picture 207063

The post-war Soviet air defences began their operational history flying a large number of piston-engined aircraft left over from the Second World War or pressed into service immediately after. Probably the best type in service as of the late 1940s was the Lavochkin La-11, the most powerful piston-engined fighter manufactured in the USSR. This example may have served with one of the units deployed in the Far East, before being sold to the People’s Republic of China, where it served in the nascent People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) in the 1950-1951 period. (Artwork by Tom Cooper)