Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

LAK 9

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Top speed
  
225 km/h

Length
  
7.27 m

Wingspan
  
20 m

First flight
  
1976

LAK-9 httpsuploadwikimediaorgwikipediacommonsthu

The LAK-9 Lietuva (English: Lithuania) was an open-class competition sailplane produced in the Soviet Union in the 1970s. It was based on the LAK BK-7 that had been produced in small numbers since 1972. Like it, the LAK-9 was a conventional sailplane design with a high-set cantilever wing and a conventional empennage. The landing gear consisted of a retractable monowheel and a tailwheel, and construction throughout was of fibreglass.

The type came to the attention of the West when a LAK-9 was flown in the 1976 Gliding World Championships in Finland, the first entry by the Soviet Union since 1968. Piloted by O. Pasetnik, it was withdrawn from competition due to aileron damage.

The fourth batch to be produced was designated the LAK-9M (for "Modernised"), and a motorglider version was also produced.

Specifications (LAK-9)

General characteristics

  • Crew: One, pilot
  • Capacity: 100 kg (220 lb) water ballast
  • Length: 7.27 m (23 ft 11 in)
  • Wingspan: 20.02 m (65 ft 8 in)
  • Height: 1.53 m (5 ft 1 in)
  • Wing area: 15.0 m2 (161 ft2)
  • Aspect ratio: 26.8
  • Wing profile: Wortmann FX-67-K-170
  • Empty weight: 380 kg (838 lb)
  • Gross weight: 580 kg (1,278 lb)

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 225 km/h (140 mph)
  • Maximum glide ratio: 48
  • Rate of sink: 0.51 m/s (100 ft/min)

    • References

    LAK-9 Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA