General info for La-5

• Country USSR
• Vehicle role Fighter
• Rank 2

• Battle rating in
  • arcade battles 3.3
  • realistic battles 3
  • simulator battles 3

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Wiki info about La-5

Official War Thunder wiki

A single-seat cantilever monoplane fighter with a closed cockpit and retractable landing gear with a tail wheel. Adapted from the LaGG-3 fighter's airframe for the air-cooled M-82 engine. The aircraft was powered by the 14-cylinder twin-row air-cooled Shvetsov M-82A radial engine with a maximum output of 1,700 hp. The La-5 Type 37's armament consisted of two 20 mm synchronized ShVAK cannons with 170 shells each. They were installed in the nose of the fuselage above the engine. The La-5 Type 37 differed from the prototype LaGG-3M-82 design in its front fuselage, which was given a more circular profile to provide a smooth transition between the engine and the sides without additional splice plates. The La-5 had roughly equal flight characteristics to those of the Bf.109F, but was weaker than the newer Bf.109G, which appeared on the Soviet-German front at the same as the La-5, in the autumn of 1942. Apart from that, as with many machines created in a hurry, the La-5 initially had many drawbacks. The most serious of them were the stifling heat and gas contamination in the cockpit, caused by bad sealing in the engine compartment and a lack of ventilation. Another serious issue was the low-quality plexiglass in the cockpit windows, which quickly discolored in the sunlight and lost its transparency. In addition, high speeds and g-forces often caused the cockpit canopy to seize up. To provide fresh air, increase visibility and allow for an emergency escape, the pilot had to keep the cockpit canopy open at all times, though regulations forbade this, as it significantly decreased the plane's maximum speed. The first La-5 Type 37 Series 1-8 planes were produced in July 1942 at the No. 21 aviation plant in Gorky and went into service in August–September. Production continued until the end of 1942. In total, 1,021 La-5 Type 37s of all production series were produced. Throughout its series production, the aircraft's flaws were slowly corrected, but for it to go toe to toe with the Bf.109G and the other new German fighter, the FW.190, its flight characteristics needed to be increased.