FS2004 FSX Seafire Mk III

FS2004 FSX Seafire Mk III

FS2004 FSX Seafire Mk III

 The Seafire F. Mk. III was the first true carrier adaptation of the Spitfire design. It was developed from the Seafire Mk. IIC, but incorporated manually folding wings allowing more of these aircraft to be stored on deck or in the hangers below. Supermarine devised a system of two straight chordwise folds; a break was introduced immediately outboard of the wheel-wells from which the wing hinged upwards and slightly angled towards the fuselage. A second hinge at each wingtip join allowed the tips to fold down (when the wings were folded the wingtips were folded outwards). This version used the more powerful Merlin 55 (F. Mk. III and F.R. Mk III) or Merlin 55M (L. Mk. III), driving the same four-bladed propeller unit used by the IIC series; the Merlin 55M was another version of the Merlin modified to give maximum performance at low altitude. Other modifications that were made on the Spitfire made their way to the Seafire as well including a slim Aero-Vee air filter and six-stack ejector type exhausts. In addition the shorter barreled, lightweight Hispano Mk V cannon were introduced during production as were overload fuel tank fittings in the wings. This Mark was built in larger numbers than any other Seafire variant; of the 1,220 manufactured Westland built 870 and Cunliffe Owen 350. In 1947 12 Mk IIIs were stripped of their naval equipment by Supermarine and delivered to the Irish Air Corps.

 Special thanks to :
-GMAX for the drawing program and Microsoft for their makmdls.mdk.
-Cryingtoto for the original 3D model and the French textures.
-Zuyax for the HMS.Hunter and HMS.Atheling textures
-Martin Wright for the DXTbmp program.