Ad: This forum contains affiliate links to products on Amazon and eBay. More information in Terms and rules
Resp:'Wet wing' usualy means that part(s) of the wing was/were sealed, in order to carry fuel internally in the wing itself.
The 1st P-47s with wing racks probably came to the UK in August 1943 by overflying Atlantic in stages. I don't know whether such P-47s (ie. with wing racks) were used inn the ETO in more than token numbers before 1944.
Range and radius are not the same thing. Ranges usually do not include a combat allowance for one thing. I also doubt very highly that a Spitfire in May of 1943 was operating at a 175 mile radius without some sort of drop tank as the early Spitfires were operating at about a 120 mile radius when "clean".
I think I got my numbers right ...
Spitfire IX (Merlin 66) has 85 gallons.
Standard allowance for take-off and climb to 20,000 feet is 22.5 gallons
Five minutes of combat is 11.75 gallons
So we have 50.75 gallons to play with ...
At most economical speed we get a range of 352.41 miles
At maximum weak mix we get a range of 194.88 miles
So yeah, for that 175 mile combat radius it looks like we're gunna need a drop tank.
EDIT: unless it's acceptable to do the entire mission at 220 mph (most econ speed)
I think you'll find that the only safe drop tank they could use for missions over Europe was the 30 gallon slipper tank, which you could retain in combat, IIRC radius of action was about 125 miles. There was a 45 gallon slipper tank that could be used safely for patrol work. There were also 90 and 170 gallon slipper tanks for ferrying, the later with armament reduced to 2 m/c IIRC. Both these tanks restricted the Spitfires to level flight only, no combat manoeuvres. So if you tried the 90 gal on a patrol mission, even the Me 110 would make mincemeat of you. A 60 gal Kittyhawk drop tank slung underneath a Seafire III gave you a combat radius of about 180 miles IIRC.I think I got my numbers right ...
Spitfire IX (Merlin 66) has 85 gallons.
Standard allowance for take-off and climb to 20,000 feet is 22.5 gallons
Five minutes of combat is 11.75 gallons
So we have 50.75 gallons to play with ...
At most economical speed we get a range of 352.41 miles
At maximum weak mix we get a range of 194.88 miles
So yeah, for that 175 mile combat radius it looks like we're gunna need a drop tank.
EDIT: unless it's acceptable to do the entire mission at 220 mph (most econ speed)
I think you'll find that the only safe drop tank they could use for missions over Europe was the 30 gallon slipper tank, which you could retain in combat, IIRC radius of action was about 125 miles. There was a 45 gallon slipper tank that could be used safely for patrol work. There were also 90 and 170 gallon slipper tanks for ferrying, the later with armament reduced to 2 m/c IIRC. Both these tanks restricted the Spitfires to level flight only, no combat manoeuvres. So if you tried the 90 gal on a patrol mission, even the Me 110 would make mincemeat of you. A 60 gal Kittyhawk drop tank slung underneath a Seafire III gave you a combat radius of about 180 miles IIRC.
With one exception all these uses occurred in 1944 by which time the Luftwaffe was a spent force. The 1943 operation occurred at Salerno where the only Luftwaffe opposition was from Fw 190A jabos. Try that two years earlier and you're mincemeat for Me 110s.Spitfires used 90 gallon tanks on operations:
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/150grade/1-squadron-oprep-27aug44.jpg
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/111-kennedy-10sept43.jpg
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/610-ORB-1sept44.jpg
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/130_Oprep-12Sept44.jpg
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/41-OpRep-17Sept44.jpg
45 gallon tanks too:
http://www.wwiiaircraftperformance.org/150grade/165_oprep_16sept44.jpg
Why can you carry 200 gallons under a P-47 and not be mincemeat for Bf 110s and yet the Spitfire with a 108 Us gallon (90 imp) is?
BTW 2 years before Salerno and you have Spitfire Vs.
Test in 1942 of a fully tropicalised Spitfire VB with 90 gallon tank shows a change in climb to 20,000ft to 10 minutes form 8 minutes when clean.
I believe the 30 gallon tank was self sealing, I don't know if any of the 45 gallon tanks were.[/QUOTE
IIRC, Thunderbolts with belly tanks had a hard time. The 1941 Spitfire Vb was outclassed by both the Fw 190A and the Bf 109F-4. In 1941, the 90 gal slipper tank was for ferry only, when used for patrol, even the Me 110 could destroy it.
The 30 gal slipper could be retained in combat, the 45 gal dropped, which worked okay if the attachment hooks worked properly.The whole idea of drop tanks was that you dropped them when you engaged in combat. Not carried them with you during the fight.
This was the whole idea of limiting the operational radius to the distance you could fly (at a reasonable exit speed, higher than most economical cruise) after dropping the tank and fighting at full throttle (or near it) for 10-20 minutes and allowing 20-30 minutes to find the home field or alternate and land.
Some of the later Spitfires did carry the 30 gal tank (or perhaps the 45 gal) in combat but then they had a lot more power (and used more fuel in combat).
Resp:The 30 gal slipper could be retained in combat, the 45 gal dropped, which worked okay if the attachment hooks worked properly.
Resp:
So are you stating that the 30 gallon tank was designed to be retained during air-to-air combat (assuming it is empty) in lieu of dropping them?