The Blackburn Skua first flew in Feb 1937, entering service in Nov 1938. The Skua was built to Air Ministry specification O.27/34, calling for naval dive bomber of low-wing monoplane of all-metal (duralumin) construction, with folding wings, a retractable undercarriage and enclosed cockpit.
The Skua was the first monoplane, folding undercarriage, naval dive bomber, though soon eclipsed by better aircraft in the IJN and USN.
Let's assume FAA spec. O.27/34 is immediately followed by F.28/34 for a single seat fighter, with same directive of low-wing monoplane of all-metal (duralumin) construction, with folding wings, a retractable undercarriage and enclosed SINGLE SEAT cockpit, AND mandatory use of whatever engine O.27/34 uses, in this case the Perseus.
So, we've now saddled the FAA with a fighter design that cannot easily be upgraded to the later Hercules (that was kind of my point here - taking the best radial out of contention as a challenge to us all). It's not all bad, as the Perseus was capable of 1,200 hp with the right spec and fuel. This should be sufficient for a fighter entering service in 1938, giving the FAA experience with the type, setting up its eventual replacement with Centaurus or Hercules powered fighters (akin to Wildcat to Hellcat).
So, what do we build with our Perseus? We start in Jan 1935. How about a single seat Skua?
