The third prototype followed in early 1946 and this featured a five-bladed propeller unit ahead of a new, low-drag air intake assembly found under the nose. A review of this aircraft showcased concerns related to general in-the-field maintenance, arming/rearming practices, and the cockpit arrangement. This model continued flying into 1947.
The Spiteful was finally ordered through the Spiteful F.Mk XIV (Mk 14) model in keeping with its origins from the Spitfire F.Mk XIV (Mk 14) line. The aircraft was powered by a Rolls-Royce Griffon 69 series inline developing 2,375 horsepower with maximum speeds reaching 483 miles per hour. The initial call was for 150 of the type but the end of the war and progress being made with turbojet-powered fighters rendered the need for a new prop-driven, land-based fighter somewhat moot. As was the case with so many late-war programs, the Spiteful program suffered in the face of the post-war military drawdown period and its serial production was inevitably stopped after just seventeen examples had been completed. Production of Spitefuls ended as soon as December 1945 and many of the airframes were subsequently sold off by mid-1948.
There was a short-lived attempt to keep the Spiteful design aloft through the Supermarine "Seafang" initiative (Specification N.5/45 of 1945), this aircraft to follow in the steps of the wartime Supermarine "Seafire" - the navalized variant of the storied land-based Spitfire. This essentially converted the Spiteful to a carrier-based fighter for possible service with the Royal Navy. A "one-off" model was pulled from the existing Spiteful stock and was fitted with a Rolls-Royce Griffon 89 series engine of 2,350 horsepower to serve as the prototype Seafang. Changes to the design were appropriate and included folding wings for improved storage aboard space-strapped British carriers, reinforcement of the undercarriage, and addition of arresting gear. Many aspects of the Spiteful remained but this was not enough to warrant serial production of this form either - the Royal Navy eventually settled on a jet-powered design that became the excellent de Havilland "Sea Vampire" fighter. The Seafang was realized in two limited developments - the F.Mk XXXI and the F.Mk XXXII fitted with the Griffon 61 and Griffon 89 engine respectively.
One last initiative saw the Spiteful slated for possible serial production (under license) by rebuilding France. This fell to naught as the French, too, saw the long-term value of investing in jet-powered types - leaving the Spiteful design to the pages of military aviation history and nothing more.
The Supermarine Attacker, an early-generation jet fighter, used the completed wings of the Spiteful aircraft. 182 production units were made and these served with the Fleet Air Arm and the Pakistani Air Force through short service lives running from 1951 to 1964.
Content ©MilitaryFactory.com; No Reproduction Permitted.