I-301

This page is about the gift Soviet fighter I-301. For other versions, see LaGG-3 (Family).

I-301

I-301

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
4.0	3.0	3.0

Class:

PREMIUM

Fighter

Purchase:Bundle or Gift

Show in game

MARKET

Description

The I-301 is a gift rank II Soviet fighter with a battle rating of 4.0 (AB) and 3.0 (RB/SB). It was introduced during Update 1.43 as part of a giveaway in the 2014 Winter Holiday event. Currently you can only acquire an I-301 coupon in a trophy or buy one at the Gaijin market to unlock this aircraft.

The I-301 construction is similar to that of the LaGG-3 fighters, not too surprising considering the I-301 is the prototype of the LaGG-3 fighter series, and as such, the flight characteristics are also similar to the other planes in the family. There is almost no difference between the I-301 and the in-game LaGG-3-8. Besides being only marginally faster than the rank II LaGG-3-66 in level flight and in a climb, the tactics proposed in the article for the LaGG-3-8 hold true, with the exception of the massive increase in firepower.

The most distinctive feature of the I-301 is its complete dark red coat; given there are no other camouflage options, the I-301 is permanently linked with its red paint.

The I-301 construction was wood and polymer, which contributed to its flying capabilities. Contrary to beliefs, the wooden construction was quite resistant to catching fire, but all the fuel tanks in the wings and fuselage are quite combustible. If one looks at the I-301 and compares it to other Soviet aircraft, there are some similarities due to features taken from other aircraft models. The fuselage was a similar construction of the MiG-3 fighters. The wings are similar to that of the Yak-1, the only difference being the I-301 wings are built in two parts, as evidenced by the bands in the middle of the wings.

The I-301 firepower is a step above the other LaGG-3 fighters due to the extra machine guns and powerful cannon. The cannon is not the usual ShVAK (20 mm) seen on the production LaGG-3, but is a 23 mm PTB-23 cannon, which in-game is similar to the 23 mm on the IL-2 attackers, meaning they have great stopping power when it hits and can even be used against ground targets. As for machine gun armaments, all other LaGG-3 fighters had a single 12.7 mm UB machine gun as their secondary, the I-301 has two 12.7 mm and two 7.62 mm machine guns for a total of four.

With four machine guns and a cannon mounted in the V of the engine, the I-301 is one of the best armed of any fighters around its battle rating. In the hands of a skilled pilot, this plane can and will destroy anything it goes after with near-impunity, its speed and climb rate being fairly well-suited for Boom & Zoom tactics. However, because it is essentially an up-gunned LaGG-3, it is still vulnerable to being set on fire pretty easily (with all the fuel tanks in the wings), the engine overheating rather quickly (a critical factor in Realistic and Simulator Battles), and it can't turn-fight for long before slower, more manoeuvrable aircraft can catch up to it and shoot it down. Similar to the Yak-3P, its only camouflage has a red finish, which can make it stand out in the sky, though unlike the Yak, the red finish is darker and less eye-grabbing from a distance in certain environments.

In short, the I-301 is the grandfather of all the Lavochkin fighters. Its general flying style is almost identical to the production LaGG-3s, but with its five guns, it is very well suited for a more aggressive play-style. As such, going after more armoured targets like four-engine bombers and attacker-class aircraft is viable in this aircraft, and dispatching enemy fighters even in full up-tiers will be easy.

General info

Flight performance

Max speed

at 4 950 m605 km/h

Turn time22 s

Max altitude9 600 m

EngineKlimov VK-105P

TypeInline

Cooling systemWater

Take-off weight3 t

Characteristics	Max Speed (km/h at 4,950 m)		Max altitude (metres)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (metres/second)		Take-off run (metres)
	AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
Stock	583	565	9600	23.0	23.8	10.5	10.5	380
Upgraded	630	605		20.9	22.0	17.8	13.8

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	+	-
0	350	440	414	280	~12	~9

Optimal velocities (km/h)
Ailerons	Rudder	Elevators	Radiator
< 380	< 380	< 380	> 323

Survivability and armour

Crew1 person

Speed of destruction

Structural0 km/h

Gear350 km/h

• 8 mm Steel plate behind the pilot.

Modifications and economy

Repair cost

AB1 043

RB470

SB747

Crew training2 300

Experts15 000

Aces125

Research Aces320 000

Reward for battleAB / RB / SB

2 × 40 / 60 / 140 %

2 × 112 / 112 / 112 %

Modifications

Flight performance	Survivability	Weaponry
Fuselage repair Radiator Compressor Wings repair Engine Engine injection	Airframe Cover	ub_belt_pack shkas_belt_pack ub_new_gun shkas_new_gun vya_belt_pack vya_new_gun

Armaments

Offensive armament

Weapon 123 mm PTB-23 cannon

Ammunition81 rounds

Fire rate600 shots/min

Weapon 22 x 12.7 mm Berezin UBS machine gun

Ammunition420 rounds

Fire rate996 shots/min

Weapon 32 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine gun

Ammunition1 300 rounds

Fire rate1 800 shots/min

The I-301 is armed with:

• 1 x 23 mm PTB-23 cannon, nose-mounted (81 rpg)
• 2 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine guns, nose-mounted (210 rpg = 420 total)
• 2 x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns, nose-mounted (650 rpg = 1,300 total)

Usage in battles

A good tactic for flying the I-301 is to climb above all your enemies, using your good rate of climb. Once at altitude, you can pick and choose whichever target you want to pursue. Once you pick out a target, dive on it and demolish the enemy with your deadly armament. It is very important to note that if your target turns, do not turn with it! Convert your speed back into altitude, and then dive back on the enemy aircraft. If you are playing in an Arcade Battle, you will want to reload your cannon whenever your ammunition runs below about 25 rounds. Optimally you will be at bomber altitude, where you can take your time, reload and regroup.

If you are flying in Realistic or Simulator, you will usually not have to worry about breaking up in a dive, tearing your flaps, or ripping your wings; due to its construction, the I-301 is exceptionally tough. The I-301's roll rate and pitch authority are about average, but it has above average yaw authority. However, as you approach and go beyond 650 km/h (400 mph) your control surfaces will stiffen up.

Armament suggestions

Unlike the LaGG-3, the I-301 is equipped with four machine guns and a cannon that fires through the propeller hub, which gives this plane the heaviest one-second burst mass of any rank II aircraft, comparable to planes up to two ranks above its rank. The massive amount of firepower can take down even higher-end rank IIIs and lower-end rank IVs if one is unlucky enough to have one on their six. As for ammo capacity, it carries a fair amount for its machine guns, carrying more ammo for its twin Berezin machine guns than the total ammo capacity of any of the LaGG-3s (cannon and machine gun combined); carrying enough ShKAS machine gun ammo equal to half the load of planes equipped with four of them such as the I-153 M-62 and the I-16 Ishak. However, the PTB-23 ammo load is abysmal compared to a load of a single VYa-23 cannon, in which it has only 81 rounds before it needs to be reloaded.

As with other planes with a multiple gun arrangement, Trigger discipline is the key to getting as many planes as you can before you run out of ammo for each gun. Since all the guns are centre-line mounted, it is critical that your aim is on point before pulling the trigger in short, controlled bursts. In the end, the full salvo of five guns can quickly dispatch lightly armoured fighters with ease, along with tearing through larger aircraft like bombers and attackers at a rather alarming rate. It is very comfortable at punching well above its rank, but because it is a prototype, it does not have any options for suspended ordnance such as rockets and bombs.

To add, most of the time machine guns, if the aircraft has cannons, will all be paired together. With the I-301, it is different. The twin ShKAS machine guns are what fire when the machine guns key is activated while the twin Berezin UB machine guns and the PTB-23 cannon will fire if the cannons key is activated.

Specific enemies worth noting

There are a select few enemies to be concerned about, one of which are enemy P-47s. Unless catching one in a level altitude, the P-47 can maintain a very high speed and firepower to use when attacking. They come in a Boom & Zoom style onto the aircraft and even if they miss, they zoom away with its speed, with the I-301 unable to catch it under its own speed. If they make the mistake of engaging in a turn fight, the I-301 will dance all over the slowed P-47 and a good burst into the fuselage can still tear apart a P-47.

Counter-tactics

Due to the previously mentioned firepower and flight performance, the I-301 can be a beast in the air. If trying to down a I-301, try to catch one when it is engaging with another aircraft, namely when it is swooping onto a target or turning against a fighter. While it is preoccupied with trying to destroy the enemy, pounce on it and take it out quickly before the I-301 can react.

Manual Engine Control

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

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Extremely heavy armament concentration, all mounted in the nose
• Great ammo capacity for its machine guns
• Good diving characteristics
• Average climbing characteristics
• Performs slightly better than the production aircraft that follows it (LaGG-3-8)
• Easy to fly
• Incredible armament
• Good canopy view
• Many players will underestimate you because they will not know what you are

Cons:

• Cannon runs out of ammo before the machine guns do
• Somewhat underpowered engine
• Engine overheats rather quickly
• Engine easy to knock out
• Can't sustain energy in a turn-fight
• Can catch fire pretty easily
• Red camouflage can be somewhat concerning in certain environments
• No camouflage options, stuck with the default red
• Only 81 rounds for the cannon
• The red camouflage will allow experienced enemies to quickly identify you at a distance and exploit your weaknesses

History

In-game description

A low wing single-seat all-wooden monoplane fighter with a closed cockpit and retractable landing gear with a tail wheel.

Designed in OKB-301 led by the "triumvirate" of aviation designers – S.A Lavochkin, V.P. Gorbunov and M.I. Gudkov.

The I-301's airframe consisted entirely of wood. All its parts were attached with glue, without nails or screws. The most crucial parts were processed with Bakelite lacquer, a phenol formaldehyde resin. This treatment increased the wood's durability and fire resistance due to a slight increase in its specific weight.

The decision to build an experimental prototype of the I-301 was taken in November 1939. On 28 March 1940, the experimental I-301 successfully completed its maiden flight with the test pilot A.I. Nikashina at the controls.

Two I-301s were built and tested in 1940–41. One of their special characteristics was the very careful finish on the airframe's surface. To reduce aerodynamic resistance and improve their flight characteristics, these airplanes were entirely covered in varnish and polished to a mirror sheen.

The I-301 was powered by the 12-cylinder liquid-cooled Klimov M-105P radial engine with a rated output of 1,050 hp. The fuel was initially housed in three tanks: one on the fuselage and two in the central wing section. It had no wing panel tanks, so the aircraft's flight range did not exceed 560 km. As a consequence, two extra wing-mounted fuel tanks were added to improve its range.

The I-301's armament was exceptionally powerful. The nose section of the fuselage housed all its weaponry, which included a 23 mm Taubin MP-6 engine cannon mounted in the cavity of the engine's cylinder assembly with 81 shells, and two 12.7 mm large-caliber synchronized Berezina BS machine guns installed above the engine with 230 rounds each.

In terms of firepower, the I-301 was superior to all other single-engine Soviet fighters of its time.

The I-301 was not put into service and did not participate in combat operations. The first prototype was badly damaged during an emergency landing on 4 January 1941, and was never restored.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

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

• 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

Winter events
2022	Winter Quest
Pilot stars	Late 298D · ◄Tornado IDS MFG
Tanker stars	T-80UM2
Sailor stars	USS Newport News
2021	Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.
Pilot stars	C. 202D · ◊MiG-23MF
Tanker stars	A.C.I · AGS
Sailor stars	IJN Hayanami · MPK Pr.201K
2020	Operation W.I.N.T.E.R.
Pilot stars	Ro.57 Quadriarma · MiG-21PFM
Tanker stars	E.B.R. (1954) · Class 3 (P)
Sailor stars	Type K-8 No.13 · USS Baltimore
2019	Operation F.R.O.S.T.
Pilot stars	TIS MA · J6K1
Tanker stars	QF 3.7 Ram · ▃Merkava Mk.2B
Sailor stars	PT-811 · Jaguar
2018	Festive Quest
Pilot stars	M.B.152C1 · Fw 190 C
Tanker stars	SU-85A · T30
Christmas Lights	P-43A-1 · Comet I "Iron Duke IV"
2017	Festive Quest
Pilot christmas toys	P-40C · NC.900
Tanker christmas toys	AEC Mk II · Ersatz M10
Christmas Lights	Fw 189 A-1 · KV-2 (1940)
2016	Winter Holiday
Pilot stages	Ki-21-I hei · Me 262 A-2a
Tanker stages	▃LVT(A)(4) (ZIS-2) · ▂Type 62
2015	War Thunder Fulfills Your Wishes!
Pilot reward	▂P-63C-5
Tanker reward	VK 45.01 (P)
2014	Holiday War Thunder Marathon!
Pilot reward	I-301
Tanker reward	M8A1 GMC