Dolgushin's La-7

This page is about the premium Soviet fighter Dolgushin's La-7. For other versions, see La-7 (Family).

Dolgushin's La-7

Dolgushin's La-7

USSR

IV Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.3	4.7	5.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Show in game

Description

Dolgushin's La-7 is a premium gift rank IV Soviet fighter with a battle rating of 4.3 (AB), 4.7 (RB), and 5.0 (SB). It was introduced as a premium pack in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory". It was discontinued after the 2017 Victory Day sales and has since been made available as part of the Wings of Victory bundle, for instance in the 2019 Victory Day sale and the 2021 May sale. The plane is painted after the camouflage scheme of Soviet pilot Sergei F. Dolgushin in the 156th fighter aviation regiment from September 1944 onward.

The key to staying alive in the La-7 lies in deceiving the enemy. By flying at around 4.5 km altitude you present yourself as an easy target for Boom & Zoom aircraft that are flying at higher altitudes. When you spot someone diving at you, break off and evade his burst, while slowly luring him into manoeuvre combat - this way you will start gaining the edge while the enemy loses his speed and momentum in the turn. Another habit worth developing in the La-7 is ammo conservation - the ShVAK shoot fast and in RB it is a skill worth having - it is crucial to only take shots that you know will hit and aiming them carefully. This way you stand a bigger chance of critically damaging the enemy airplane. By following those rules you will soon find yourself researching the final Lavochkin piston fighter - the La-9.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 6 250 m677 km/h

Turn time19 s

Max altitude10 450 m

EngineShvetsov M-82FN

TypeRadial

Cooling systemAir

Take-off weight3 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 6,250 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	650	627	10450	20.0	20.7	14.0	14.0	348
Upgraded	714	676		18.3	19.2	23.9	18.2

Details

Features
Combat flaps	Take-off flaps	Landing flaps	Air brakes	Arrestor gear
✓	✓	✓	X	X

Limits
Wings (km/h)	Gear (km/h)	Flaps (km/h)			Max Static G
		Combat	Take-off	Landing	+	-
735	320	504	471	300	~13	~13

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 350	< 350	< 440	> 230

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural735 km/h

Gear320 km/h

• 55 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit front
• 66 mm Bulletproof glass in cockpit rear (Can be upgraded to 75 mm with Armored glass modification)
• 8.5 mm Steel plate behind the pilot (Can be upgraded to 10 mm with Rear armor plate modification)

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB1 243

RB4 282

SB4 263

Crew training10 000

Experts250 000

Aces820

Research Aces870 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 80 / 220 / 400 %

2 × 160 / 160 / 160 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Compressor Wings repair Engine Engine injection	Armored glass Airframe Rear armor plate Cover	DZ-40 shvak_belt_pack shvak_new_gun

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 12 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon

Ammunition340 rounds

Fire rate720 shots/min

Dolgushin's La-7 is armed with:

• 2 x 20 mm ShVAK cannons, nose mounted (170 rpg = 340 total)

Suspended armament

List of setups (2)

Setup 12 x 50 kg FAB-50sv (forged) bomb

Setup 22 x 100 kg FAB-100sv (forged) bomb

Dolgushin's La-7 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 50 kg FAB-50sv bombs (100 kg total)
• 2 x 100 kg FAB-100sv bombs (200 kg total)

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in the aircraft, the features of using aircraft in a team and advice on tactics. Refrain from creating a "guide" - do not impose a single point of view, but instead, give the reader food for thought. Examine the most dangerous enemies and give recommendations on fighting them. If necessary, note the specifics of the game in different modes (AB, RB, SB).

Dolgushin's La-7.

Tactics

The strengths of all La-7 variants lie in very good low altitude performance - ideally, you want to engage your enemies at altitudes lower than 5 km - higher up, the power output of the engine reduces drastically, making you an easy target. Aside from the speed, the La-7 possesses very good turning capabilities - while it is not as good a turner as some British and Japanese designs, it can give many German and US aircraft a run for their money.

Manual Engine Control

MEC elements
Mixer	Pitch	Radiator			Supercharger	Turbocharger
		Oil	Water	Type
Not controllable	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Controllable Not auto controlled	Separate	Controllable 2 gears	Not controllable

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent low altitude performance (< 3,000 m/9,843 ft)
• Decent manoeuvrability
• Great acceleration and climb
• Good roll rate
• Centre-mounted cannons
• Decent visibility
• Good speed in level flight
• Bomb options

Cons:

• Poor performance at high altitude (> 4,000 m/13,124 ft)
• Poor maximum dive speed
• Fast-firing cannons mean less fire time
• Tends to bleed energy
• Center-mounted cannons can be difficult to master
• Relatively poor durability- wings tend to rip at higher speeds compared to contemporaries

History

Hero of the Soviet Union Sergei Dolgushin, Commander of 156. IAP (middle), with pilot colleagues in front of his La-7. Photo taken in Germany, 1945.

The concept of a new fighter for the Soviet Air Force was pitched in 1943. While the earlier Lavochkin La-5 proved to be one of the best Soviet fighters produced up to that point, the main designer of the La-5, Semyon Lavochkin, felt that it could be improved even further. Work on a completely new fighter began in the early months of 1944. The new fighter was supposed to be an improved version of the La-5 design. The changes included the incorporation of a lighter and more durable metal airframe in place of the earlier wooden one. Other changes included the mounting of a new gun sight and propeller, as well as the strengthening of the landing gear struts and streamlining of the wings. It was to be armed with three Berezin B-20 20 mm cannons, however, the delay in production meant that most new La-7s were armed with 2 x 20 mm ShVAK cannons, like its predecessor. After more tests, the new fighter was accepted into serial production in late 1944.

In September 1944, the first La-7s found their way onto the front lines with the 63rd Guard Fighter Aviation Corps. The reception of the new fighter was warm - it was faster and more manoeuvrable than the La-5, which meant it could more efficiently tackle the most common German fighter the Soviets faced: the Messerschmitt Bf 109 G. In certain circumstances, the speed allowed the Soviet pilots to intercept Fw 190 fighter-bombers - a feat impossible to achieve for other Soviet fighters like the Yak-3. The main critiques of the design were considered to be the engine reliability and armament - the twin 20 mm ShVAK cannons were judged as inadequate in fights against better-armoured Fw190s. Still, the La-7 became one of the most successful Soviet piston fighters of World War II. Soviet ace Ivan Kozhedub scored 17 kills while flying the La-7 - his last one being an Me 262 jet. After the war, the La-7 was replaced by the La-9 prop fighter, although many were still used by other communist states as both fighters and trainer aircraft.

In-game description

The Lavochkin La-7 was a Soviet single-seat single-engine monoplane fighter. It was a further development of the La-5FN. The first prototype was built in January 1944, making its first flight on 2nd February and entering state trials on 16th February. The aircraft entered serial production in May 1944, designated La-7, and fully replaced the La-5FN on production lines by November 1944.

The La-7 was one of the best serial fighters of WWII, highly maneuverable with advanced performance characteristics and powerful armament. One on one, it was greatly superior to contemporary Axis, British and US fighters at low and medium altitudes. Other features included improved survivability and ease of control. A total of 5,735 La-7s were built before the end of WWII.

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the Dolgushin's La-7 from live.warthunder.com.

Images

• 

  An artist's rendering of Dolgushin's La-7 fighter

Videos

Premium Review: Dolgushin's La 7 [STRONK] - Jengar

Dolgushin's La-7 Test Flight & History! - Viola Games

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• [Aircraft Profile] Lavochkin La-7
• Official data sheet - more details about the performance

Lavochkin Design Bureau (Лавочкинa Опытное конструкторское бюро)
LaGG-3*	I-301 · LaGG-3-4 · LaGG-3-8 · LaGG-3-11 · LaGG-3-23 · LaGG-3-34 · LaGG-3-35 · LaGG-3-66
La-5/7	La-5 · La-5F · La-5FN · La-7 · Dolgushin's La-7 · La-7B-20
La-9/11	La-9 · La-11
Jet Fighters	La-15 · La-174 · La-200
Export	␗La-9 · ␗La-11
Captured	▀La-5FN
	*Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov (Лавочкин-Горбунов-Гудков), head designer V. P. Gorbunov