Aircraft LA-7: specifications, drawings, photos

Soviet aircraft LA-7 was created in OKB-21 (the city of Gorky, today - Nizhny Novgorod). The development was led by SA Lavochkin - one of the best Soviet designers. This aircraft was considered one of the most effective means of combat aviation during the Second World War. He combined the most important functions for gaining superiority in the air - maneuverability and armament.

General information

LA-7 - an aircraft that can be classified as a monoplane (apparatus with one pair of wings). It has one engine, located in the bow, and the only seat - for the pilot. Its predecessor is the LA-5 fighter, also developed in the 21st OKB. The first prototype aircraft (under the code LA-120) took off in November 1943.

In early 1944 he successfully passed flight tests and enlisted in the military service. By the time the war ended, more than 5,700 LA-7 fighters had left the assembly line. According to many Soviet pilots, this aircraft was the best: its maneuverability, speed, reliability and firepower were highly appreciated. At the helm of such an upscale fighter, confidence was gained in the victory over any ace of the Third Reich.

History of appearance

LA-7 was the result of the technological evolution of a series of several aircraft. The very first LaGG-2 fighter appeared (developed in 1939) and LaGG-3 (1940). In their creation, designers M. Gudkov and V. Gorbunov also took part. The second fighter was able to fly at a speed of 600 km / h - much faster than German aircraft of its class. But it was heavy: 600 kg more than the Yak-1. Maneuverability LaGG-3 and climb rate left much to be desired.

In 1942 LA-5 appeared with a lighter engine, which perfectly proved itself in the Battle of Stalingrad. The new aircraft was superior to the Messerschmitt, it had two cannons of 20-millimeter caliber, and they proved to be more effective than the "German" with one gun supplemented with two machine guns.

In 1943, by the time of the battle near Kursk, the country's aviation received a new generation of fighters - LA-5FN with a forced engine, less weight and easier handling. Even the newest German "Focke-Wulf-190" could not compete with this Soviet aircraft. And, finally, at the end of 1943, a new model, LA-7, was launched into the air. On it, in comparison with the previous fighter, there was a third gun, and also the plane could develop a speed of 680 km / h.

Designer genius

The man who directed the creation of LA-7 - Semyon Alekseevich Lavochkin. He - a gold medalist, in 1918-1920 he served in the ranks of the Red Army and border troops. Then he graduated from the Moscow Higher Technical School (today it is the Bauman Moscow State Technical University) where he got the profession of an aeromechanical engineer. The theme of his thesis work was related to the development of the bomber.

Semen Alexeyevich began to work in the aircraft construction industry in the late 20's, first engaged in the design of aircraft for the fleet of the USSR, and then went to work on the fighters. In the second half of the 1930s, when the world was already uneasy, the Soviet government decided to pay special attention to the development of the air forces of the Red Army. First Lavochkin along with SN. Lushin created an aircraft LL-1, armed with dynamo-reektivnymi guns. Later, I-301 prototype appeared, containing outstanding design drawings. LA-7 owes its appearance to the design initiatives of Semyon Alexeyevich of those years.

Characteristics

The speed and climb rate of the aircraft LA-7, in principle, remained comparable with those of the LA-5FN. The maximum speed of the fighter was 680 km / h (with a flight at an altitude of 6 thousand meters), the limit at the ground - 597 km / h. The range of the flight LA-7 was 635 km, the ceiling height - 10 km 750 m.

The climbing speed of a fighter is 1098 meters per minute. The length of the car is 8.60 m, the height is 2.54 m. The empty weight is 2605 kg, the equipped one is 3265 kg. Area of the fighter wing is 17.5 sq. M. The maximum take-off weight is 3400 kg. The aircraft wing is 9,80 m wide. The LA-7 engine is one of three types: the AH-82FN, the AS-83 or the 71. The fighter has a thrust of 1850 horsepower (equivalent to 1380 kilowatts). One of the main differences between the LA-7 and the previous aircraft is the lightweight construction (thanks to metal spars).

Armament

The combat equipment of the LA-7 aircraft consisted, as a rule, of two 20-millimeter SHVAK guns or three guns of the same caliber of the B-20 type. They knew how to prevent the projectiles from getting into the blades of the propeller, thanks to the hydromechanical synchronizer installed on them. The ammunition for the SHVAK gun was usually 200 cartridges per gun. Also, the ammunition was supplemented with shells of an armor-piercing-incendiary type (capable of penetrating armor up to 22 mm from a distance of 100 m), as well as shells of a fragmentation-incendiary type. Under the wings of the aircraft could be installed bombs (up to 100 kg on each wing). Most often these were shells of FAB-50 and 100 types, ZAB-50, 100 (the index designates the mass of the bomb - 50 or 100 kg).

disadvantages

Military experts noted that the aircraft LA-7 from time to time refused to work hydraulics. The engine of the fighter was not exactly stable either. Due to the fact that the air intakes of the motor were in the plane of the wings, they had the property of clogging up dust during take-off and landing. Therefore, the engine could refuse to work. This property was overlooked by specialists in state trials: the acceptance took place in the winter, when there was no dust.

It is recognized that the engine on the LA-5FN refused much less often than on the LA-7. The aircraft's oil radiator was located under the fuselage, and because of this the cabin was very hot (about 40 degrees in winter and 55 in summer). The pilots had to be hard, considering that the exhaust gas from the engine got into the cab, and the condensate often fell on the glass.

Comparison with analogues: theory and practice

The LA-7 aircraft, whose photo is in most Soviet aviation textbooks, is often perceived as a fighter that far exceeds its German counterparts - the FW-190 and the Messerschmitt-109. At the same time, the pilots themselves said that it was very difficult to combat German aircraft. For example, a dive, according to some Soviet aces, "Germans" could have been much better than this car. Therefore, to win a duel, if the enemy performed such a figure of aerobatics, as a rule, only the most experienced pilots of the Soviet Air Force could.

But, what is especially important, in such cases, the LA-7 gave the advantage, thanks to a sharp set of speed. Having managed to get close to the Germans quickly, it was possible to attack the enemy. At the same time, the parameters of the radius of the bend (horizontal maneuverability) in LA-7 made it possible to speak of superiority over German aircraft. This was due to a lower load of the Soviet fighter on the wing: about 190 kg / sq. M. (When the "German" - more than 200 kg / sq.). Therefore, the LA-7 made a turn for 3-4 seconds faster than, for example, "Focke-Wulf".

Combat experience

LA-7 - this is the aircraft on which it carried out its combat missions I.N. Kozhedub is a legendary pilot, a hero of the Soviet Union thrice. He began the fighting path at the helm of LA-5, where he shot down several dozen aircraft. Moving to LA-7, Kozhedub destroyed 17 German fighters, triumphantly completing their combat sorties during the battles near Berlin.

The active combat use of the aircraft began in June 1944. This fighter was in special honor from the Guards regiments of the Soviet Air Force. On the legendary LA-7 positively responded to AI. Pokryshkin - ace, the hero of the Soviet Union three times. Performing combat sorties on this plane, he shot down 17 German fighters, including the jet Messerschmitt-262. The great Soviet pilot considered the LA-7 to be a model of excellent maneuverability, speed, strength of armament: all this was perfectly combined with the favorite "formula" ace: "speed, maneuver and fire."

Hero's plane

LA-7 historians of the Great Patriotic War traditionally associated with the name of Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub, who won 64 wins (there was no more ace of the anti-Hitler coalition countries). The pilot opened the account in battles in March 1943 on the LA-5 combat aircraft. Kozhedub subsequently made 146 sorties on a fighter of this type and shot down 20 "Germans". In May 1944, the pilot relocated to LA-5FN, which was collected for money, interestingly, one collective farmer from the Stalingrad region. On this plane, he destroyed 7 units of enemy aircraft. In August the Kozhedub regiment was transferred to the new LA-7 fighters for the Soviet Air Force. On this type of aircraft Ivan Nikitich fought until the end of the Great Patriotic War.

During one of the combat missions LA-7 Kozheduba was hit, his engine stalled. Deciding not to surrender to the enemy, the Soviet ace sent the aircraft to one of the objects on the ground. But when the fighter began to dive down, the engine suddenly earned, and Kozhedub, having withdrawn LA-7 from the peak, returned to the airfield. Throughout the war, Ivan Nikitich flew for combat missions 330 times, participated in 120 air battles, in which 64 enemy aircraft were destroyed. He was awarded three Gold Star medals.