Supermarine Type 391

The Supermarine Type 391 was the last piston-engined fighter proposed by Supermarine. In 1943, while the Spiteful was being designed, Supermarine presented the Air Ministry with a brochure describing a High-Performance Aeroplane for the Royal Navy, which it designated internally the Type 391. Longer and with a greater span than the Spiteful, it was intended as a carrier-borne fighter with a secondary strike role. Its wing resembled the Spiteful's in outline but was larger and, unlike all earlier Supermarine fighters, was mid-mounted. The outer section hinged up outboard of the undercarriage, and the thick centre section had tapered leading-edge intakes feeding the engine cooling radiators. The main undercarriage legs were longer because of the higher wing, and the forward fuselage was lengthened for the new engine. It was eventually rejected in favour of the jet-powered Type 392, which became the Supermarine Attacker.