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Why the F-35A? The F-35 is rapidly becoming the backbone of tactical combat aviation of many countries. Its combination of low observability, sensor fusion, and advanced sensors has brought 5th generation combat aviation to today’s battlefield. We chose to simulate this aircraft based on its fame and the large number of both combat aviation enthusiasts and more casual virtual pilots that are eager to experience its capabilities on the modern, virtual battlefield that only DCS can offer. What version of the F-35? We will first release the F-35A. We may later also offer the F-35B Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL) and F-35C aircraft carrier catapult versions, but this has yet to be determined. How will you simulate it given the lack of reference documents? Starting around 2010, hands-on F-35 demonstrations became commonplace at defense tradeshows. These featured detailed system demonstrations that covered a broad range of operations and capabilities that provided great insight into the operation of the aircraft across different mission types. Our goal is to create an F-35A simulation that combines this wealth of data with academic papers, public sub-systems data, and common Pilot Vehicle Interface (PVI) to fill in only a few areas lacking any information (like other existing DCS aircraft). Compared to other modern aircraft, we’ve discovered a great deal more information about its operation than most 4 and 4+ generation aircraft. Our F-35A will not be based on guesswork, watching air shows, Wikipedia or anything like that. Rather it is being designed in relation to credible data that we feel very confident will provide a good representation of what it is to operate this aircraft in the context of a study-level flight simulation game for the entertainment market. When will it be available? Development will start in earnest in 2025, with a release goal in 2026. This is subject to change. When we have a more specific date, we will update this FAQ. How much will it cost? The specific cost has yet to be determined for the F-35A, but it will be in-line with pricing of other full-fidelity, complex, modern aircraft in DCS. What weapons will be included?The complete weapons suite of a US F-35A in the 2015-time frame is planned. This includes the internal 25mm cannon, AIM-9X, AIM-120, GBU-31, GBU-32, and GBU-12. This list is subject to change during development. What countries will be included? The F-35A as operated by the US Air Force simulated but will have liveries for several countries including Australia, Norway, The Netherlands, Italy, Denmark, Belgium, Japan, South Korea, and Israel. More may be added later. How will you model its low observable characteristics? This will be based on open-source data and account for radar angle, range, and external stores, and open bays. How will you simulate the flight model given the lack of flight performance data? This would be derived from a combination of open-source performance charts, public F-35A pilot accounts of unique handling characteristics to test against, and Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) studies. Would this not unbalance DCS? Larger numbers of hostile aircraft can outweigh the F-35A's advantages in single-player missions (player versus environment). It will also lend itself well to cooperative multiplayer missions that are created to challenge F-35A pilots. Whilst in multiplayer player-versus-player, the F-35A will initially be the 800-pound gorilla in the room, its advantages can be offset with limited slots, creative mission building, and the later introduction of more comparable aircraft like the Eurofighter and others.

You cannot expect us to buy that "open source" documentation and looking over a dude's shoulder at a trade show constitutes enough to make a FF module of one of the newest frontline jets. This is absurd. Credibility shattering even. We moaned about the paper plane J8, but this...... 10 years of flying DCS and this is what it's becoming. Okay then.

Why the F-15C? The F-15C has been a pillar of United States, and other nations, air superiority for decades. While the F-15C has featured in Lock On and then the Flaming Cliffs series, it’s now time for a full-fidelity simulation of this legendary fighter. A full-fidelity F-15C will join the F-14, F-16C, and F/A-18C to round out US 4th generation fighters in DCS. It will also serve as a great counterpart to the upcoming MiG-29A. What version of the F-15C? As with the Flaming Cliffs version, it will be an F-15C Multi-Stage Improvement Program (MISP) II as operated by the US Air Force in the early 2000s. This will feature either the AN/APG-63(V)1 or AN/APG-70 radars (TBD which one), Programable Armaments Control System (PACS), the JTIDS datalink with Situational (SIT) Display, and Joint Helmet Mounted Cuing System (JHMCS) with AIM-9X. It will be powered by two F100-PW-220 engines. Will it just be an updated Flaming Cliffs F-15C? Not at all. The entire external model and cockpit will be rebuilt to meet 2025 graphical standards. The avionics, sensor, and weapon systems will be at the highest level of fidelity with a fully interactive cockpit. While the flight model will be based on the Flaming Cliffs version, it will be further improved. Please note the Flaming Cliffs version will remain unchanged. When will it be available? Development will start in earnest in 2025, with a release goal in 2026. This is subject to change. When we have a more specific date, we will update this FAQ. How much will it cost? The specific cost has yet to be determined for the F-15C, but it will be in line with the pricing of other full-fidelity, complex, modern aircraft in DCS. What weapons will be included? The complete weapons suite of a US F-15C in the mid-2000s time frame is planned. This includes the internal M61A2 20mm cannon, AIM-9L/M/P3/X, AIM-7F/M/MH, and AIM-120B/C. As this is based on the US F-15C, it solely carries air-to-air weapons. What countries will be included? There will be a single F-15C version as operated by the US Air Force, but it will have liveries for several countries' liveries including Japan, Israel, and Saudi Arabia.

I'll get the important part out of the way first: Developing a 5th Gen aircraft using the less "traditionally cited" forms of documentation (i.e. public, open-source media) to develop a full-fidelity module can only be seen as a relaxation or "downgrade" of the documentation required (at least by ED) to develop a full-fidelity module for DCS. Does this mean that, seeing as ED is doing it with the F-35, other third-parties or even ED itself can now make modules that it has otherwise said that documentation does not exist/not complete enough to develop a module? For example, part of the reason a Su-30 module (yes, I'm aware there is a pretty-well-put-together mod available) or Su-27 module does not exist has previous been explained away as not having enough documentation to simulate the aircraft. Would ED allow other aircraft to be developed into modules for DCS, using the same form of sources cited as being used in the development of the F-35 module? There are many, MANY examples of Su-30s at airshows and technical demonstrations etc... And, given this, does this also yield some hope that other aircraft already in DCS can receive upgrades to their systems and/or weapons? A great first-use test-case would be the "new" F-5E module upgrade - you can't tell me there's "more documentation" available on the F-35 and its complete systems and weapons, than there is for putting an extra pair of AAMs, AGM-65s and an IFR probe on the F-5E...

Don’t tell me the QA team found some last minute bugs and postpone the video…

2025 and beyond Video will be posted evening time GMT / ZULU I am sure you will all enjoy it. thank you

I feel Pandora's box has been opened...

This makes a mockery of every time anyone was told a system was impossible to produce in DCS because there wasn't enough documentation.

nullHumour dont ban me

January 16th and beyond...

The 35 we wanted null

This looks like a cash grab TBH. There is no way they can model the F-35 to FF standard based on airshow videos and pilot feedback only. But it will definitely sell to the crowd that wants the latest most performant planes at all cost. Imagine how much dev time this project will take away from much needed core improvements such as AI, dynamic campaign, VR performance, etc. Also, if proper documentation is no longer needed for a module, can we get some Flankers in here?

I am really surprised that the video haven't been prepared earlier than publishing date.

As others have pointed out, to make a ff module with nothing more than video, and "interviews" completely changes the meaning of full fidelity, and study level simulation.

What an absolute joke. I play DCS because I can cope that things are simulated to at least a bare minimum of """"realism"""" but there's just no way to get even close to that with an F-35. If you want to guesstimate something how about you guesstimate a MiG-31 to get some semblance of parity for red vs blue?

Dawg, if you didn't see that as a rickroll a mile away, I dunno what to say lol.

Jan 16th is the preorder date. It will enter to early access in a couple hours/days/weeks/months. After 5+ years in early access, the video will still have lots of frames missing especially in the last minutes of it. The frames we have access to will have missing or wrong-colored pixels etc.

Video is in final stages and will be live this evening GMT / ZULU Thanks for being patient

The sheer amount of BS magic dust they are going to have to douse this module in will be meme worthy.

Release next year. Low observable when EW is a joke in DCS (countermeasures are still RNG, jammers are a flag for other radars), dodgy af sources. I am lost for words. Standards just left the building. Make it FC if you must have an F35, but dont pretend we can have FF when that's your sales pitch. Liveries as a feature once again, jesus christ.

I'm afraid I have to somewhat agree, though I'll do so with less cynicism. I do fear this may "cheapen the brand." There's no way this can be anything close to full fidelity. Released as an FC4, I'd understand. But I agree this could impact the credibility of ED's other, true FF modules that are based on actual tangible documentation.

Yeah, maintaining a product for autistics and elderly perfectionist-masochists has its downsides

Yeah, and HB didn't submit their content in time.

I cannot agree more with the statement above. We have been told for years the F-117 could not be made because the lack of documentation and the classified nature or its development and systems. However, we are led to believe that ED will pull off a very close to realistic F-35A? The F-117 used legacy F-18 avionics and damn near had the same start up procedure as the Hornet, same weapons implementation, same MFD's ect... The classified nature lied in the material used to build the aircrafts stealth capabilities. It could easily be argued that this could have been made a lot easier than the F-35A because of the amount of documentation out there for years now. It was introduced in 83 and retired in 08. It would also be a better fit to our current maps. The Helmet Mounted Display is the soul of the F-35 (The helmet). I highly doubt ED is going to be able to pull off the ability to accurately represent this in an authentic and realistic way. By all means, please prove me wrong. But that assumption here is a game designer can gather enough information open source to build a classified 5th Gen fighter very close to the real thing, but somehow the US military can keep that information from our adversaries. Do not get me wrong ED, everyone wants an F-35, but I feel like you guys just overstated your capabilities to provide what we have always loved and wanted from you, and that is the most authentic and realistic representation of military aircraft that can be found in a simulation. I know for a FACT, there is NO way, 0 chance in hell, you will obtain the information required for the F-35 to provide this level of detail to the community and I feel it is a step backwards when there are so many other iconic aircraft out there to recreate. I do not see Wags doing a cold start on the F-35A and honestly be able to say, this is how it is done. He will now have to say to the community, this is how we think it's done, and that defeats the purpose of your goal with this sim. I would like to say I hope you prove me wrong, but I know 100% you will not be able to accurately recreate this aircraft because it is literally classified. It will take a lot of interpretation on ED's behalf as to how thing work and operate on the aircraft and that is why we never begged for this from the start.

It seems ridiculous that when they announced the A version of the MiG29, and the public requested an SMT version ED said that if it did not have "reliable data" they were not going to simulate an airplane...; now simply with a few marketing videos and other videos of a flying plane is enough....; because the public is going to pay...; the next will be Star Wars spacecraft

I'm not saying it's a bad thing. I'm saying it is a monumental, tectonic shift in ED's business model. DCS will never be the same - we are now going to be looking at a significant mix of ultra high fidelity models mixed with pseudo, knida sorta high fidelity. This is groundbreaking....

Utterly pointless, not interested.

Yep... think ED are going against their own principles of only producing 100% accurate modules because there is absolutley no way they have all the matereial to create the F35A accurately....

Well good luck with this ED. Personally, I think you should focus on actually making sure that those modules you have released over the past god knows how many years I've given you, are actually finished and not borked on every patch release................... Along with missions............... Along with campaigns........... That would be nice.................. wouldn't it?

It was very...strange...decision... with f35 disappointed

Digital Procrastination Simulator

Well at least this year starts the same as the last year went: With delays and disappointment

And Razbam sued them for including their content but not paying them

Well....Yes! Exactly that. Think of the alternative. ED could just release a given module as is ("Those are the features, take it or leave it") and then do or don't add features later, maybe even as paid "DLC". Which is exactly what a lot (A LOT) of software/game developers do. Would you be happier that way? Software - especially one with that kind of complexity - is never "done". It's just the nature of the beast. At least ED is open about that.

i like it

I mean, no one is forced to buy EA modules... I'd rather have the option to buy them before they are finished, in the end I get to decide.

I am shocked. The appearance of this aircraft made my jaw drop. Hope we can get some hype going for this thing!

If they downgrade fidelity they need to downgrade their prices too.

I can't help but think they've made a huge rod for their own back now that the standard 'do you have declassified docs for that?' reply to amendments/upgrade requests to existing jets holds no water. If they were going to do a stealth platform and were relaxing the stance on 'we need the docs' that surprised they didn't have a tilt at the F-117 first. I know it featured fleetingly in the video but I assume from us having an F35A sub-forum within minutes but not an F-117 that its not a module actively in the works. Plus it'd probably feel much less out of place/time in the wider game than the F-35. The Germany map looks pretty mega from what they showed, and i've been looking forward to see what the Typhoon ends up like for a while. Also kind of curious about the Herc when it materialises. I'm not going to lie, i'd much rather have a finished Strike Eagle than the F-15C. On that note, I hope the complete absence of RB jets in this years video isn't a sign that the conclusion of that spat isn't going to be a positive one. Its gone awfully quiet on the A-7 front too.

Not really sure how I feel about this one. For years, customers have been told "no we can't make that because of the lack of data and documents available". Now, you can get all that information from watching some videos. DCS's main selling point is the accuracy of the flight models and the attention to the minor details that other platforms don't provide. I'm happy to see more aircraft but this one is a bit far fetched given where dcs has come from in my opinion.

**bang** *shoots razbam in the back of the head* oh damn you saw that, uhhh F35 coming to dcs. Source? Youtube obviously.

Wow. So, apparently there is not enough information to give FW-190 GM-1 system. All info is there, but one key peice is not documented enough to make simulation. But this is not the case with entire F-35 somehow.

If you don't like, then don't buy it. At the end money speaks. For me it's a very welcomed surprise. I am glad I can fly the F-35 in DCS as well simulated as currently possible before I am dead.

Tell your community "we are desperate" without spelling "we are desperate"

imean its either this or you wanna wait 20 years more for it (im gladly taking this just as a good representation)

Maybe they do videos like my son does book reports for school. <knows about book report due date for months>.... <day before book report is due>... "Hey, I haven't started that book yet."

Some photos courtesy of Loki A bit of work going into turrets right now, that's the first big "multicrew" bit being fully fleshed out atm. As you can see the 3d model and textures for the turrets are still being worked on. Multicrew wise there's some DCS core issues that we are battling but I'm sure we will find workarounds (that or you can write your local DCS community moderator to get us SDK access) but I'm going full throttle on multicrew. We may have larger update for you guys soon.

Roger!

*Ding* Popcorns ready. Instant noodles cooked. Where is the video?