General Background

The Spitfire PR.XIX was the last Spitfire with elliptical wings and was the last RAF Spitfire type in front-line service. The PR.XIX was a combination of power by the Griffon engine of the Mk.XIV and the wings of the PR.XI making it the fastest Spitfire. Weapons were removed to allow for larger fuel tanks in the leading edge of the wings making it possible to fly missions as far as Berlin at altitudes over 40,000 feet. By the end of production 225 XIX had been made.

The Aircraft

In 1949 the Swedish Air Force took delivery of 50 former RAF Spitfire PR.XIX and designated them S-31. They came equipped for reconnaissance flights and were based with F.11 Flight Reconnaissance Wing at Nyköping south of Stockholm. These aircraft would penetrate Soviet airspace in the Baltic area and record activity at air and naval bases. At that time the Soviets didn’t have an aircraft that could catch these S-31s. The S-31 was replaced in 1954 by the Saab 29 jet. Ten of the 50 crashed and the rest were scrapped