The prototype of the LaGG-3 was called the I-301 and was designed by
Semyon A. Lavochkin, and . The prototype was later renamed the LaGG-1 and production aircraft were called the LaGG-3. The prototype was designed and produced by the GAZ-301 factory in
Khimki to the North West of Moscow. The design was approved for production in January 1940 and in the prototype's name the I- prefix stood for
istrebitel () and the number signified the design bureau responsible (which in this case was the GAZ-301 factory). The I-301 was a single-seat, low-wing monoplane, with a semi-monocoque fuselage, and skinned with birch veneer and plywood. The I-301 airframe was partially made of "delta wood": a material composed of very thin (0.35–0.55 mm) layers of birch or pine
wood veneer, and a
phenol-formaldehyde resin known as VIAM-B-3, which together were baked at high temperatures and pressures. Delta wood was used for critical parts of the airframe. This novel construction material had
tensile strength comparable to that of non-hardened aluminum alloys and only 30% lower than that of
precipitation hardened D-1A grade
duralumin. It was also incombustible and completely invulnerable to rot, with service life measured in decades in adverse conditions. During production of the prototype, it was discovered that the adhesive used in delta wood caused skin irritation and safety procedures needed to be devised for workers. The I-301 was armed with one axial mounted MP-6 23 mm
autocannon designed by
Yakov Taubin which fired through a hollow propeller shaft in the "vee" between the engine cylinders and two synchronized
Berezin UBS machine guns in the cowl. The MP-6 had 81 rounds of ammunition while the Berezin UBS had 230 rounds per gun. The MP-6 was abandoned after the prototype due to excessive recoil forces that damaged engine fittings. The I-301 used a
Klimov M-105P engine of a licensed derivative of the
Hispano-Suiza HS 12Y with a two-speed two-stage
supercharger. At it was heavier than its competitors the Yak-1 and MiG-1, which meant its ceiling of was less than both. The I-301 took to the air for the first time on 30 March 1940 and by 12 June 1940 the manufacturer's tests were completed. The test pilot, A. Nikashin, reported that the fit and finish of the prototype was very good, it handled well, was maneuverable, and could be mastered by pilots of average ability. On 14 June 1940 state acceptance trials began and it reached at sea level, at , and climbed to in 5.85 minutes. Later, the I-301 reached at with its radiator doors shut making it the fastest M-105P powered aircraft. The I-301 had a fuel capacity of carried in three
self-sealing fuel tanks between the wing spars in the wing's center-section giving it a range of . During testing the state specification was increased to a maximum range of and fuel capacity was increased to . Aircraft with this fuel capacity were designated as LaGG-3's while the prototype was re-designated as the LaGG-1. The test flights revealed 114 faults that needed to be fixed but the project was given high priority so most of these faults were to be addressed in production aircraft. ==Operational history==