The allocation of Spitfire mark numbers was anything but methodical, and the PR MkX entered service more than a year after the PR MkXI. Essentially a PR version of the Mk VII high-altitude fighter, it had a pressurised cabin and a Merlin 64 modified to drive the necessary blower. Like the Mk XI, the MkX had wing-leading-edge tanks and the "Universal" camera installation. Only 16 were built, and the variant entered service with Nos 541 and 542 Sqns in May 1944. Squadron Leader (laterAirVice Marshal Sir) Alfred Ball, commanding 542 Sqn at that time, remembered the Mk X with no great affection:"I flew the PR.X a few times on operations. They were not popular because of the poor visibility out of the very thick Perspex canopy. Outside everything looked a slightly discoloured yellow; the Perspex was not as clear as on an ordinary Spitfire. Also, with the extra weight of the pressure cabin, the MkX felt rather heavier than the Mk XI."
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