The LaGG-3 (Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Gudkov LaGG-3) was a Soviet single-engine fighter of World War II, in service from 1941. It was developed by the designers Semyon Lavochkin, Vladimir Gorbunov, and Mikhail Gudkov on the basis of the I-301 prototype and was a further development of the earlier LaGG-1. The aircraft's Nizhny Novgorod (Gorky) connection is direct: serial production from early 1941 was carried out by Gorky Aircraft Plant No. 21 named after Ordzhonikidze, and the plant itself became a site for installing and testing experimental artillery systems on this type of aircraft.

Design and Development

The I-301 prototype first took to the air on March 30, 1940. The aircraft's distinguishing feature was an airframe made almost entirely of delta-wood, a multilayer plywood material built from thin (0.35–0.55 mm) veneer sheets impregnated with phenol-formaldehyde resin and pressed at high temperature. In tensile strength this material was comparable to unhardened aluminum alloys, and it neither burned nor rotted.[1] The wooden wing with plywood skin was built in two sections; the fuselage design was similar to that of the MiG-3.[1]

The engine was a liquid-cooled Klimov M-105P (VK-105P) with a takeoff power of about 772 kW (1,050 hp). The propeller was a three-blade VISh-61P, 3 m in diameter. The production LaGG-3 turned out heavier than its designers had calculated: it had originally been designed for the powerful Klimov M-106 engine, but that proved unreliable, and they had to make do with the less powerful M-105P.[1] Maximum speed was 575 km/h at an altitude of 5,000 m, rate of climb at ground level was 8.5 m/s, service ceiling was 9,500 m, and range was 655 km (up to 1,100 km with drop tanks).

The standard armament of production aircraft included a 20-mm ShVAK cannon (150 rounds) firing through the hollow propeller shaft and two synchronized 12.7-mm Berezin UBS machine guns (170 rounds per barrel); in total weight of fire per second — 2.65 kg/s — the LaGG-3 surpassed all Soviet fighters of the day.[1] In early production batches, UBK and ShKAS machine guns were often installed instead of the cannon because of a shortage of guns at the factories.

Production and Combat Use

Serial production began in late 1940 and early 1941 simultaneously at three enterprises: Leningrad Aircraft Plant No. 23, Gorky Aircraft Plant No. 21 (from January 1941), and Taganrog Aircraft Plant No. 31. By June 22, 1941, 322 aircraft had been delivered. At the peak of production, up to 12 aircraft a day rolled off the assembly lines; total output came to 6,528 units, until Plant No. 31 in Tbilisi switched to the Yak-3 in 1944.[1]

The first LaGG-3s began arriving in fighter aviation regiments several months before the German invasion; at the time of the attack, only about 32% of flight personnel had been retrained on the new type. The aircraft operated on all sectors of the Eastern Front, from the Caucasus to the Baltic. Pilots disliked the heavy machine and expanded the abbreviation LaGG into "lacquered guaranteed coffin." Production continued until September 1943; the aircraft's shortcomings spurred the creation of the La-5.

Gorky Plant No. 21 and Armament Testing

Gorky Aircraft Plant No. 21 named after Ordzhonikidze was not only a serial producer of the LaGG-3 but also a testing ground for new aircraft cannons. In September 1941, by order of G. M. Malenkov, designers from OKB-16 arrived at Plant No. 21 to mount an experimental 37-mm 11-P cannon (later the NS-37) on a series 9 LaGG-3 (serial number 31219-7). The lead designer of the cannon was Alexander Nudelman, and the direct executor was Alexander Suranov; work began on September 10, and the plant's debugging tests at the firing range took place from October 8 to 10, 1941.

On November 9, 1941, the aircraft flew from the Gorky plant to the NIP AV (Air Force Scientific Test Range), which had been evacuated from Noginsk to Chkalov (Orenburg). On the way, the LaGG made a forced landing in Cheboksary, where it remained until the end of winter. From March 8 to 20, 1942, ground and flight tests were conducted in Chkalov: the cannon passed its range trials and was recommended for field testing. Repeat tests with the revised second version of the 11-P took place from July 27 to August 17, 1942; in September 1942, comparative control firings of the OKB-15 and OKB-16 cannons were conducted on the same LaGG-3, showing the superior rate of fire of the Nudelman-Suranov weapon.

Specifications (Series 66)

  • Wingspan: 9.81 m; length: 8.81 m; height: 3.06 m
  • Empty weight: 2,680 kg; takeoff weight: 3,346 kg
  • Engine: Klimov VK-105P, 772 kW (1,050 hp)
  • Maximum speed: 575 km/h at an altitude of 5,000 m
  • Service ceiling: 9,500 m; range: 655 km
  • Crew: 1

Data given for Series 66.

References

  • Wikidata (Q753644 — entry in the free knowledge base)

Sources

  1. Kommersant (Volga Region) — LaGG-3 Fighter — Kommersant Nizhny Novgorod