|
As the Soviet armies reeled back afterthe initial assault by Germany in theEast during 1941, frantic demandswere made for modern equipment tobe supplied to the Soviet air force. InOctober 1941 Semyon Lavochkinstarted work on the Lavochkin LaG-5fighter with 1194-kW (1,600-hp) M-82radial, passing on almost immediatelyto a development, the La-5, with cutdownrear fuselage which gave improvedvisibility for the pilot. The prototypecompleted its acceptance trialsin May 1942 and entered productiontwo months later; by the end of theyear no fewer than 1,182 examples hadbeen completed. In March 1943 thenext and principal version, the La-5FN,entered production, a total of 21,975aircraft including the later La-7 beingproduced before the end of the war;the La-5FN featured the 1231-kW(1,650-hp) ASh-82FN engine, but itstwo 20-mm cannon were supplementedby four 8.2-cm (3.23-in) RS82 rocket projectiles or two PTAB antitankweapons. A two-seat trainer version,the La-5UTI, was also produced.Later aircraft were armed with two 23-mm guns in place of the 20-mmweapons. In 1944 the La-7 appearedwith an armament of three 20- or 23-mm cannon, an uprated ASh-82FN engineand a top speed of 680 km/h (423mph). The first large-scale use of theLa-5 was during the fighting aroundStalingrad in November 1942; it wasessentially a low/medium-altitudefighter, and during the great armourbattles at Kursk in July 1943 La-5s wereemployed in a tank-busting role, andafter having discharged their hollowchargemissiles against ground targetsthey would climb to give fighter coverto the slower Ilyushin 11-2 support aircraft,The highest-scoring of all Alliedfighter pilots of the war, Ivan Kozhedub,achieved all his 62 combat victorieswhile flying La-5s, La-5FNs and La-7s between 26 March 1943 and 19 April1945.SpecificationLavochkinLa-5FNType: single-seat fighter/fighterbomberPowerplant: one 1231-kW(l,650-hp)ASh-82FN radial piston enginePerformance: maximum speed647 km/h (402 mph) at 5000 m(16,405 ft); climb to 5000 m (16,405 ft) in5.0 minutes; service ceiling 11000 m(36,090 ft); range 765 km (475 miles)Weights: empty 2605 kg (5,743 lb);normal take-off 3360 kg (7,408 lb)Dimensions: span 9.80 m (32 ft 1.75 in);length 8.67 m (28 ft 5.3 in); height2.54 m (8 ft 4 in); wing area 17.59 m2( 189.3 sq ft)Armament: two nose-mounted 20-mmShVAK cannon (on later aircraft 23-mmNS cannon), plus provision for four 8.2-cm (3.23-in) RS-82 rockets or 150 kg(33 lib) of bombs
|
