Dolgushin's La-7

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

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Description

Dolgushin's La-7 is a gift Rank IV Soviet Fighter with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB), 4.7 (RB), and 5.0 (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.49 "Weapons of Victory". 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 maneuver 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

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 6,250 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
644	634	10,450	20.2	20.6	11.3	14.1	???
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 6,250 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
712	677	10,450	18.7	19.2	28.2	18.2	348

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flap (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
735	320	530	~21	~21

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

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
1,550 m	1,670 hp	1,959 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
4,700 m	1,410 hp	?,??? hp

Survivability and armour

• 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)

Armaments

Offensive armament

Dolgushin's La-7 is armed with:

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

Suspended armament

Dolgushin's La-7 can be outfitted with:

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

Usage in the battles

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
Controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Not controllable	Separate	Not ontrollable	Not controllable

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage Repair	Radiator	Armored Glass	DZ-40
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings Repair	Engine	Rear Armor Plate	Offensive 20 mm
IV		Engine Injection	Cover	New 20 mm Cannons

All upgrades are unlocked because its a premium plane.

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Excellent low altitude performance (< 3,000 m/9,843 ft)
• Decent maneuverability
• Great acceleration and climb
• Good roll rate
• Centre-mounted cannons
• Decent visibility
• Good speed in level flight
• Pilot armor options
• 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
• Poor stock plane as well as belts
• Relatively poor durability- wings tend to rip at higher speeds compared to contemporaries

History

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.

Media

DigitalDigging review

Viola Games review

Messer Smitt review

Read also

• (Official WT webpage) Aircraft Profile: Lavochkin La-7

Sources

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

• topic on the official game forum;
• page on aircraft encyclopedia;
• other literature.