Lavochkin La-5
Initially caught by surprise by the German raid of 1941, Soviet forces were caught ill-equipped to even defend their own soil against the might of the perfected Blitzkrieg war scheme by the Germans. The Lavochkin La-5 series of aircraft was a correct step that should have been taken earlier, as it was said by the school of thought that claimed "any aircraft was better than none". The Soviet government finally decided to order the change to radial engines in August 1941. By then most of the designs were based upon Vee engines. But, it was feared that the number of airframes would eventually exceed the number of available engines. All the three major Soviet design bureaus that were Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov, Mikoyan-Gurevich, and Yakovlev were producing their aircraft with the same engine. The La series of fighters were among the best fighters produced during World War II. Belonging to the category of dogfighter, the Lavochkin La-5 was considered a superior aircraft to both the German Bf 109 and Fw 190 fighters which were the major immediate threat. Lavochkin modified LaGG 3 airframe by fitting it with a powerful M-82 radial engine. With a few aerodynamic retouches, a new canopy and cowl, they produced a fighter that was faster and more agile then the much-feared Bf 109. The Lavochkin La-5 possessed a shortened rear fuselage with the cockpit positioned near the exact middle of the fuselage with the low-mounted monoplane wings just below and forward of the pilot's position. Its noticeable propeller hub later became the stable design element of other Lavochkin aircraft during and following the war. Armament consisted of 2 x 20mm cannon mounted in the nose. The La-5 evolved into the La-5FN model featuring an upgraded engine and optional rockets. Soviet pilot Ivan Kozhedub, completed the war with an astounding 62 aerial victories with this series of the aircraft. 21,975 of the various Lavochkin Russia airplane models were produced. They left service in 1945. Specifications
Lavochkin La 5 - A Great Russia Airplane of World War 2
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