[JG52Uther]

Lavochkin La-11 1947

Evolved from the La-9 to meet a requirement for a fighter with sufficient range to fulfil the escort role, the La-11 was destined to be the last piston-engine fighter from the Lavochkin bureau. It had a wing fundamentally similar to that of the La-9 and retained the ASh-82FN engine, but provision was made to attach auxiliary fuel tanks at the wingtips, the ventral oil cooler was incorporated in the engine cowling and armament was reduced to three 23mm NS-23 cannon. The first prototype was flown in June 1947 under the design bureau designation La-134, and production (1947-51) at Gor'kiy was to total 1,182 aircraft.

The La-11 was supplied in some numbers to both the Chinese and the North Korean air forces, and saw operational use during the Korean conflict. It was finally phased out of first line VVS service in the early 'fifties.

Specification
WEIGHTS
Take-off weight 3990 kg 8796 lb
Empty weight 2770 kg 6107 lb
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan 9.8 m 32 ft 2 in
Length 8.7 m 28 ft 7 in
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed 674 km/h 419 mph
Ceiling 10250 m 33650 ft
Range w/max.fuel 2550 km 1585 miles

Lavochkin La-160 1947

The first Soviet fighter to utilise wing sweepback, and consequently known unofficially as the Strelka (Dart), the La-160 featured 35° of leading-edge sweep on a wing of 9.5% thickness. When initially flown on 24 June 1947, the La-160 was fitted with an RD-10 turbojet rated at 900kg, with which it could not get airborne fully laden. After initial handling trials, the La-160 was fitted with an RD-10F which provided an afterburning thrust of 1170kg and with which, after diving and then levelling off, a speed of 1060km/h was allegedly attained at 5700m, this being equivalent to Mach=0.92. The La-160 carried an armament of two 37mm NS-37 cannon, but was utilised primarily as a research vehicle in the development of more advanced fighters.

Specification
MODEL La-160
WEIGHTS
Take-off weight 4060 kg 8951 lb
Empty weight 2738 kg 6036 lb
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan 8.95 m 29 ft 4 in
Length 10.07 m 33 ft 0 in
Wing area 15.90 m2 171.15 sq ft
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed 900 km/h 559 mph

Lavochkin La-15 1948

A replacement prototype for the La-172 was designated La-174D (the suffix signifying dubler, literally "replacement"), and entered flight test in August 1948. This differed in only minor respects from the preceding prototype, and series production was ordered during the same month as the La-15, armament being reduced from three to two 23mm NS-23 cannon, and 6° of wing anhedral being added. The La-15 was powered by the RD-500 turbojet, the Soviet series version of the Derwent, deliveries to the VVS commencing in the late autumn of 1949. Production plans for the La-15 were, in the event, scaled down because of difficulties experienced in manufacturing in sufficient quantity the numerous milled parts employed in the structure, but several hundred were produced, these remaining in VVS service until 1954. A tandem two-seat conversion trainer version was evolved as the La-180, but only two examples of this variant were built.

Specification
MODEL La-15
WEIGHTS
Take-off weight 3850 kg 8488 lb
Empty weight 2575 kg 5677 lb
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan 8.8 m 28 ft 10 in
Length 9.0 m 29 ft 6 in
Wing area 16.2 m2 174.38 sq ft
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed 1025 km/h 637 mph
Ceiling 13000 m 42650 ft
Range 1170 km 727 miles

Lavochkin La-168 1948

In March 1946, Yosif Stalin assigned the task of developing advanced single-seat fighters around the newly-acquired Rolls-Royce Nene turbojet to the design bureaux of Semyon A Lavochkin, Artem Mikoyan and Mikhail Gurevich, and Aleksandr Yakovlev on a competitive basis. The Lavochkin contender, the La-168, featured a shoulder-mounted wing sweptback 37° 20' at the leading edge and fitted with Fowler flaps. An armament of two 23mm NS-23KM cannon and one 37mm N-37 cannon was fitted and power was provided by a 2268kg Nene R.N.2 turbojet.

The La-168 was first flown on 22 April 1948, subsequently attaining 1084km/h at 2750m, representing Mach=0.914. During the test programme, the cockpit canopy collapsed when all three guns were fired simultaneously at 15000m, but the pilot succeeded in landing the aircraft.

The La-168 test programme continued until 19 February 1949, but the Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau's competitive I-310 (Type S) had meanwhile been selected for large-scale production.

Specification
WEIGHTS
Take-off weight 4412 kg 9727 lb
Empty weight 2973 kg 6554 lb
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan 9.50 m 31 ft 2 in
Length 10.56 m 34 ft 8 in
Wing area 18.08 m2 194.61 sq ft
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed 1084 km/h 674 mph
Range 1275 km 792 miles

Lavochkin La-172 1948

In parallel with the specification to which the La-168 was to be developed, a requirement was formulated for a lighter "frontal fighter" powered by the Rolls-Royce Derwent turbojet. To meet the latter demand, the Lavochkin bureau evolved two designs, the La-172 and the La-174TK. The former was effectively a scaleddown version of the La-168 tailored for the lower-powered, smaller engine and the latter featured exceptionally thin, unswept wings and a configuration generally similar to that of the earlier La-152 series of fighters. The La-172 was powered by an NII-1 turbojet (as the pre-series Soviet version of the Derwent was designated) rated at 1600kg, and entered flight test early in 1948, with armament comprising three 23-mm NS-23 cannon. Early in the test programme, while being flown by I Ye Fedorov, the La-172 suffered uncontrollable flutter at 8000m and entered a flat spin. Recovery was effected at 3000m, but the prototype was heavily damaged in a subsequent crash landing. Nevertheless, development was continued via the La-174D to result in the La-15.


Specification
WEIGHTS
Take-off weight 3708 kg 8175 lb
Empty weight 2433 kg 5364 lb
DIMENSIONS
Wingspan 8.83 m 28 ft 12 in
Length 9.56 m 31 ft 4 in
Wing area 16.16 m2 173.94 sq ft
PERFORMANCE
Max. speed 1040 km/h 646 mph
Range 1300 km 808 miles