2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. LavochkinLa-9: The original uploader was Mpj17 at English Wikipedia .· CC BY 2.5
- 2. Lavochkin LA-9, Private JP5732548: Jeff Gilbert - JGPhotographics.com· GFDL 1.2
what is it?
The Lavochkin La-9 (NATO reporting name Fritz) is a Soviet fighter aircraft produced shortly after World War II. It was one of the last piston engined fighters to be produced before the widespread adoption of the jet engine.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 9.8 m wingspan
base stats
Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).
fun facts
- First flew 80 years ago, in 1946.
- Top speed is 5.3× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 9.8 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
- Range of 1,735 km: 10× Amsterdam to Brussels.
- Can fly 1.2× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1946
- introduced
- 1947
- retired
- 1959
- status
- retired
- number built
- 1,559
- role
- fighter
- makers
- NPO Lavochkin
- engines
- 1× Shvetsov ASh-82FN
- crew
- 1
- length
- 8.6 m
- wingspan
- 9.8 m
- height
- 3.6 m
- max take-off weight
- 3,676 kg
- top speed
- 690 km/h
- range
- 1,735 km
- ceiling
- 10,800 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1809102, Wikipedia: Lavochkin La-9 (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.