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Lavochkin La-15 (Fantail)

1949 COLD WAR

History

A series of Lavochkin jet fighter prototypes appeared before the La-15 tactical fighter/interceptor (NATO reporting name "Fantail"). The work stemmed from a 1945 Soviet request that saw a series of aircraft evolve from captured German Junkers Jumo 004 turbojets and straight main wings to Rolls-Royce-based engines (copied under the Klimov brand) and later swept wings. Then, a 1946 request simplified the Soviet Air Force's proposal for the most advanced jet fighter to include a "T-shaped" tail configurationa feature that the Germans also developed.

The end result was the La-15, an evolution of the one-off La-168 prototype that first flew on April 22, 1948. The La-15 followed, first flying on January 8, 1948, and its serial production form eventually entered service with the competing and more famous MiG-15 fighter, the Mikoyan-Gurevich, of which over 18,000 were eventually built.

In contrast, the La-15 proved to be a limited success, as its power and performance proved rather disappointing for the interceptor role, with only 235 produced. As a result, the La-15 series was finally scrapped in 1953.

The appearance of the La-15 is no different from the shape of the competing MiG-15. The nose was cut to provide air intakes for the mid-fuselage-feeding turbojets. The cockpit is located above the canal works, with a large transparent canopy installed above. This provides pilots with a special view of their aircraft, and the canopy is raised further above the aft fuselage spine, adding additional viewing angles over the more vulnerable rear corners.

The main aircraft are mounted high on the sides of the fuselage and are known for their large sweeps. They were each fitted with a pair of slats that improved flight characteristics, showcasing the physical qualities of many early Soviet jets, including the MiG-15. The large vertical stabilizer mounts the horizontal stabilizer high up in a near "T" arrangement.

The landing gear adopts a modern tricycle arrangement and is fully retractable to maintain the aerodynamic efficiency of the aircraft at high speeds.

The engine of choice became a Klimov RD-500 centrifugal turbojet with 3,500 pounds of thrust. It has a top speed of 626 mph and a range of 710 miles. The aircraft has a service ceiling of 44,300 feet and a climb rate of 6,240 feet per minute.

The weapon centered on the 3 x 23 mm Nudelman-Suranov NS-23 gun mounted under the nose. Each gun can be loaded with 100 rounds of ammunition. The La-15 series has no fighter-bomber capability.

In practice, pilots liked their La-15s, but the aircraft did not achieve the desired performance and the yield per unit was complicated. It is lighter than the competing MiG-15, but the MiG-15 outperforms the Lavochkin aircraft in almost every performance area. Additionally, she completed a limited role as a fighter-bomber during her career, leaving the La-15 in the pages of history. Variants of La-15 proved to be rare during its life cycle and production runs. "Aircraft 174" was the first prototype, equipped with a Rolls-Royce Derwent turbojet. This example crashes during testing. "Aircraft 174D", as the second prototype, benefited from the failure of the first.

It has been revised accordingly in improved form. The "Aircraft 180" became the prototype basis for the two-seat trainer, which was eventually adopted as the "La-15UTI".

The La-15 front was not exported from the USSR.