The LaGG-3 Soviet Fighter used in the early stages of WWII had a unsatisfactory fl ight performance due to its inline watercooled engine. In the Summer of 1942 a new variant with a powerful M-82 aircooled radial motor went into serial production. This change resulted in a different profile and outstanding flight characteristics. It was named La-5 and the first version of the very famous Lavochkin fighters was born.