La-5 file photo [121]

La-5

CountryRussia
ManufacturerLavochkin
Primary RoleFighter
Maiden Flight1 March 1942

Contributor:

ww2dbaseThe La-5 (Ла-5) fighters were designed because of the poor performance of LaGG-1 and LaGG-3 fighters, which had pushed the rival aircraft manufacturing company Yakovlev's Yak-1 into the spotlight. The design was still largely based on the LaGG-3, but when the prototype took flight in Mar 1942, the difference was easy to see; in fact, test pilots declared that the performance was on par with, or exceeding, that of Yak-7. In Jul 1942, production of La-5 began with the conversion of incomplete LaGG-3 airframes into the new design. In summer of 1943, the Germans captured a La-5FN. Test pilot Hans-Werner Lerhe flew the captured aircraft and noted that the fighter excelled at lower altitudes (below 3,000 meters) and had a high top-speed, but suffered several disadvantages including a short range and overly-complicated cockpit levers. Out of the 9,920 built, many La-5 fighters survived the war and remained in the air forces of Soviet Bloc countries.

ww2dbaseSource: Wikipedia.

Last Major Revision: Sep 2006

SPECIFICATIONS

La-5FN
MachineryOne Shvetsov ASh-82FN radial engine rated at 1,630hp
Armament2x20mm ShVAK cannon, 8xRS-82 rockets or up to 500kg of bombs
Span9.80 m
Length8.67 m
Height2.54 m
Wing Area17.50 m²
Weight, Empty2,605 kg
Weight, Loaded3,265 kg
Weight, Maximum3,402 kg
Speed, Maximum648 km/h
Rate of Climb16.70 m/s
Service Ceiling11,000 m
Range, Normal475 km

Photographs

La-5 aircraft resting on a snowy airfield, date unknownA La-5FN aircraft being serviced on an airfield, Ukraine, 11 Sep 1944




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Visitor Submitted Comments

1. Anatoly says:
20 Dec 2006 05:40:57 PM

Maximal speed for La-5 is 403 mlsh, not kmh, which stands for ~670 kmh - close for the reality for this very good Russian fighter.

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La-5 aircraft resting on a snowy airfield, date unknown
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