SU-37 Koschei Custom Loadout

SU-37 "Koschei" Loadout

This loadout mod has an accompanying, standalone skin mod, used for the images here: SU-37 Koschei Skin

Though made to accompany one another, neither requires the other.

Named after Koschei the Deathless, a figure of folklore notorious for escaping death, this SU-37 variant has a history of doing just that. Five were built in peace and five in war, and through combat and catastrophic test flights they survived again and again thanks to the skill of their test pilots, and a bit of luck.

Prior to the Circum-Pacific War, Yuktobania began a new fast-track weapon testing program designed to accelerate the development of advanced weapons. Some of these would necessitate major changes to the host airframe's internal structure which led to the development of a dedicated SU-37 testbed variant, technically designated the SU-37Y.

The accelerated testing led to several incidents. Overheating, internal and external plasma fires, and at one point a misaligned PTLS lens resulted in half the radome shearing off. But no planes were lost. The skilled test pilots managed to land after every incident, and the planes were repaired in time. From this, the pilots and engineers gave it the nickname 'Koschei.'

Once the Circum-Pacific War broke out YAF leadership felt that the SU-37Y was ready for combat testing. The original five testbeds were grounded and five new planes were built. Test pilots became combat pilots. Dubbed Lich Squadron and stationed at Novanek, the same YAF base at which the first five aircraft were tested, they fended off Osean attacks in several sorties without losses. Eventually the Oseans launched a successful surprise attack on Novanek while Lich Squadron was away on a long distance mission. Without the engineers, mechanics, and equipment at Novanek required to maintain the damaged experimental planes, they were forced to land elsewhere and were out of commission for the remainder of the war.

Some time after the end of the war, Lich Squadron's planes were repaired, and a new operator emerged: Osea. Yuktobania had traded the plans over to Osea for their manufacturing firms to use by treaty, as a gesture of postwar cooperation. In truth, this was a move to save face, as Yuktobanian intelligence revealed that Osea had captured the original five testbeds at Novanek intact and was reverse engineering them. Nonetheless, the SU-37 Koschei had lived up to its name. Years after the war, none of the ten planes were destroyed, not even those captured and studied by their enemies.

NOTE: The special weapons will be listed as HCAA, LASM, and TLS in the hangar and in-game, while the PLASGUN will be listed as PLSL.