LaGG-3-66

Description

The LaGG-3-66 is a rank Soviet fighter with a battle rating of (AB), (RB), and (SB). It was introduced in Update 1.31.

The LaGG-3-66 is a jack-of-all-trades type of fighter aircraft. It does not have many weaknesses but does not have many advantages. When flying the LaGG-3-66, it can be used in a variety of roles depending on what you are engaging in combat. Always keep in mind certain planes you battle may be better than the LaGG-3-66 at something.

General info

Flight performance

Details

Survivability and armour

• 8 mm Steel - Plate behind pilot's seat
• 55 mm Bulletproof glass

Modifications and economy

Primary upgrade targets are "Compressor" and "Engine" to improve the dogfight performance. Offensive 12.7 mm and Offensive 20 mm belts are next in the priority list. The other upgrades can be chosen at one's own preference, but the additional payload modules are cheap to get as tier 2 and 3 and can be good stepping stones to unlock the next tiers.

Armaments

Offensive armament

The LaGG-3-66 is armed with:

• 1 x 20 mm ShVAK cannon, nose-mounted (150 rpg)
• 1 x 12.7 mm Berezin UB machine gun, nose-mounted (200 rpg)

Suspended armament

The LaGG-3-66 can be outfitted with the following ordnance:

• Without load
• 2 x 50 kg FAB-50 bombs (100 kg total)
• 2 x 100 kg FAB-100 bombs (200 kg total)
• 6 x RS-82 rockets
• 6 x RBS-82 rockets

Usage in battles

The LaGG-3's instrument panel.

The LaGG-3-66 compared to others in the LaGG-3 series offers a little more performance but trades it with a higher BR. This plane is a "jack of all trades, master of none" type of aircraft. When the LaGG-3-66 gets up-tiered, it will face opponents in far superior planes that will outperform the LaGG-3-66 with no issues. Therefore, when flying the LaGG-3-66 in up-tiered matches, keep your energy high and always force the enemy to fight on your terms.

When using this plane, it can be used in a variety of roles depending on what ordnance (secondary weapons), you may carry:

• Bomber Hunter: the LaGG-3-66 is a capable bomber hunter, especially when using the rockets. Bombers that you would meet will easily disintegrate from a single rocket hit the majority of the time or be crippled so badly that they will eventually crash. Also, the cannon and machine gun on the plane can do damage to enemy bombers as well, it will take some time but eventually the enemy bomber will go down.

• Air Superiority: the LaGG-3-66 is a capable air superiority fighter as it can fight as an energy or turn fighter depending on what you face. But no matter what happens, you must always keep your energy up. There is a high chance in the LaGG-3-66 to face planes that can outperform this plane with no issues except in low-speed manoeuvres.

Specific enemies worth noting

• Supermarine Spitfires - The Spitfire is a plane to be feared when flying the LaGG-3-66 as many of the key strengths the LaGG-3-66 has, the Spitfire has (if not better). When battling the Spitfire, always try to go for the initial hit as early Spitfires (Spitfire Mk I/IIa) do not react well to damage. If you are battling cannon armed Spitfires, always go for the initial hit but remember the cannon armed Spitfire has far superior firepower compared to the LaGG-3-66 and will have no issues destroying the LaGG-3-66. Always remember not to get into manoeuvring fights with Spitfires as they will easily outmanoeuvre the LaGG-3-66 at any speeds.

• Nakajima Ki-43 Hayabusa and Mitsubishi A6M Reisen - When battling these planes, altitude is everything. These two Japanese planes will have no issue outperforming a LaGG-3-66 in manoeuvrability. Therefore when facing these two enemy planes, use Boom and Zoom tactics to defeat them. The Ki-43 and the A6M are some of the few planes that the LaGG-3-66 will face that can easily defeat the LaGG-3-66 at low-speed manoeuvring air to air combat.

• Vought F4U Corsair and Grumman F6F Hellcat - The Corsair and the Hellcat should be feared as their firepower (compared to the LaGG-3-66's firepower) and superior speed are major factors to watch out for. Do not try to outrun or go for head-on attacks if possible when confronting the F4U Corsair or the F6F Hellcat. Turn fighting is your best chance of success as the LaGG-3-66 will have no issue out turning them.

• Macchi C.205 - This plane is another key enemy of the LaGG-3-66. The Macchi C.205 is a capable enemy that can outperform the LaGG-3-66 in every category except at low speeds. When facing the Macchi C.205 try to force low-speed turn fighting, eventually, the advantage will fall to the LaGG-3-66.

Counter-tactics

Countering the LaGG-3-66 is going to become a case of what your plane's advantage is. The LaGG-3-66 does not have many weaknesses nor does it have any major advantages. Therefore to shoot down the LaGG-3-66 is going to come down to what your plane's advantage is over the LaGG-3-66. If you are in a plane that has a higher BR than the LaGG-3-66, more than likely your plane's advantages will easily outweigh the LaGG-3-66's advantages except in low speed fights.

Manual Engine Control

Pros and cons

Pros:

• Good armament
• Good energy fighter
• Rockets can be used for air to air combat
• Decent cannon ammo count
• Best performance at low altitude (< 3,000 m)
• Thick bulletproof glass to protect the pilot in head-on attacks
• Stable gun platform
• Dangerous at low speeds

Cons:

• Control surface compression at high speeds
• Poor performance at high altitude
• When up tiered this plane faces opponents that easily outperform this plane

History

Media

Skins

• Skins and camouflages for the LaGG-3-66 from live.warthunder.com.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example:

• reference to the series of the aircraft;
• links to approximate analogues of other nations and research trees.

External links

• Official data sheet - more details about the performance