The Lavochkin La-250A Anaconda is truly the last Lavochkin ever created, and it’s troublesome development history would spell doom for the famous WW2 fighter manufacturer that was well-known for producing excellent single-seat piston engined fighter aircraft; from the La-5 all the way to the La-11. The Anaconda was so named because of its long and slim shape. Lavochkin, despite being successful(alongside Yakovlev, who also produced superb Soviet piston engined fighter aircraft during WW2), was being replaced by Mikoyan-Gurevich as a top fighter plane company for Soviet Russia. In keeping up with not only its rivals(Sukhoi, Yakovlev, and Mig) but also with the rest of the world’s fighter plane manufacturers, Lavochkin answered the call for a long-range, high-altitude interceptor in the form of the La-250 Anaconda in response to a Soviet requirement to protect its massive territory from American strategic bombers in 1954 under the I-250 (Interceptor-250) program, hence the “250” in said Lavochkin fighter. In addition, it was to be used in conjunction with the Soviet ground control “Vozhdukh-1” radar guidance system, while also having the “Uragan”(Hurricane) radar with a 30km/18.5 mile detection range. Keep in mind, submarine-launched ballistic missiles were not yet a real threat. The original version had swept wings, and if the Anaconda were to have entered service, it was intended to be a single-seater, and so the original La-250 prototype had the single-seat configuration, plus, a nose cone(like that fitted to the famous Mig-21 series of fighters), as well as swept-back wings. Unfortunately, it’s two engines(Klimov VK-9) had a number of issues, having been replaced by two Lyulka AL-7F engines. Furthermore, the original K-15U missiles proved to be unpredictable and unreliable, and so the original K-15U(Model 275) missiles were replaced by the newer K-15M(Model 275a) missiles. As a result of the above changes and problems, the La-250 was ultimately redesigned as the L-250A, with the twin-seater configuration being made for the other pilot to test and examine the aircraft and it’s systems, as well as having a delta-wing configuration and a solid nose. Unfortunately, even with changes made, the La-250A suffered from numerous development problems, including the VERY FIRST test flight with the La-250A on July 16, 1956, when pilot A. G. Kochetkov had experienced an uncontrollable roll and crashed, but had only escaped with minor injuries. It was found that the cause of this violent maneuver was because of a flaw regarding the handle stick and the plane control’s system response to the stick’s movements, which would be later rectified. Even so, the second(and subsequently, the third prototype) had crashed from unsuccessful landings, with the second prototype having been destroyed in the process. To add insult to injury, the newer engines were also unreliable, the program continued to suffer from numerous setbacks, and the program was officially cancelled before testing could be completed. The third prototype survived and resides at the Soviet/Russian Air Museum in Monino in the outskirts of Moscow.
PS. Of important note, EpicBlitzkrieg created a suggestion for the La-250 on the old forums, but, because of the switch to the new forums, coupled with my love for fighter planes, and the “Clean Slate” policy, I created this as my 6th suggestion, yet, EpicBlitzkrieg gets credit, too.
Sources:
Book: The Complete Book of Fighters: An Illustration Encyclopedia of Every Fighter Aircraft Built and Flown: Revised and Expanded Edition
Dimensions:
Span: 45ft. 7 1/4 inches
Empty Weight: 33,070 lbs
Max weight: 66,135 lbs
Length: 83 ft. 11 3/4 inches
Wing Area: 861.14 sq. ft
Armament:
(Model 275) K-15U air-air missiles
(Model 275A) K-15M air-air missiles
Gun: None
Performance:
Top Speed: 1,243mph or Mach 1.88
Range: 1,243 miles
Power plant(La-250A): 2 X Lyulka AL-7F turbojets rated at 19,840 lbs thrust(with afterburner) and 14,330 lbs dry.
Ceiling: 55,774 ft
- Should the La-250 be added to War Thunder?
- Yes
- No