| Lavochkin La-7 | |
Лавочкин Ла-7
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| The La-7 was a development of the La-5, which
was very similar in appearance. It was fitted with a 1850hp (1380Kw)
Shvetsov radial engine. Armament was increased to three ShVak 20mm cannons.
The oil radiator was moved to the lower center of the fuselage. The La-7 had
an increase in speed of about 10-15mph over the La-5. Due to the
improvements it was preferred by many Soviet Aces for its speed,
maneuverability, firepower and general performance. The La-7 prototype first
flew in early 1944. The La-7 was about 44mph faster than the FW-190 (its main nemesis). Although the La-7 was initially designed with the three-cannon arrangement, only about 368 were delivered in this configuration, compared with more than 3000 two-cannon La-7's delivered. The first operational unit to receive the new fighter was the 176th Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment in July 1944. The La-7 scored 55 victories in the 63rd Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment between September 15th and October 15th 1944. The La-7 ended service for the Soviets in 1947. |
| Lavochkin La-7 | |
| Powerplant | 1380kW (1850hp) M-82FN (Ash-82FN) 14-cylinder radial engine |
| Max Speed | 665km/h (413mph) at 5,000m (16,404ft) |
| Ceiling | 10,800m (35,435ft) |
| Max Range | 635km (395 miles) |
| Wing Span | 9.8m (32ft 1in) |
| Length | 8.6m (28ft 2in) |
| Height | 2.54m (8ft 4in) |
| Empty Weight | 2,638kg (5,816lb) |
| Max Weight | 3,400kg (7,496lb) |
| Armament | 3x 20mm Beresin B-20 ShVak nose cannons* (with 200 rounds per gun) |
| 6x 8.2cm (3.23in) RS-82 rockets, or | |
| 100kg of bombs. | |
*Only about 368 left the factory with this armament.