Lavochkin La-168

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The Lavochkin La-168 was a jet fighter developed for the USSR. It was designed in response to a 1946 request for a new swept-wing jet fighter capable of transonic speeds. As a single seat fighter with swept flight surfaces and an engine behind the pilot, it was similar in appearance to the Mikoyan MiG-15, which was designed to the same specifications. It also shared the cannon-armament and the Rolls-Royce Nene II engine. Unlike the MiG-15, the La-168 had shoulder mounted wings and a t-tail layout. Due to Lavochkin's decision to wait with La-168 development for the Nene II engine, the MiG-15, first flown with the less powerful Nene I, was available four months earlier, giving it a crucial advantage.

The La-168's first flight was on April 22, 1948, with I. E. Fedorov at the controls. Trials continued until February 19, 1949, when testing of the cannons at high altitude caused the canopy to collapse, almost resulting in a fatal crash. In the end, the Lavochkin fighter lost out to the competing MiG-15. It was later developed into several variants, including the production La-15, which although being well liked and having superior performance, was more expensive and harder to mass produce than the MiG-15. Another La-168 derivative was the La-176, the first Soviet plane to achieve supersonic flight (in a shallow dive) on December 26, 1948.

Specifications (La-168)

Data from {name of first source}

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

External links

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  • This page was last modified on 13 December 2008, at 16:57.

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