SwJ-1K Kraniche

This Quasi-3rd Generation East German Tactical Surface Fighter was developed by the Junkers Design Bureau in order to supply the Volksarmee with a locally-produced and maintained line of TSF. Originally built as a licence-produced variant of the Soviet Sukhoi-27, it shares with its predecessor its purpose, strategic role and avian namesake of the crane. Its designation stands for Schwere Jaeger, which categorizes it as the heavyweight part of the East German Hi-Low strategy. It is intended to operate alongside diverse MiG variants.

History
After the destruction of the Budapest Hive and the reclamation of East German territory from the BETA, the National Volksarmee, previously folded under UN control following the fall of Oder-Neisse, regained its independence. The remnants of the NVA at the time were equipped primarily with older MiG-23MLDs, MiG-27s, and some newer MiG-29s. While functional, these were all lightweight units as per the Hi-Low deployment strategy favored around the world at the time, and they lacked complementary units. The need for a heavy-weight unit was obvious, and warm relations with the Soviets made the Su-27 an obvious candidate from the start.

It was quickly decided to produce the new units locally, both for logistical, economical and political reasons, at the newly acquired Kattowitz facilities, but the project almost immediately hit a major roadblock. The baseline Su-27 was an aging model introduced nearly 10 years prior. It was a 2nd Generation machine in a world where 2.5th and 3rd Generation were becoming more and more frequent, and the export version being downgraded from the baseline made it practically obsolete on arrival. Due to these constraints, it was decided to engineer a new, updated machine based on the Zhuravlik's frame.

Using knowledge gleamed from the covert reverse-engineering of a much more advanced Berkut model at Junkers, the design's avionics were significantly upgraded, and the addition of 3rd Generation Operation-by-Light systems reduced weight while improving the machine's agility. Additionally, the blade vanes were replaced by more brutal, motorized chainblades, a characteristic common among modern Soviet TSFs, and it was equipped with an HISM sensor suite, which helps mitigate the sensor and communication interferences caused by heavy metal particle clouds.

All these characteristics make the SwJ-1K a new machine in its own right, although the influence of the Sukhoi lines is undeniable. It is capable of holding its own against 3rd Generation equivalents, and is highly effective in close quarters and low visibility conditions.

By late 2001, the SwJ-1K was pitted against updated F-15 variants in a serie of tests. It performed well, managing to defeat the Strike Eagle in close-combat in 3 out of 4 matches. The limited stealth capabilities of the Active Eagle also failed to fool the Kraniche's powerful sensor suite. With the F-15 being the most common export TSF throughout the world, used by the UN and various other nations either as it is or modified locally, this has earned the SwJ-1K some interest abroad, but no export model of the Kraniche is currently available due to the low numbers of units in service.

Deployment
Starting in mid 2001, the SwJ-1K saw deployment with the 4th Strike Wing of the National Volksarmee, where it is used as a strategic reserve in central Europe. With its long range and strategic position at Kattowitz, the machines have seen action on the reformed Oder-Neisse defense front, as well as in the Balkans, where their primary duty is to assist in the defense of smaller fellow Socialist nations.

A squadron of these TSFs also equips the elite 501st Reiter Battalion 'Werewolf', led by commissar Alexis Alscher, which participates in oversea operations and is rapidly starting to acquire a reputation for its ferocity. They have seen action primarily in Japan, where they participated in the defense of Niigata, broke the nationalist lines during the 12/5 uprising, and were featured as an OpFor unit during the XM3 unveiling tests.

In addition to this, A few SwJ-1Ks, under the designation Morgenstern Flight, have also been sent to the Yukon base to take part in Project Prominence as a mean to gather as much data as possible about the characteristics of TSFs of other nations. While it's only a Quasi-3rd generation machine surrounded by fully-upgraded 3rd Gen machines, it was noted on the international scene for being a very solid conversion, especially in the extremely short time it took to develop.

SwJ-1K Ausf.B
The Ausf.B variant of the Kraniche is an upgrade geared towards increasing its effectiveness as a fire support TSF. It is equipped with two Feuerlilie heavy missile pods that allow it to reliably take down heavily armored BETA strains such as Destroyers, Heavy Lasers, and even the colossal Fort strains. For this role, the Ausf.B variant has also been enhanced with more advanced targeting and fire control systems in order to make every single of the powerful but heavy and costly missiles count. Finally, it is also equipped by a large JSM-200 engine which provides it more cruise speed at the expense of agility, so that it may redeploy where it's needed more quickly. Due to all these factors, the SwJ-1K Ausf.B is often nicknamed the 'Beast Slayer'.