Spitfire FR.XVIII 60 Squadron, Kuala Lumpur, Malaya, December 31, 1950 (1:48)

Externally the Spitfire Mk. XVIII the so called "Super Spitfire" was almost identical to the Mk. XIV except for the strengthened ��_E��_ wing with full span tips and stronger undercarriage. They were powered by either a Griffon 65 or the later models by a 67 that developed 2,375 hp. The FR XVIII had provisions for three cameras that required the removal of the rear fuel tank. The Mk XVIII was quite versatile and could carry up to 1,000 pounds of bombs on the center line and wing racks. Another option was as many as four Mk 8 or 9 rockets under the wings. This was the last Griffon-powered version of the original Spitfire frame with 300 being built of which 200 were the FR variant.
June 1948 in Malaya, a British Colony at that time, three British estate managers were murdered by guerrillas and this forced the government to declare what would become the ��_Malayan mergency��_. The RAF was called upon to fly reconnaissance and bombing attacks on the guerilla camps. One of the squadrons assigned to this task was 60 Squadron that carried out the first attack of the campaign. Using rockets and fragmentation bombs the Spitfires flew sortie after sortie mostly in support missions for ground troops. One of these aircraft was the Mk. FR XVIII of CO, Sqn. Ldr. W G Duncan Smith DSO, DFC. In November 1950 Sqn. Ldr. W G Duncan Smith arrived with 60 Squadron��_s first jet, the Meteor. This aircraft would replace the Spitfire and on January 1, 1951 the last ever RAF Spitfire offensive sortie was carried out by FR XVIIIs from 60 Squadron.