RG2021

The French strike back! I would love a Mirage III and Mirage 5 combo. If a dev team developed both simultaneously we could squeeze so many historical conflicts out of them. The Mirage 5’s bomb load is just absurd…

Ah! Well that’s where you’re wrong! There’s a P-61B that’s been in restoration for over 30 years and its nearing full restoration to airworthy condition. The last update on the restoration was in 2020, but there is a full-time restoration team working on it. But it’s largely complete. I reckon if ED were to hit up the museum that owns it (when it’s done), we could realistically get a P-61B! The real problem would be the fact that it would have nothing to fight. But, that’s hardly even a problem because by the time the restoration is complete, and the hypothetical module in DCS were to be released into EA, DCS WW2 would have likely developed massively in the Pacific and with Assets. So a P-61 is very doable!

The Me-410 would be a dream of mine. The German Mosquito in a way. Could do everything! A schnellbomber, a heavy-fighter, ground attack, etc. Even though Germany set out specifically to create “a Germany Mosquito”, being the Focke-Wulf Ta-154, the Me-410 is essentially a German Mosquito, and I think it would be great! A beautiful cockpit as well… Were there any Me-410 night fighters? I’d kill for a WW2 night fighter, whether it’s a P-61, a Mosquito NF, or any German one.

A P-61 Black Widow!!! There’s so many cool things about the P-61, like it’s radar and its 4,000lbs bomb load. Superb night fighter and superb ground attacker. Would be such a fantastic addition.

(Feb 28, 2022) RG2021 With the DH.98 Mosquito FB MkVI being released last year, the plausibility of a twin-engined, multicrew aircraft is no longer a question, so, my proposal for the next twin-engined WW2 aircraft, if not simply the next WW2 aircraft, is the P-61 Black Widow. Reasons for this suggestion are plentiful, so, without further ado, here are my reasons why a P-61B Black Widow would make for a revolutionary and impressive module. 1.) Versatility. Some may think the P-61 is simply a night-fighter, and that couldn’t be further from the truth. In reality, the Black Widow was fielded as a multirole aircraft, capable of attacking ground targets and air targets with equal means of authority. For ground attack, the P-61 could carry approximately 4,000lbs of bombs and up to 6x 5” HVAR rockets. And, of course, 4x 20mm Hispano cannons and 4x .50cal heavy machine guns. 2.) Radar. DCS is yet to include a radar-equipped WW2 aircraft. What better to start with than the very first aircraft designed from the ground up to include radar? Equipped with the SCR-720 radar with a range of approximately 5 miles, the P-61 is certainly capable of delivering its venomous bite with precision, despite complete darkness. 3.) P-61B Restoration! Since 1991, the Mid-Atlantic Air Museum has been restoring a P-61B to flightworthy condition. Once the restoration is complete, that would make it so 1 of 4 known P-61s to exist. This would be the perfect opportunity to bring such an iconic yet under-loved aircraft to DCS! Was the P-61 the best fighter of the war? No. Did it have an astonishing kill count? Nope. Is it the most important or influential aircraft of the war? Nah. But it makes up for this with its sheer innovative design and cool factor. I think a P-61 of any model, but especially a B or C, would make for a fantastic DCS module, and would bring a whole new experience to the greatest flight sim to ever have been developed. Imagine this: you set up an EWR in the Mission Editor, then you and your radar-operating buddy take to the skies in the middle of darkness. The EWR you set up finds and relays the position of an enemy aircraft. Once you get close enough, your buddy manages to pick up the aircraft on your radar. He guides you in to the target. The enemy aircraft has entered the Black Widow’s web, and there is no escape. You unleash her four Hispanos and .50cals, ripping apart your victim. Splash! Thank you for your time and I hope this is taken into account when choosing what WW2 aircraft to bring next, or at least what twin-engined aircraft to bring next. Though I do know Mr. Grey loves the F6F… -RG2021 (Rhys)

P-61C Black Widow. Influential? Maybe not. Super important to the war effort? Nah. Remarkably high kill count? Nope. But it makes up in its sheer coolness and ability. Fast, large, heavily armed, radar-equipped, and simply awesome. Imagine you set up an EWR in the mission editor, and you take to the skies with your buddy as the radar operator. The EWR picks up an enemy and relays its position. You get close enough to pick it up on your radar (around 5 mile radar range). You close in and destroy the target. At first, complete darkness, then, a blinding flash of an enemy aircraft bursting into flames and plummeting towards the ground. Splash! Corresponding AI aircraft as well. Maybe a He-219 Uhu or BF-110 night fighter? Of course some Japanese aircraft as well. Especially with the Pacific Theatre coming to life in the upcoming years, a P-61C patrolling the skies around the WW2 Marianas shooting down any sneaky Japanese aircraft. Then add in its 4,000lbs bomb load and 6x HVAR rocket load. Not only a capable night fighter, but a hard-hitter against ground targets also. Sounds like pure fun, no?

Fang would be pretty badass.

I know, but Driscoll is a pretty cool name. "Irish Willie" would not be a good name.

Presumably you guys would prefer a simple name, and not something like "DeBellevue", so maybe "Chuck"? As that was DeBellevue's nickname. He was the highest scoring ace in Vietnam. You probably knew that, though. Or maybe "Driscoll"!

The first thing I do when I buy a module in DCS is pack as many bombs as I can and proceed to go carpet bomb something. Bomb trucking is my thing. So, me, heavily anticipating the release of the Mirage F1, am wondering, “how many bombs can I slap on the F1?”. I know that the South African Mirage F1AZ could carry up to 14 Mk82s; 4 under the fuselage, 4 on both inboard wing pylons, and 1 on each outboard wing pylon. However, in the trailer and preview, I couldn’t see a clip with the 4x bomb rack being equipped on the wings! Is the 4x wing rack exclusive to the F1AZ? I hope not!

Apparently the F4E is in the works by somebody. Was a low-key announcement but it IS supposedly in development by a proper dev team.

A J-7 would be cool but we need redfors to counter the onslaught of modern Western jets, such as an MKK. I’d love a J7 or Su-17 or something like that, but it would just be another gunfighter in the Cold War server (nothing wrong with that, but we don’t need more). A more modern jet like the MKK would be a multirole, redfor F-18 in a way.

Really?! I never flew the Huey but I flew the Hind and thought it felt super easy. I always heard that the Huey was one of if not the hardest module to control. That must mean...I AM THE GREATEST!

Well that’s not quite what I meant. Traditional bombers take off and fly more or less in a straight line to obliterate their targets, hence why a B-17 or B-24 would be a kinda sucky module in DCS. The B-1 flies low and fast, dodging obstacles and you fly it in a reactive manor rather than a predictive manor.

The B-1B would be an absolutely awesome module in DCS and I can’t see why it can’t be added. Obviously not a 2021-spec version, but a 2003ish version would be perfect! No JASSMs. But still JSOWs, JDAMs, MKs, etc. No new weapons. The B-1 flies very much like a fighter, albeit an absolutely mammoth one. More players would buy a B-1 than they would a new cargo plane that ED is talking about now. We need big aircraft but when the community says “big aircraft”, I’m pretty certain they mean BOMBERS.

Interesting. Well the aspect doesn’t matter toooo much if you’re being sneaky. I see the sneakiness factor as basically the only advantage of an IR missile, besides the fire-and-forget. Thanks! Do you know an approximate range? (Like max range and max effective)

Isn’t there an IR version of the R530?

It seems everyone has misunderstood my point. I didn’t mean that they could swap the cannons for bombs and use the aircraft as a carpet bomber, I meant that they could use it like they would’ve used it. For example, the Mosquito B models were used by the bomber command and carpet bombed targets in formation, yes? Well the normal FB’s dropped bombs on pinpoint targets such as the Amiens prison and the Gestapo HQ. They flew low and fast and were often in a shallow dive. Well a converted FB would STILL drop its bombs like a normal FB, but it would simply have more bombs to drop. I was NOT suggesting that a converted FB would drop it’s bombs like a B model.

You have to remember that this was WW2, fighters were often used as ground attackers and bombers were occasionally mounted with tank guns to be ground attackers as well. Yes, you could just use a bomber version, but the FB has permanent .303s, so it could still moderately protect itself without the 20MMs. I’m not saying that it’s all too practical, I’m saying it’s possible, or so I read, but again, I could be wrong. I do think it’s plausible though. A B version would be awesome! I think it would be a moderately safe “taste tester” for the controversial practicality of bombers in DCS. A lot of people seem to think that bombers would be boring, but I think if ED decided to pull the trigger and make a B model that it would be minimal risk for them. Minimal risk, high reward. If people enjoy having a B model Mosquito, then ED would know that people would possibly like a B-17 or B-24 etc.

Oh yeah, I agree! DCS isn’t about being balanced. Hell aircraft IRL are meant to be as “overpowered” as possible!

Hello everyone, does anyone know if we will be able to remove the 20mm Hispano cannons in the Mission Editor to afford more space in the bomb bay? I think I read somewhere a while ago that the models with the 20mm cannons mounted in the bomb bay could be removed in order to allow for a higher bomb capacity. Is this true, and if so, will it be implemented? Thanks.

It will also generate (heated) debate to people who think the EF will be “unBaLAncEd”, when being balanced isn’t the aim of DCS, realism is. I’ll also like to say that F-18 pilots will finally have to learn how to dogfight in order to get a kill. XD

Approximately how long until the Mi-24P is released to stable? I’m on the standalone application, and I don’t use Open Beta, as OB would always crash for me.