What was the most powerful Merlin engine?
Over its production life, over 50 different development types of the Merlin Engine were produced, ranging from just over 1,000 horsepower, to right at the end of the war, the two Merlins that powered the de Havilland Hornet giving 2,050 horsepower each. The engine evolved to become one of the most powerful inline piston aircraft engines in the world, developing from 2,200 hp (1,600 kW) in its earlier versions to 3,500 hp (2,600 kW) in late-model prototypes.
Was the Mosquito faster than the Spitfire?
The Mosquito proved its speed in January 1941, when it reached a top speed of 392 mph (631 km/h), flying 32 mph (51 km/h) faster than the Spitfire Mk. Speed. The P-51D achieved 437 mph at 25,000 feet — one of the fastest production piston fighters of the war. Its laminar-flow wing generated significantly less drag at high speed than conventional airfoils. The Spitfire Mk IX reached 408 mph at 25,000 feet with the Merlin 66, and 416 mph with the later Merlin 70.
What did the Germans think of the Spitfire?
During WWII Axis pilots tested captured Allied aircraft: they deemed the Spitfire a miserable fighter, the LaGG–3 poorly maneuverable and the P-51 disconcerting. Luftwaffe fighter pilots feared the Spitfire most, the Mk V entered service in early 1941, the first P 51 in 1942 and it was inferior, the P 51 D not until mid 1944, by then there were other Spitfires, the Mk IX and XII in 1942, the Mk VII, VIII and XIV in 1943, these were all better than the P51D.During WWII Axis pilots tested captured Allied aircraft: they deemed the Spitfire a miserable fighter, the LaGG–3 poorly maneuverable and the P-51 disconcerting.