Joseph Smith CBE (25 May 1897 – 20 February 1956) was an English aircraft designer who took over as Chief Designer for Supermarine upon the death of R. J. Mitchell and led the team responsible for the subsequent development of the Supermarine Spitfire.
Career
Early life
Joseph Smith was educated at the Yardley Secondary School and Birmingham Municipal Technical School. After leaving school he gained an apprenticeship with the Austin Motor Company at Longbridge, Birmingham in 1914.
Over the following years Smith took on more responsibility leading to in 1926 Frank Holroyd being formally designated as Assistant Chief Engineer, and Smith was designated as Chief Draughtsman. From then on Smith was involved in all of the Supermarine designs during the late 1920s and 1930s.
Working under chief designer R. J. Mitchell, Smith was heavily involved with the early design of the Spitfire. Following the death of Mitchell in June 1937 his deputy Harold J. Payn was appointed chief designer.
Following the placement of government orders for the Spitfire Smith was heavily involved in the design of the airframe's structure and preparation of production drawings.
Chief Designer
As war clouds gathered a security check in September 1939 identified that Payn had a German-born wife. Concerns about the risk this posed to a major war programme saw Payn dismissed. Smith was appointed acting manager of the design department and finally appointed chief designer in 1941 following approval from the Ministry of Aircraft Production.
Smith was confident that the Spitfire had great development potential and was unwilling to consider developing a replacement aircraft until the maximum capability had been obtained from the Spitfire. As a result he oversaw the development of the Spitfire and its naval version the Seafire through numerous variants, including introduction of the Rolls-Royce Griffon-engined series, all of which ensured that it remained a front-line fighter until superseded by jet fighters.
The final development of the Spitfire was the Supermarine Spiteful and its naval version the Supermarine Seafang which retained a Spitfire-like fuselage, married to a new straight-tapered laminar flow wing, which gave Smith the opportunity to fit a wide-track inward-retracting undercarriage.
Post-war activities
Following his piston-engined aircraft Smith designed the first British naval jet fighter, the Supermarine Attacker, using the Spiteful wing, which saw service with the Royal Navy.
Following the Attacker he oversaw the design of the Type 510 a swept-wing jet fighter which was developed into the Supermarine Swift. Following the Swift came the Supermarine 525 and Supermarine Scimitar.