The Lavochkin La-7 (Russian: Лавочкин Ла-7) was a piston-engined Soviet fighter developed during World War II by the Lavochkin Design Bureau (OKB). It was a development and refinement of the Lavochkin La-5, and the last in a family of aircraft that had begun with the LaGG-1 in 1938. Its first flight was in early 1944 and it entered service with the Soviet Air Forces later in the year. A small batch of La-7s was given to the Czechoslovak Air Force the following year, but it was otherwise not exported. Armed with two or three 20 mm (0.79 in) cannon, it had a top speed of 661 kilometers per hour (411 mph). The La-7 was felt by its pilots to be at least the equal of any German piston-engined fighter and even shot down a Messerschmitt Me 262 jet fighter. It was phased out in 1947 by the Soviet Air Force, but served until 1950 with the Czechoslovak Air Force.
By 1943, the La-5 had become a mainstay of the Soviet Air Forces, yet both its head designer, Semyon Lavochkin, as well as the engineers at the Central Aerohydrodynamics Institute (Russian: TsAGI), felt that it could be improved upon. TsAGI refined earlier studies of aerodynamic improvements to the La-5 airframe in mid-1943 and modified La-5FN c/n 39210206 to evaluate the changes. These included complete sealing of the engine cowling, rearrangement of the wing center section to accommodate the oil cooler and the relocation of the engine air intake from the top of the cowling to the bottom to improve the pilot's view.
La7 is an Italian private television channel, until 2013 it was owned by Telecom Italia Media and operated by Telecom Italia. It is now owned by Cairo Communications.
In 2001, Lorenzo Pellicioli and Roberto Colaninno, of Telecom Italia announced they had acquired Telemontecarlo, in order to create a strong competitor against the six other national channels in Italy. Against the initial premises, like the hiring of popular TV hosts, anchors and journalists, La7 ratings and shares were much lower than its major competitors. However, in 2010–2011, the channel began doubling its rates, also thanks to current News director Enrico Mentana and his news program TG La7.
On March 4, 2013, it was announced the acquisition by Urbano Cairo's Cairo Editore. The sale was effective from April 30, 2013.
LA-7 or LA 7 can refer to: