Seafire FR.47 brings a wartime fighter lineage to Korea

The FR.47 was closely related to the late-mark Spitfire and served with 800 Naval Air Squadron aboard HMS Triumph during the Malayan Emergency and Korean War. Its 452 mph top speed, climb rate of about 4,800 feet per minute, and four 20 mm cannon made it a potent interceptor by piston-fighter standards. It could also carry two 500-pound bombs, giving a carrier air group a useful attack option. Its internal-fuel combat range was only about 405 miles. A 90-gallon drop tank extended the ferry range to about 1,475 miles, though the account is uncertain whether the two bombs could be carried with it. The combination made the Seafire fast and heavily armed, but short-legged and less durable than the postwar fighter the Fleet Air Arm needed.