La-5F

La-5F

La-5

La-5FN

La-5F

La-5

La-5FN

USSR

II Rank

Battle rating:

AB	RB	SB
3.3	3.3	3.3

Class:

Fighter

Research:6 900

Purchase:32 000

Show in game

This page is about the Russian fighter La-5F. For other versions, see La-5 (Family).

Description

The La-5F is a rank II Russian fighter with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.35.

General info

Flight performance

Describe how the aircraft behaves in the air. Speed, manoeuvrability, acceleration and allowable loads - these are the most important characteristics of the vehicle.

The La-5F is a relatively heavy fighter which makes it a good candidate to perform Boom & Zoom tactics. Due to the reinforcements in its wings, it can execute rapid dives without the threat of breaking its wings. While limited turn engagements are possible under the right circumstances, excessive turning to include up to and past 180 degrees, will result in a significant amount of lost energy leaving the La-5F more times than nought, at the mercy of the enemy aircraft.

Characteristics
Stock
Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
566	551	9000	22.1	22.8	11.8	11.8	370
Upgraded
Max Speed (km/h at 5,000 m)		Max altitude (meters)	Turn time (seconds)		Rate of climb (meters/second)		Take-off run (meters)
AB	RB		AB	RB	AB	RB
622	593	9000	20.1	21.2	20.7	15.6	370

Details

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

Limits
Wing-break speed (km/h)	Gear limit (km/h)	Combat flaps (km/h)	Max Static G
			+	-
		470	~13	~13

Optimal velocities
Ailerons (km/h)	Rudder (km/h)	Elevators (km/h)	Radiator (km/h)
< 380	< 380	< 380	> 341

Compressor (RB/SB)
Setting 1
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
2,050 m	1,540 hp	1,870 hp
Setting 2
Optimal altitude	100% Engine power	WEP Engine power
5,400 m	1,330 hp	N/A

Survivability and armour

Examine the survivability of the aircraft. Note how vulnerable the structure is and how secure the pilot is, whether the fuel tanks are armoured, etc. Describe the armour, if there is any, and also mention the vulnerability of other critical aircraft systems.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The La-5F is armed with:

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

Suspended armament

The La-5F can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

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

Usage in battles

Describe the tactics of playing in an 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).

Realistic Battles:

• With good rate of climb, can be a useful intercepting of bombers and attackers
• 20 mm cannons can turn the tide of battle, stick close to allies and aid in picking off enemy aircraft who are distracted while chasing targets

Manual Engine Control

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

Modules

Tier	Flight performance		Survivability	Weaponry
I	Fuselage repair	Radiator	Armored glass	DZ-40
II		Compressor	Airframe
III	Wings repair	Engine	Rear armour plate	Offensive 20 mm
IV		Engine injection	Cover	New 20 mm cannons

Pros and cons

Summarise and briefly evaluate the vehicle in terms of its characteristics and combat effectiveness. Mark its pros and cons in the bulleted list. Try not to use more than 6 points for each of the characteristics. Avoid using categorical definitions such as "bad", "good" and the like - use substitutions with softer forms such as "inadequate" and "effective".

Pros:

• Good rate of climb without sacrificing speed (depending on the angle of climb)
• 20 mm cannons can chew up enemy aircraft especially when hitting in the right places
• Good at evading fire from gunners, rolling and turning can usually get you in close enough to engage an enemy aircraft

Cons:

• 20 mm cannons only have 340 rounds of ammo
• Can be outmanoeuvred by other nations with more agile fighters, Spitfires especially notorious with their exceptional turn rates
• Head-on fights will usually result poorly in the La-5F with many other enemy aircraft with superior weapon configurations for head-on attacks

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the aircraft in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too long, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref></ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article with <references />. This section may also include the vehicle's dev blog entry (if applicable) and the in-game encyclopedia description (under === In-game description ===, also if applicable).

In-game description

The M-82 initially had two operational modes: the so-called takeoff overdrive which allowed it to reach 1,700 hp, and its rated power mode which amounted to 1,330-1,350 hp. However, it could operate in overdrive mode for only 5-10 minutes. By the autumn of 1942, the A.D. Shvetsov design bureau had managed to upgrade the engine, giving it the ability to operate constantly in overdrive mode. In practice, this meant a significant addition to the aircraft's power output.

From December 1942, the La-5 began to be equipped with the M-82F engine. At the same time, the aircraft's notation received the letter "F" (forsirovannyj, or supercharged).

Apart from its powertrain, the La-5N received a number of other upgrades aimed at increasing its flight and combat characteristics. In particular, the aircraft's overall weight was reduced.

The aircraft's armament remained the same as that of the La-5 Type 37.

All the aircraft's radio equipment underwent changes; apart from the RSI-4 receiver, now every second airplane in the series had to be equipped with a transmitter, and every third with an RPK-10 fixed-loop radio compass.

Air vents were installed in front of the cockpit windshield on both sides, to provide cockpit ventilation.

From the spring of 1943, the La-5F began to be produced with a lowered fuselage spine fairing and a convex drop-shaped cockpit. The armoured headrest on the pilot's seat was swapped with bullet-proof glass.

This and the improved quality of the plexiglass gave the pilot an excellent all-round view. An emergency release system was fitted to the cockpit canopy in order to ensure that if the plane was shot down, the stiff canopy would not prevent the pilot from jumping out of the plane and parachuting to safety.

The La-5F was superior in all respects to its predecessor, the La-5, particularly at low altitudes, where it had a speed advantage of up to 40 km/h. Its climbing rate and operating conditions for the pilot had also been improved.

Production of La-5F Type 39 continued until the end of 1943. The La-5F appeared in large quantities in the Kuban region, at Leningrad and at Velikiye Luki. In total, 4,150 were built, including the La-5F Type 37 with a fuselage fairing.

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

Paste links to sources and external resources, such as:

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

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