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Mitchell’s design for the eight-gun specification was the Supermarine Type 300. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Supermarine Spitfire HF. Mk. VIIc Mitchell died of cancer on 11 June 1937, aged 42, before the Spitfire reached production. Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum: Supermarine Spitfire HF. Mk. VIIc Joe Smith took over and oversaw the Spitfire’s development all the way from the Mk I to the F.24. IWM: The evolution of the Supermarine Spitfire (video transcript)

On 5 March 1936 Captain Joseph ‘Mutt’ Summers flew the prototype, K5054, from Eastleigh Aerodrome, now Southampton Airport. RAF BBMF: Commemorating history, the 90th anniversary of the Spitfire (5 Mar 2026) Ingenium (Canada Aviation and Space Museum) gives the prototype’s first flight as 6 March 1936. Ingenium, Canada Aviation and Space Museum: Supermarine Spitfire L.F. Mk. IX

The real value of the elliptical wing was that it let the wing be as thin as possible, which cut drag. RAF Museum: The first flight of the Spitfire (Kris Hendrix)

Britannica: when production ended in 1947, 20,334 Spitfires of all versions had been built, 2,053 of them Griffon-powered. Britannica: Spitfire (John F. Guilmartin) · checked 29 Oct 2026 RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight: 20,341 were built, more than any other British combat aircraft before or since the Second World War. RAF: Battle of Britain Memorial Flight · checked 29 Oct 2026 Ingenium: 21,554 were built in 24 versions, including some 1,220 Seafires for aircraft carriers. Ingenium, Canada Aviation and Space Museum: Supermarine Spitfire L.F. Mk. IX · checked 29 Oct 2026

The marks ran from 1 to 24 with many sub-marks in between, and not every number went into production. IWM: The evolution of the Supermarine Spitfire (video transcript)

Mitchell’s team kept going, adding a Rolls-Royce Merlin engine, a retractable undercarriage, an enclosed cockpit and a new elliptical wing. RAF Museum: The first flight of the Spitfire (Kris Hendrix) Rolls-Royce’s Griffon was a 36.9-litre V12, nearly 10 litres bigger than the Merlin and good for over 2,000 hp. IWM: The evolution of the Supermarine Spitfire (video transcript)

Battle of Britain version (Britannica): Merlin of 1,030 hp; span 36 ft 10 in (11.2 m); length 29 ft 11 in (9.1 m); top speed 360 mph (580 km/h); ceiling 34,000 ft (10,400 m). Britannica: Spitfire (John F. Guilmartin) Britannica: Griffon Spitfires of up to 2,050 hp entered service from late 1943, with top speeds of 440 mph (710 km/h) and ceilings of 40,000 ft (12,200 m), and were used to shoot down V-1 flying bombs. Britannica: Spitfire (John F. Guilmartin)

The Hurricane had a traditional wood-and-metal framework covered in fabric. The Spitfire had an advanced all-metal airframe. IWM: Iconic aircraft of the Battle of Britain The Spitfire took longer to build and was less sturdy than the Hurricane, but faster. The Hurricane was easier to maintain and repair. IWM: Iconic aircraft of the Battle of Britain

Many wartime fighter pilots called the Mk IX their favourite Spitfire. IWM: The evolution of the Supermarine Spitfire (video transcript)

The RAF’s last operational Spitfire sortie was flown by a PR Mk XIX over Malaya on 1 April 1954. RAF: Spitfire, fighter aircraft supreme Britannica: fighter Spitfires left RAF service in the early 1950s, while photo-reconnaissance Spitfires carried on until 1954. Britannica: Spitfire (John F. Guilmartin)

The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, flies five Spitfires, two Hurricanes, a Lancaster, a C-47 Dakota and two Chipmunks. RAF: Battle of Britain Memorial Flight · checked 29 Oct 2026 BBMF aircraft can regularly be seen over the UK from May to September each year. RAF: Battle of Britain Memorial Flight · checked 29 Oct 2026

The RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, based at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire, flies five Spitfires, two Hurricanes, a Lancaster, a C-47 Dakota and two Chipmunks. RAF: Battle of Britain Memorial Flight · checked 29 Oct 2026

We haven’t found a current, official, dated count of all airworthy Spitfires worldwide, so we don’t give one.

Seafires, with tail hooks and strengthened tails, flew from Royal Navy aircraft carriers from June 1942. Britannica: Spitfire (John F. Guilmartin)