Overview
The Lavochkin La-7 is a piston-engined single-seat fighter aircraft developed by the Soviet Union during World War II by the Lavochkin Design Bureau. It was a development and refinement of the Lavochkin La-5, and the last in a family of aircraft that had begun with the LaGG-1 in 1938. Its first flight was in early 1944 and it entered service with the Soviet Air Forces later in the year. A small batch of La-7s was given to the Czechoslovak Air Force the following year, but otherwise it was not exported. Armed with two or three 20 mm (0.8 in) cannon, it had a top speed of 661 kilometers per hour (411 mph). The La-7 was felt by its pilots to be at least the equal of any German piston-engined fighter. It was phased out in 1947 by the Soviet Air Force, but served until 1950 with the Czechoslovak Air Force.
Specifications
Dimensions
| Length | 8.60 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 9.80 m |
| Height | 2.54 m |
Performance
| Range | 635 km |
|---|
Powerplant
| Engine model | ASh-82 |
|---|
Figures are compiled from public sources and may be approximate; they can vary by variant and configuration.
Photos
Photo 1: Alan Wilson from Stilton, Peterborough, Cambs, UK / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 2.0
Some text and images come from Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons under CC BY-SA licences. Source
