SD2:La-5FN Dogfighter

 is a Soviet Air unit in Steel Division II.

Background
An evolution of the LaGG-3 fighter, the La-5 was a powerful fighter capable of going toe to toe with the latest Nazi fighters at the time of its introduction in July 1942. This was due to the replacement of the original inline engine with the much more powerful Shvetsov ASh-82 radial engine, which gave it performance far superior to the original LaGG-3.

The history of the fighter is complex and tied closely to the LaGG-3 fighter. By 1941, it was already showing its limitations due to the underpowered engine, and Lavochkin fell out of favor with Joseph Stalin and production shifted over to the rival Yak-1 and Yak-7. Lavochkin decided to continue his work regardless and in the winter of 1941-1942, he unofficially finished the engine replacement project by grafting the nose of a Sukhoi Su-2 to the LaGG-3 airframe. After exhaustive tests following its maiden flight in March 1942, the La-5 (La stood for Sergey Lavochkin; technically, Vladimir Gorbunov was still in the program, but the name stuck) was ordered into full production by Joseph Stalin.

Although La-5 was slightly inferior to Nazi fighters at high altitudes, most engagements occurred below 5km of altitude, where it was a match for anything the Axis could field. A total of 9 920 fighters were built, with the La-5FN representing the definitive version of the fighter, and the most widely produced.