48-006 SOVIET FIGHTER LAVOCHKIN LA-11

The Lavochkin La-11 is a Soviet, single-engine escort fighter with a metal structure in a low wing design with a classic tail, known under the NATO code "Fang". It was the last piston engine fighter in the USSR aviation. La-11 is a development version of the La-9 fighter. In this model, the fuel tanks were enlarged and the weaponry was reduced to three cannons. Externally, the planes were similar to each other, with different details, e.g. a different location of the oil cooler. The plane also got a stronger landing gear. These planes entered production in 1947. A total of 1,182 machines of this type were produced. La-11 fighters were used for patrols in the Baltic Sea, where they shot down two American patrol bombers, and during the Korean War, where they were used against night-time raids by Douglas A-26 Invader bombers. La-11 was used in clashes with the P-51 Mustang and to intercept the B-29. The La-11 was comparable to a Mustang or a Thunderbolt, but was inferior to the post-war Bearcat or Sea Fury. Technical data: length: 8.62m, wingspan: 9.8m, height: 3.47m, maximum speed: 674km / h, rate of climb: 12.6m / s, maximum range: 2235km, maximum ceiling: 10250m, armament: fixed -3 Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 cannons, caliber 23mm.