Lavochkin La-11

The Lavochkin La-11 (NATO reporting name Fang) was an early post-World War II Soviet long-range piston-engined fighter aircraft. The design was essentially that of a Lavochkin La-9 with additional fuel tanks and the deletion of one of the four 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannons. Like the La-9, the La-11 was designed to be a low to medium-altitude general-purpose fighter, although the additional fuel tanks were added with the intent of employing the La-11 in the escort fighter role.

La-11
An La-11 mounted on a memorial in Zaporizhia, Ukraine.
Role Fighter
National origin Soviet Union
Manufacturer Lavochkin
First flight May 1947
Introduction April 1950
Retired 1966 (PLAAF)
Primary users Soviet Air Force
People's Liberation Army Air Force
Produced 1947-1951
Number built 1,232
Developed from Lavochkin La-130

In reality, the La-11 would go on to serve almost exclusively as an interceptor, with the majority of its engagements during the Korean War seeing it pitted against bomber and transport aircraft. While an improvement over earlier aircraft, the La-9 and La-11 retained the poor high-altitude performance that was common among many Soviet piston-engined airframes, with the La-11 enjoying only a 20 km/h (12 mph) advantage over the Boeing B-29 Superfortress at the latter’s cruising altitude. This relatively poor high-altitude performance combined with the arrival of the jet engine led swiftly to the La-11s (and La-9s) in most frontline Soviet Air Force (VVS) units being replaced with early Soviet jets such as the Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-15. While quickly ousted from service with the VVS, the La-9 and 11 would both see service well into the 1950s and 1960s with the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force and the North Korean People’s Army Air and Anti-Air Force, with the last La-11s being retired from the former in 1966.

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