Fighter designer who secured Soviet air supremacy with the La-5 and La-7
"Wherever I was, whatever I did, I always thought about the airplane — not the one that already flies, but the one that doesn't yet exist."
Semyon Lavochkin was a Soviet aircraft designer whose La-5 and La-7 fighters, over 22,000 produced, formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force in WWII and helped secure air supremacy on the Eastern Front. His La-7 was flown by the Allies' top-scoring ace Ivan Kozhedub. After the war, his OKB-301 produced the La-176, the first Soviet aircraft to break the sound barrier (1948), and the La-15 jet fighter. In the 1950s the bureau pivoted to air defense and space: the S-25 Berkut system, the SA-2 surface-to-air missile, and the Burya cruise missile. The SA-2 became the backbone of Soviet air defense and downed Gary Powers' U-2 in 1960. Twice Hero of Socialist Labour, four-time Stalin laureate, Academician, and Major-General, he died of heart failure at a test range in 1960.
Career Timeline
- 1918–1920Served in the Red Army during the Russian Civil War
- 1920–1927Studied at Moscow Bauman Higher Technical School, qualified as aeromechanics engineer
- 1927–1939Worked at various aircraft design bureaus; Chief Designer rank for aircraft building, 1939
- 1939–1940Co-developed LaGG-3 fighter with Gorbunov and Gudkov at OKB-301
- 1940–1945Chief Designer of OKB-21 in Gorky; designed La-5 and La-7 fighters, over 22,000 produced
- 1945–1960Head of OKB-301 in Khimki; led development of La-15 jet fighter, S-25, SA-2 and Burya missiles
Related historical events
- 1918–1922The Civil War and Foreign InterventionCivil War participant
- 1941–1945The Great Patriotic WarDesigner of the La-5 and La-7 fightersAs Chief Designer of OKB-21 he developed the La-5 and La-7. Over 22,000 of his fighters were produced in 1941–1945 (37% of all Soviet wartime fighter output), forming the backbone of Soviet air power on the Eastern Front. Ivan Kozhedub scored 62 of his kills in Lavochkin fighters.