WesWorld

Prewar plans for the Chosen airforce envisaged a balanced tactical airforce who would able be to gain and assert air superiority over enemy territory, support ground forces with close air support and destroy enemy infrastructure with deep strikes.
These plannings however were overambitious and the still emerging aircraft industry in Chosen was unable to cope with the vast amount of different design requests and the amount of required airframes.

After just two months of war and only moderate resistance of the Chinese airforce Chosen had lost the initiative in the air and was only able to win local air superiority for short timeframes. At this point, the most ambitious projects had already been cancelled (the Shanghaibomber for example).
Since late 1943 the design bureaus would focus exclusively on new fighter planes to stay on par with the latest Chinese models. In order to save time and resources the engineers tried to develop existing aircraft types instead of designing complete new ones.
However, not all aircraft types in service had sufficient potential for development. The SSC-60 A/B were already obsolete in 1943 and since 1944 they were used only for in the coastal defense squadrons.
The SSC-70 C had some success as a fighter and was relatively easy to produce. Attempts to fit a more powerful engine into the dainty airframe however failed and thus the aircraft had no promising future.
The same was true for the WAC-190. While it served throughout the war as a fighter-bomber, was praised by its pilots and was easy to fly, it never became a decent air superiority fighter. Even though prototypes were fitted with powerful engines, a sufficient increase of speed was never achieved.
Therefore Chosens aircraft engineers focused on the development of the SSC-90 which had a good reputation amongst its pilots and was feared by Chinese aircrews.



SSC-90 E

introduction: 01/1944



Crew: one, pilot
Length: 9.83 m
Wingspan: 11.12 m

Empty weight: 2,980 kg
Loaded weight: 3,760 kg
Powerplant: fourteen cylinder radial engine with 1750hp

Maximum speed: 636 km/h
Cruise speed: 420 km/h
Range: 850 km
Service ceiling: 11,200 m

Armament: 2x20mm cannons (KS-14), 2x 12,7mm machineguns (KS-12)


improvements: armament, engine



SSC-90 E 2

introduction: 03/1944



parameters see SSC-90 E

improvements: changed cockpit layout, improved reflex sight



SSC-90 F

introduction: 10/1944



Crew: one, pilot
Length: 9.91 m
Wingspan: 11.12 m

Empty weight: 3,280 kg
Loaded weight: 4,190 kg
Powerplant: fourteen cylinder radial engine with 1950hp

Maximum speed: 645 km/h
Cruise speed: 430 km/h
Range: 1150 km
Service ceiling: 11,200 m

Armament: 2x20mm cannons (KS-14), 2x 12,7mm machineguns (KS-12)

improvements: engine, cockpit armor, fuel capacity


SSC-90 FS

introduction: 03/1945



Crew: one, pilot
Length: 9.91 m
Wingspan: 11.12 m

Empty weight: 3,030 kg
Loaded weight: 3,940 kg
Powerplant: fourteen cylinder radial engine with 1950hp

Maximum speed: 656 km/h
Cruise speed: 435 km/h
Range: 950 km
Service ceiling: 11,200 m

Armament: 2x20mm cannons (KS-14), 2x 12,7mm machineguns (KS-12)

improvements: bubble canopy, radio/communcications


SSC-94 A

introduction: 5/1945



Crew: one, pilot
Length: 10.32 m
Wingspan: 13.20 m

Empty weight: 3,260 kg
Loaded weight: 4,120 kg
Powerplant: twelve cylinder v-engine with 1850hp

Maximum speed: 670 km/h
Cruise speed: 450 km/h
Range: 1020 km
Service ceiling: 11,200 m

Armament: 2x25mm cannons (KS-16L), 2x 12,7mm machineguns (KS-12)

improvements: armament, engine, radio/communcications



SSC-94 AM

introduction: 02/1946



Crew: one, pilot
Length: 10.32 m
Wingspan: 13.20 m

Empty weight: 3,380 kg
Loaded weight: 4,260 kg
Powerplant: twelve cylinder v-engine with 2250hp

Maximum speed: 710 km/h
Cruise speed: 490 km/h
Range: 1000 km
Service ceiling: 11,200 m

Armament: 2x25mm cannons (KS-16L), 2x 12,7mm machineguns (KS-12)

improvements: turbocharger



SSC-94 AM

introduction: 05/1946



Crew: one, pilot
Length: 10.32 m
Wingspan: 13.20 m

Empty weight: 3,140 kg
Loaded weight: 4,030 kg
Powerplant: twelve cylinder v-engine with 2250hp

Maximum speed: 735 km/h
Cruise speed: 500 km/h
Range: 720 km
Service ceiling: 11,200 m

Armament: 2x25mm cannons (KS-16L), 2x 12,7mm machineguns (KS-12)

improvements: bubble canopy

I have serious concern with the ability of the Chosen aircraft industry to maintain any sort of production level making four significant improvements to one design in the space of fifteen months.