The Supermarine Spitfire is a British single-seat fighter aircraft used
by the Royal Air Force and other Allied countries throughout the Second
World War. The Spitfire continued to be used into the 1950s both as a
front line fighter and in secondary roles. It was produced in greater
numbers than any other British aircraft and was the only Allied fighter
in production throughout the war.
The Spitfire was designed as a short-range high-performance interceptor
aircraft by R. J. Mitchell, chief designer at Supermarine Aviation Works
(since 1928 a subsidiary of Vickers-Armstrongs). Mitchell continued to
refine the design until his death from cancer in 1937, whereupon his
colleague Joseph Smith became chief designer. The Spitfire's elliptical
wing had a thin cross-section, allowing a higher top speed than the
Hawker Hurricane and several contemporary fighters. Speed was seen as
essential to carry out the mission of home defence against enemy
bombers.
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