Supermarine Type 391

The Supermarine Type 391 was the last piston-engined fighter to be proposed by Supermarine.

History

In 1943, as the design of the Spiteful was proceeding, Supermarine presented a brochure to the Air Ministry describing a "High-Performance Aeroplane for the Royal Navy", designated internally as the Supermarine Type 391. Of greater length and span than the Spiteful, the Type 391 was intended to be used as a carrier-borne fighter, with a secondary role as a strike aircraft.
The wing of the Type 391 was similar in outline to that of the Spiteful but was larger and, unlike all previous Supermarine fighters, was mid-mounted. The whole section outboard of the undercarriage hinged up, while a wide centre-section incorporated thick roots with tapered leading-edge air intakes. These fed the engine cooling radiators. Because of the higher-mounted wing, the main undercarriage legs were also longer, with the wheels pivoting when raised to fit into wells in the fuselage. The forward fuselage was lengthened to accommodate the new engine, while the rear had redesigned and enlarged tail surfaces.
The Type 391 was eventually rejected in favour of the jet-powered Type 392, which became the Supermarine Attacker,