Semyon Alekseyevich Lavochkin (Russian: Семён Алексе́евич Ла́вочкин; 11 September 1900 - 9 June 1960) was a Sovietaerospace engineer, Soviet aircraft designer who founded the Lavochkin aircraft design bureau.[1] Many of his fighter designs were produced in large numbers for Soviet forces during World War II.[2][3]
In the early 1930s, he transferred to the Central Design Office, where he was assigned work on stratospheric aircraft, balloons and pressurized cockpits. However, as he came increasingly interested in the design of fighter aircraft, he moved to the design office of Dmitry Pavlovich Grigorovich, whom he assisted in the development of the Grigorovich I-Z fighter.
In 1938, after combat experiences in the Spanish Civil War and at the Battles of Khalkhin Gol against the Japanese, it became clear that the Soviet fighter designs were lagging behind international standards. Lavochkin established his own design bureau in 1939. Starting with the LaGG-1, he produced thousands of fighters which formed the backbone of the Soviet Air Force during the Second World War. He is especially known for the La-5 and La-7, which are among the best Soviet fighter aircraft of World War II. The top Allied ace, Ivan Kozhedub shot down over 60 German airplanes, flying in fighters designed by Lavochkin. From 1941 to 1945 a total of over 22,000 Lavochkin fighters were produced.[4][5]
However, Lavochkin's fortunes faded after the war. His La-9 and La-11 were the last piston-engined fighters in Soviet service, and were replaced after a short time by jets. Although he continued pioneering work in this field (the La-176 was the first Soviet supersonic aircraft), his aircraft consistently placed second in competitions with other design bureaux, notably that of Artem Mikoyan.
At the end of WWII, forward thinking and competition in jet engine driven planes in Soviet Union pushed Lavochkin to start development of rocket systems. The outcome of that decision was SA-2 Guideline and a Burya. The LA-350 (Burya) is notable for the first in the world production use of Titanium and a thruster cooling by use of reverse flow of propellent.[6]
In 1944, Lavochkin was given the honorary rank of Major-General of Engineering/Technical Service. From 1950 to 1958, Lavochkin also served as a deputy of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR. He also became an Academician of USSR Academy of Sciences in 1958. He died in 1960 due to a heart attack during a test of an air defense system in the Kazakh SSR at the age of 59 and was buried in the Novodevichy Cemetery.
His father was Alter Ilyich Lavochkin (1875–1927), a teacher. Mother — Gita Savelyevna (1874–1952), housewife.
Brother — Yakov Alterovich Lavochkin (1904–1942), died at the front. Sister — Khaya Alterovna Lavochkina (1908–1994).
His wife, Rosa Gertsevna Lavochkina (1903–1994), was a philologist, was in charge of the library.
Daughter — Alla Semyonovna Lavochkina (1930–2001).
In 1960 immediately after Lavochkin's death, by decision of the government, OKB-301 received a new name — "Lavochkin Machine-Building Plant". Now the NPO Lavochkin.
