Mk XII, XIV and beyond.

Development across ~24 marks

No other Allied fighter was so continuously improved. Between the Mk I and the Griffon-engined Mk 24, engine power and top speed roughly doubled, keeping the airframe competitive from 1938 into the early jet age — plus dedicated photo-reconnaissance versions and the navalised Seafire.

02The Spitfire’s wing: an ellipse chosen by mathematics, loved by the eye

The elliptical planform was not styling. An elliptical lift distribution gives the theoretically lowest induced drag, and the shape let Mitchell make the wing thin — good for high speed — while keeping enough depth at the root to bury guns, fuel and the undercarriage. That thinness also raised the critical Mach number, so late Spitfires could dive closer to the speed of sound than most contemporaries. The penalty was manufacturing: the compound curves were labour-intensive, reputedly costing about three times the man-hours of a Bf 109 wing. Beauty, here, was pure aerodynamics.

03The Spitfire’s engines: from Merlin to Griffon without losing the shape

Early Spitfires flew behind a roughly 1,000 hp Merlin; by the Mk IX’s two-stage, two-speed engine it made around 1,700 hp. Then came the larger Griffon — over 2,000 hp — for the Mk XII and XIV, adding a snarling swing on take-off from its counter-rotating propeller. The airframe absorbed nearly double the power of the original and stayed a frontline fighter into the jet age, a testament to how much growth Mitchell’s design could take.

Технические данные

Full specifications

Representative figures for the Merlin-engined Spitfire Mk IX; dimensions and performance varied considerably across the type’s ~24 marks.

Airframe & Performance

Экипаж: 1
Длина: ~9.5 m (≈31 ft)
Размах крыльев: ~11.2 m (36 ft 10 in)
Высота: ~3.85 m
Max speed: ~650 km/h (≈405 mph) at altitude
Служебный потолок: ~13,000 m (≈43,000 ft)
Number built: ~20,300+ (all marks)
Mk IX built: ~5,600+

Propulsion & Systems

Двигатель: Rolls-Royce Merlin 61/63 V12
Power: ~1,565–1,650 hp (two-stage)
Cannon: 2 × 20 mm Hispano
Machine guns: 4 × .303 in Browning (Mk IXc)
Bombs: Provision for up to ~1,000 lb
First flight: 5 March 1936 (K5054)
Unit cost: ~£12,600 (wartime, approx.)
Cost per flight hour: No reliable public figure

04The Spitfire’s numbers, hedged: why the specs vary by mark and source

Quoting a single spec sheet for the Spitfire is misleading, because the type changed so much. Early marks were shorter (some sources cite ~9.12 m) than the Mk IX (~9.47 m), and top speeds climbed from the low 300s of mph in the Mk I to well over 400 mph in the Griffon marks. The oft-quoted wartime unit cost of about £12,600 is an approximation that varied by mark, factory and year. And the total-built figure — commonly ~20,300, sometimes stated as 20,351, more with Seafires — depends on exactly what is counted. Treat every single number here as representative, not definitive.

Timeline

From Eastleigh to the jet age

1936

First flight

Prototype K5054 makes its maiden flight at Eastleigh on 5 March, flown by Joseph “Mutt” Summers.

1937

Mitchell dies

R.J. Mitchell dies of cancer; Joe Smith takes over design leadership and carries the Spitfire through the war.

1938

Enters service

The Spitfire Mk I joins the RAF with No. 19 Squadron at Duxford.

1940

Battle of Britain

The Spitfire duels Bf 109s over southern England and becomes a national icon.

1942

The Mark IX answer

The Merlin 61-powered Mk IX is rushed into service to counter the Focke-Wulf Fw 190.

1942

The Seafire goes to sea

The navalised Seafire enters Fleet Air Arm service aboard Royal Navy carriers.

1943

Griffon power

Griffon-engined marks (Mk XII, later Mk XIV) reach squadrons with over 2,000 hp.

1945–47

Production ends

After ~20,300+ built, manufacture winds down; the final Mk 24 is delivered.

1948–54

Last combat sorties

Spitfires fight in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War; the last RAF operational sortie is generally dated to 1954 (a PR Mk 19 over Malaya).

Stories & Eyewitnesses

From the record: twelve Spitfire stories

Battle of Britain

The Few’s finest machine

The fighter that became a nation’s shield in the summer of 1940.

Read the full story

In 1940 the Spitfire dueled Bf 109s high over Kent while Hurricanes tore into the bombers below. Outnumbered and stretched thin, RAF pilots — Churchill’s “Few” — held the line through the summer. When the Luftwaffe finally relented, the graceful Spitfire had become the enduring emblem of a Britain that refused to fall.

Design

Mitchell’s dying masterpiece

He perfected the wing while cancer finished him.

Read the full story

R.J. Mitchell designed the Spitfire while gravely ill, driving himself to refine its elliptical wing before terminal cancer took him in 1937 — before he ever saw it fight. He reportedly disliked the name “Spitfire.” His creation outlived him by decades and became one of the most celebrated aircraft in history.

Engineering

The perfect curve

An ellipse chosen by mathematics, loved by the eye.

Read the full story

The elliptical wing wasn’t styling — it gave the theoretically lowest induced drag and room for guns, fuel and undercarriage, with a high critical Mach number that let late Spitfires dive near the speed of sound. It cost about three times the labour of a Bf 109 wing. Beauty, here, was pure aerodynamics.

Power

From Merlin to Griffon

Doubling the horsepower without losing the shape.

Read the full story

Early Spitfires flew behind a ~1,000 hp Merlin; by the Mk IX it made ~1,700 hp. Then came the bigger Griffon — over 2,000 hp — for the Mk XII and XIV, adding a snarling swing on take-off. The airframe absorbed nearly double the power and stayed a frontline fighter into the jet age.

Recon

PR blue, unarmed and alone

No guns, just cameras — and nerve.

Read the full story

Photo-reconnaissance Spitfires ripped out the guns, added fuel and cameras, and were polished and painted special blue or pink to vanish at altitude. Flying high, fast and alone deep into enemy skies, they brought home some of the war’s most vital intelligence — proof that speed and height could be a weapon all their own.

Naval

The Seafire goes to sea

A thoroughbred learns to land on a moving deck.

Read the full story

Navalised as the Seafire, the Spitfire gained an arrestor hook, folding wings and catapult gear for carrier duty. Its narrow undercarriage and long nose made deck landings notoriously tricky, but it gave the Fleet Air Arm a fast, hard-hitting fighter that served from the Mediterranean to the Pacific and beyond 1945.

Fly today

Ride the legend

Two seats, one Merlin, the flight of a lifetime.

Read the full story

You can’t fly a Spitfire through MiGFlug — but you can as a passenger in the UK. Restored two-seat TR9 conversions at operators such as Goodwood Aerodrome and the Boultbee Flight Academy take civilians aloft over the South Coast and English Channel, Merlin roaring, with hands-on control time. Prices run into the thousands of pounds.

Icon

The most beautiful fighter

Form and function, impossibly aligned.

Read the full story

Ask pilots and enthusiasts to name the loveliest aircraft ever built and the Spitfire tops list after list. The slender fuselage, the bubble canopy of later marks, and above all that elliptical wing give it a silhouette recognised worldwide — a rare machine where lethal purpose and sheer elegance became the same thing.

Мальта

Spitfires over Malta

Flown off a carrier to save a besieged island.

Read the full story

In 1942 the George Cross island of Malta was being bombed into the ground. Spitfires were flown off Royal Navy carriers — and even the US carrier Wasp — to reinforce its defences under fire. Their arrival helped break the siege, one of the most dramatic and decisive uses of the Spitfire anywhere in the war.

Fw 190 crisis

The Mark IX answer

When the Fw 190 shocked the RAF, the Mk IX replied.

Read the full story

In 1941 the Focke-Wulf Fw 190 outclassed the Spitfire Mk V and Fighter Command scrambled for a fix. The solution: bolt the two-stage Merlin 61 into a Mk V airframe. The Mk IX was a stopgap that became a classic — restoring parity almost overnight and becoming one of the most-produced and best-loved marks.

Jet age

Last of the piston fighters

Cameras over the jungle into the 1950s.

Read the full story

The Spitfire refused to retire. After 1945 it fought in the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and flew photo-reconnaissance in the Malayan Emergency. The RAF’s last operational Spitfire sortie is generally dated to 1954 — a PR Mk 19 over Malaya — closing the book on the piston-engined fighter era in style.

Legacy

Twenty thousand strong

The only Allied fighter in the fight from start to finish.

Read the full story

More than 20,300 Spitfires were built across some 24 marks — the only Allied frontline fighter in continuous production and development before, during and after WWII. Roughly fifty-plus airworthy examples still fly today, their Merlins drawing crowds at airshows and keeping the legend loudly, unmistakably alive.

Gallery

The Spitfire in pictures

Spitfire Mk Is of No. 610 Squadron in vic formation over Kent, 24 July 1940. — Spitfire Mk Is of No. 610 Squadron in ‘vic’ formation over Kent, 24 July 1940.Photo: F/O Daventry, RAF official (IWM CH740) · Public domain

A wartime RAF Supermarine Spitfire the fighter that defined 1940. — A wartime RAF Supermarine Spitfire — the fighter that defined 1940.Photo: Stanley Devon, RAF official (IWM CH1451) · Public domain

Inside the office: the cockpit of a Supermarine Spitfire.Photo: Rottweiler (Wikimedia Commons) · Public domain

A preserved Spitfire PR Mk 19 the unarmed, camera-carrying photo-reconnaissance variant. — A preserved Spitfire PR Mk 19 — the unarmed, camera-carrying photo-reconnaissance variant.Photo: Ciedan47 · CC BY-SA 3.0

An early Spitfire Mk.Ia preserved at the Imperial War Museum, London.Photo: Ad Meskens · CC BY-SA 4.0

The two-seat Spitfire Tr.9 ML407 the kind of conversion that carries civilian passengers today. — The two-seat Spitfire Tr.9 ML407 — the kind of conversion that carries civilian passengers today.Photo: Alan Wilson · CC BY-SA 2.0

Watch

The Spitfire in motion

A hand-picked Spitfire documentary will be embedded here soon.

Operations

Where the Spitfire flew

Combat Record

The fighter that fought the whole war

The Spitfire served from the first months of the Second World War to its end and beyond — Western Europe, the Mediterranean, Malta, North Africa, the Eastern Front, Burma and the Pacific. Ace tallies and “last sortie” dates differ between sources, so treat specific figures as claims, not settled scores. What is beyond dispute is the breadth of its fighting career.

1940Battle of Britain — its defining campaign

All theatresEurope, Med, Malta, North Africa, Pacific

~1954Last RAF operational sortie (PR Mk 19)

Compare the combat record of every military aircraft. Figures as of July 2026.

Questions & Answers

Everything people ask about the Spitfire

Can I fly in a Spitfire?

Not through MiGFlug. MiGFlug does not currently offer a Spitfire flight. However you can fly several genuine military jets today — see migflug.com/flights-prices/. And two-seat Spitfire passenger experiences do exist in the UK with specialist warbird operators such as Goodwood Aerodrome and the Boultbee Flight Academy (spitfires.com), typically in a restored TR9 two-seater at premium prices.

Was the Spitfire fast?

For its era, yes. The Merlin-engined Mk IX reached roughly 650 km/h (~405 mph) at altitude, and later Griffon marks were faster still. Top speed varied by mark, altitude and engine.

Is the Spitfire still flyable today?

Yes, as warbirds. Dozens remain airworthy worldwide, and restored two-seat Spitfires in the UK offer passenger experience flights — but no air force flies it operationally any more.

Spitfire vs Messerschmitt Bf 109?

They were closely matched rivals in the Battle of Britain. The Spitfire generally turned better; the 109 had advantages in the climb and dive at times. Outcomes hinged heavily on pilot, tactics, altitude and mark.

How many Spitfires were built?

Approximately 20,300+ across all marks (about 20,351 by some counts, more with the naval Seafire), making it one of the most-produced fighters in history.

Merlin or Griffon — what’s the difference?

The Merlin (V12, ~27 litres) powered the early-to-mid marks (Mk I–IX), growing from ~1,000 to ~1,700 hp. The larger Griffon (~36.7 litres) powered later marks (Mk XII, XIV, etc.) with over 2,000 hp — more speed and climb, at the cost of a heavier, longer nose.

Who designed the Spitfire?

R.J. Mitchell of Supermarine, famous for its elliptical wing. After his death in 1937 the design was carried on by Joe Smith through the final Griffon marks.

What was the Seafire?

The navalised Spitfire — fitted with an arrestor hook, folding wings and catapult gear for carrier operations with the Fleet Air Arm.

The part of the collection you can touch