Dolgushin's La-7
This page is about the premium Soviet fighter Dolgushin's La-7. For other versions, see La-7 (Family). |
Contents
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 briefly for purchase in the store on occasion, such as the 2017 "Special Discounts!", the 2019 Victory Day and the 2021 May sales.
The plane is painted after the camouflage scheme of Soviet pilot Sergei F. Dolgushin in the 156th fighter aviation regiment from September 1944 onward.
General info
Flight performance
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
- 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
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 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
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.
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
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
- Images
An artist's rendering of Dolgushin's La-7 fighter
- Videos
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
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 |
USSR fighters | |
---|---|
I-15 | I-15 WR · I-15 M-22 · I-15 M-25 · I-15bis · Krasnolutsky's I-15bis |
I-153 M-62 · Zhukovsky's I-153-M62 · I-153P | |
I-16 | I-16 type 5 · I-16 type 10 · I-16 type 18 · I-16 type 24 · I-16 type 27 · I-16 type 28 · I-180S |
I-29 | I-29 |
I-185 | I-185 (M-71) · I-185 (M-82) |
I-225 | I-225 |
ITP | ITP (M-1) |
MiG-3 | MiG-3-15 · MiG-3-15 (BK) · MiG-3-34 |
LaGG | I-301 · LaGG-3-4 · LaGG-3-8 · LaGG-3-11 · LaGG-3-23 · LaGG-3-34 · LaGG-3-35 · LaGG-3-66 |
La | La-5 · La-5F · La-5FN · La-7 · Dolgushin's La-7 · La-7B-20 · La-9 · La-11 |
Yak-1/7 | Yak-1 · Yak-1B · Yak-7B |
Yak-3 | Yak-3 · Eremin's Yak-3(e) · Yak-3P · Yak-3T · Yak-3U · Yak-3 (VK-107) |
Yak-9 | Yak-9 · Yak-9B · Golovachev's Yak-9M · Yak-9T · Yak-9K · Yak-9U · Yak-9UT · Yak-9P |
Other countries | ▂P-40E-1 · ▂P-47D-27 · ▂Hurricane Mk IIB · ▂Fw 190 D-9 · ▂Spitfire Mk IXc |
P-39 | ▂P-39K-1 · ▂Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 · ▂P-39Q-15 |
P-63 | ▂P-63A-5 · ▂P-63A-10 · ▂P-63C-5 |
USSR premium aircraft | |
---|---|
Fighters | Krasnolutsky's I-15bis · I-16 type 28 · Zhukovsky's I-153-M62 · I-153P · I-180S · I-301 · ITP (M-1) |
LaGG-3-4 · LaGG-3-23 · LaGG-3-34 · Dolgushin's La-7 · La-11 | |
Eremin's Yak-3(e) · Yak-3 (VK-107) · Yak-3T · Golovachev's Yak-9M | |
▂P-39K-1 · ▂Pokryshkin's P-39N-0 · ▂P-39Q-15 · ▂P-40E-1 · ▂P-47D-27 · ▂P-63A-5 · ▂P-63A-10 · ▂P-63C-5 | |
▂Hurricane Mk IIB · ▂Spitfire Mk IXc · ▂Fw 190 D-9 | |
Twin-engine fighters | I-29 |
Jet fighters | Su-11 · MiG-15bis ISh · MiG-17AS · MiG-21S (R-13-300) · MiG-23ML |
Strike aircraft | IL-2M "Avenger" · IL-2 M-82 · IL-8 (1944) · Su-6 · Tandem MAI · TIS MA · Su-8 · Tu-1 |
Yak-38 · Su-7BMK · Su-25K · Su-39 | |
Bombers | Po-2M · Be-6 · MBR-2-M-34 · Pe-2-205 · TB-3M-17-32 |
▂PBY-5A Catalina · ▂Hampden TB Mk I · ▂A-20G-30 · ▂B-25J-30 |