Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov LaGG-1

The Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov LaGG-1 (Лавочкин-Горбунов-Гудков ЛаГГ-1) was a Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. Although not very successful, it formed the basis for a series of aircraft that would eventually become some of the most formidable Soviet fighters of the war.

History

The LaGG-1 was designed in 1938 as a light-weight aircraft designed around the Klimov M-105 engine and built out of laminated wood to save on strategic materials. The first prototype flew on March 30, 1939, and once some initial difficulties had been worked out of the design, proved to be promising, if somewhat short of what its designers had hoped for. By this stage, however, the need to modernise the Soviet Air Force had been made plain by recent losses in the Winter War with Finland, and the aircraft, initially designated I-22 was ordered into production.

Some 100 aircraft were sent to evaluation squadrons, where their shortcomings quickly became obvious. The aircraft was clearly underpowered, and lacked agility and range. Furthermore, while the seven prototypes had been carefully custom-built and finished to a very high standard, the mass-produced examples were comparatively crude, and this only added to the existing weaknesses.

As reports of these problems came back to the design team, a series of modifications were undertaken that would result in the LaGG-3 [Gordon 1998, p. 23-24.] .

Operators

;USSR
*Soviet Air Force

pecifications (LaGG-1)

aircraft specification

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
crew=One
length main=8.81 m
length alt=28 ft 11 in
span main=9.80 m
span alt=32 ft 2 in
height main=4.40 m
height alt=14 ft 5 in
area main=17.5 m²
area alt=188 ft²
empty weight main=2,478 kg
empty weight alt=5,463 lb
loaded weight main=2,968 kg
loaded weight alt=6,543 lb
max takeoff weight main=3,380 kg
max takeoff weight alt=7,452 lb

more general=
engine (prop)=Klimov M-105P
type of prop=liquid-cooled V-12
number of props=1
power main=820 kW
power alt=1,100 hp
max speed main=605 km/h
max speed alt=377 mph
range main=556 km
range alt=346 mi
ceiling main=9,600 m
ceiling alt=31,500 ft
climb rate main=14.3 m/s
climb rate alt=2,804 ft/min
loading main=170 kg/m²
loading alt=35 lb/ft²
power/mass main=270 W/kg
power/mass alt=0.17 hp/lb

more performance=
avionics=
armament=
*2x 7.62 mm ShKAS machine guns located above the engine
*1x 20 mm ShVAK cannon firing through the propellor hub

References

Notes

Bibliography

* Abanshin, Michael E. and Gut, Nina. "Fighting Lavochkin, Eagles of the East No.1". Lynnwood, WA: Aviation International, 1993. ISBN unknown.
* Gordon, Yefim. "Lavochkin's Piston-Engined Fighters (Red Star Volume 10)". Earl Shilton, Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-85780-151-2.
* Gordon, Yefim and Khazanov, Dmitri. "Soviet Combat Aircraft of the Second World War, Volume One: Single-Engined Fighters". Earl Shilron, Leicester, UK: Midland Publishing Ltd., 1998. ISBN 1-85780-083-4.
* Green, William. "Warplanes of the Second World War, Volume Three: Fighters". London: Macdonald & Co. (Publishers) Ltd., 1961 (seventh impression 1973). ISBN 0-356-01447-9.
* Green, William and Swanborough, Gordon. "WW2 Aircraft Fact Files: Soviet Air Force Fighters, Part 1". London: Macdonald and Jane's Publishers Ltd., 1977. ISBN 0-354-01026-3.
* Keskinen, Kalevi; Stenman, Kari and Niska, Klaus. "Venäläiset Hävittäjät (Suomen Ilmavoimien Historia 7)" (in Finnish with English Summary). Espoo, Finland: Tietoteos, 1977. ISBN 951-9035-25-7.
* Stapfer, Hans-Heiri. "LaGG Fighters in Action (Aircraft in Action Number 163)". Carrollton, TX: Squadron/Signal Publications, Inc., 1996. ISBN 0-89747-634-7.

ee also

aircontent

related=
*LaGG-3
*La-5
*La-7

similar aircraft=
*Messerschmitt Bf 109
*Supermarine Spitfire
*Curtiss P-40
*Kawasaki Ki-61

lists=
*List of military aircraft of the Soviet Union and the CIS
*List of fighter aircraft