Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov LaGG-1

Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov LaGG-1
Description
Role	Fighter
Crew	one, pilot
First Flight	March 30, 1939
Entered Service	1941
Manufacturer	Lavochkin-Gorbunov-Goudkov
Dimensions
Length	8.81m	28' 10"
Wingspan	9.80m	32' 1"
Height	4.40m	14' 5"
Wing area	17.5m²	188 ft²
Weights
Empty	2,478kg	5,451 lbs
Loaded	2,968kg	6,529 lbs
Maximum takeoff	3,380kg	7,436 lbs
Powerplant
Engine	Klimov M-105P
Power	820kW	1,100 hp
Performance
Maximum speed	605km/h	377 mph
Range	556 km	346 miles
Service ceiling	9,600m	31,500 ft
Rate of climb	855m/min	2,804 ft/min
Wing loading	170kg/m²	35lb/ft²
Power/Mass	0.27kW/kg	0.17 hp/lb
Avionics
Avionics
Armament
Guns	2x 7.62mm ShKAS machine guns 1x 20mm ShVAK cannon

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.

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