World War II Database

Contributor: C. Peter Chen

ww2dbaseThe La-7 (Ла-7) fighters were based on the design of La-5. The characteristic that set the La-7 fighters apart from their predecessors was the usage of metal alloy components, where their predecessors were made of mostly wood. The prototype took flight in Nov 1943, and by next spring they were already in combat service. Though few in number, La-7 fighters were rather liked by those pilots who flew them. On 15 Feb 1945, Ivan Nikitovich Kozhedub's La-7 shot down a Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter, the only Russian fighter pilot to achieve that in the war. Later in the war, the La-7 platform was used to test rocket and jet propulsion, though none of them came to fruition as the next generation of Russian fighter aircraft. A total of 5,753 were built.

SPECIFICATIONS

La-7

Machinery	One Shvetsov ASh-82FN radial engine rated at 1,850hp
Armament	2x or 3x20mm ShVAK cannons, 200kg of bombs
Span	9.80 m
Length	8.60 m
Height	2.54 m
Wing Area	17.50 m²
Weight, Empty	2,638 kg
Weight, Loaded	3,265 kg
Weight, Maximum	3,400 kg
Speed, Maximum	680 km/h
Rate of Climb	15.72 m/s
Service Ceiling	9,500 m
Range, Normal	990 km

Photographs

Visitor Submitted Comments

Show older comments

2.  Hobilar says:
22 Sep 2007 03:24:35 AM

During 1944 attempts were made to improve the performance of the La-7 for short periods by installing a liquid-fuel rocket motor in the extreme rear fuselage. This rocket motor, the power of which has never been revealed, boosted maximum speed by ten to fifteen per cent for brief periods, and was considered sufficient to permit its service introduction on a small scale, although it is believed that La-7s so equipped were confined to the units of the PVO (Protivozdushnoi Oborony, or Protective Air Force).