Shortly after the end of WWII in Europe, following the advancements from first generation jet-fighter projects such as the Sukhoi Aircraft K prototype and the Yak-15 family, the Soviet Union laid down a new set of requirements for a second generation jet fighter project. The main candidates were Mikoyan's I-310 prototype, Yakovlev's Yak-30 prototype, and Lavochkin's Project 52. Project 52 differed from the competitors, as the project was for not one, but two aircraft. These two aircraft were designated La-174 and La-174D, the only difference being that the normal 174 used the reverse engineered Rolls-Royce Derwent engine, while the latter 174D used the Rolls-Royce Nene engine. In the end, only the Derwent powered prototype (reverse engineered as the Klimov RD-500 engine) was chosen to enter production as the La-15. However, due to the exponential advancements in technology in the early '50s, the La-15's service would be short lived, as more advanced aircraft with supersonic capability entered service and quickly replaced it, such as the new MiG-19 and MiG-21.

The La-174, introduced in Update 1.39, is one of the rarest jets in the game, as it was only made available in limited time periods on 2 occasions: during the 2014 Lavochkin's 114th birthday and 2017 Lavochkin's 117th birthday events. The two conditions to obtain the La-174 were that the La-15 had to be researched first, and the La-174 had to be researched and purchased during the event. Outside of these two short and exclusive events, the La-174 is otherwise unavailable. The La-174 is a very early prototype of the La-15 found in the tech tree, and as such, the La-174 possesses very minor differences in performance and a different colour scheme. Due to being an almost identical early prototype to the tech tree La-15, the aircraft plays almost exactly the same: Relying on its very powerful engine and high thrust output to best its opponents in energy based engagements, while staying cautious of its own speed, as the aircraft can easily rip its wings in a straight line with the absurd engine power. Players flying this aircraft should also be wary of the early air-to-air missiles they can face when uptiered, as these weapons negate the speed advantages of the La-174.