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How anyone thought a Tomcat with TF-30 engine nozzles was or meant a "D" variant is beyond me...

I'm hoping we don't see more F-4 variants till after the A-6 release since it was supposed to be an unannounced module we know now is the F-4E, then the Eurofighter, and then the A-6E

You missed this on your way in. Lot's of cool stuff.

That's good to hear, really wanting to add the A-6 and KA-6 to my carrier decks and recovery tanker options. I wonder how much the delays have affected that statement as while I'm happy to wait for the flyable module, I've seen enough pretty shots of the A-6E external model to wonder what else they have left to do to give us the AI version...

That assumes the naval variants of the Phantom are planned before the A-6 which I doubt they are as the F-4E module filled the missing slot. The A-6 AI at least was slated to be a part of the F-14 module and like the Forrestal become part of the base game. Whether that is happening later because they are doing a flyable A-6 idk. As they have stated the Naval Phantoms are a separate module from the F-4E, I wouldn't expect them to delay the A-6 as those Phantoms require a new external and internal model as well as having some systems variation with enough differences from the F-4E to warrant a separate module.

Oh come on, be optimistic here, they thought they could have it done in 2022 until they were delayed, I very much doubt they need another full year to be ready for release.

From what I've heard and read on this forum, the pilot should have basically all the weapon controls up front but only controls the radar in a borescope mode. Most of the navigation systems seem to be controlled from the backseat as well as primary control of the radar. The main difference between the USAF and the USN back-seaters is that the USAF back seats have full flight controls while the USN do not. Otherwise, they do pretty much the same thing. I'm sure the experts here will be able to correct or explain it better than me, but I can't think of a single two-seat fighter from this era where the back-seater served no purpose. So like it or not, planes like this will require you to talk to the WSO or RIO, that's why they are there. They do things the pilot can't because of systems limitations. I would imagine that the F-4E will require more interaction because the aircraft is older than the F-14 with older analog systems and some early digital systems. Jester isn't that hard to use though and they said that the Phantom will launch Jester 2.0 I believe it was, so it should be even better than what's currently in the Tomcat.

Yes, the question has always been when. And to repeat that time honored DCS tradition I say... 2 more weeks

Agreed. Definitely let myself get too riled up... Can we all just be fans of the F-4 Phantom in general and stop arguing over which one is best?

Oh I am well aware of where we are. Tell me, are you? If you are then you must be looking for the numbers to show the F-4J had more kills than the F-4E. If not, maybe the F-4J dropped more ordnance than the F-4E? If not, maybe it served for a longer period? If not, and you cannot provide any sources beside "because I said so" then I think you had better come up with a new tactic besides deflecting and avoiding the conversation. Nobody here has asked about the doctrine or training of the USAF or the USN.

You literally just answered a question about the veracity of the claims that the F-4E beat the F-4J 23 kills to 20. Nowhere in your reply did you address anything other than doctrine or training. That has nothing to do with the number of kills that was achieved by either airframe which would is an airframe to airframe comparison, not a pilot to pilot or doctrine comparison. Either the F-4E got more kills than the F-4J in US service or it didn't end of story. Also, I set the requirements? You're the one that asked for historical backup. I merely reciprocated. You then responded as you have mostly been doing in a rather condescending manner.

You previously asked others to use history to back up their points. This implies that your points are backed up by history. If so, that should be very easy for you to prove and set the record straight. When you claim all your statements are historical and backed up by common knowledge, it is actually required you list your own sources. You can't just say, "I didn't like this other guys sources" and then not provide your own because, "the utility of listing them is quite low." Since the basis for your entire argument rests on this common knowledge, I would please like to see the underlying reasoning and the information behind it because I do not have this common knowledge in my repertoire yet so a source would be nice so I can actually learn something new.

Pull up your numbers please then. IIIRC, there was a sourced statement that said that in US service, the F-4E had 23 victories while the F-4J only had 20. If you can disprove this, please do.

I think it's still on topic as we were both still addressing feelings of negativity and how best to deal with them. I honestly and truly believe that Heatblur will give us our Naval Phantom after they complete their current projects. In turn, I to wish you the best while we wait for its release.

I am not uncomfortable nor do I think you should not have a voice in proceedings, however you just cherrypicked the one thing you didn't like out of my post. In any case, the most effective way to voice your opinion in the marketplace is your wallet. Complaining you aren't getting your way is childish and Heatblur is will not throw at least a year and a half of time, money, and hard work out the window because you don't want their product. Other people do though and they will speak with their wallets as well.

Again you did not include any sources. In my opinion, since the F-4S never saw combat(unless I'm mistaken) as stated previously and the F-14 had come onto the scene by that time I don't think that it should be added unless it's in addition to the J model as Heatblur is doing with the DSCG and DMAS version of the E model. I am not asking for you to advocate for the F-4E I am simply requesting that since Heatblur has chosen the F-4E to release first that you stop advocating against it. I am not asking you to like that nor do I think you should buy a module you don't want. By all means support the modules you want to, it's none of my business what you spend your money on. I make this request not because I am convinced the E version is the best thing ever, but because Heatblur has made their decision and you will never convince them they are wrong and seem to think your posts here will in some way change that. They will not. In fact, truth be told, as a fan of US naval aviation, like you, I would rather have seen the F-4J come first. I also firmly believe we will most likely see the J version in Navy and Marine Corps colors make it to DCS as I have seen exactly zero evidence to the contrary. Whether you believe that or not is irrelevant because no one can prove Heatblur is going to go back on their word and forget about the Naval Phantom. Unlike you, however I can see why so many people are excited for the F-4E as especially non US fans of the Phantom grew up seeing the shape of the E model, not the USN versions. The US, Australia, South Korea, Israel, Iran, Australia, etc. all fielded versions of the E model Phantom so when they think of the Phantom, that's what the think of. Not the Navy versions used only by the US and the UK, but the land based E version. This does not in any way detract from the Naval variant or its successes, but does show why it is so popular as not all DCS fans are American... You forget that the Naval Phantom was stated to be a completely separate module due to the amount of differences from the E model. Q: Why won’t all variants be part of one module? A: The investment of time and effort to do the Navy and Marine Corps versions of the F-4 justice makes it unrealistic for us to include everything in one package. We want to make sure to tell the story of each Phantom variant chosen in the most content rich and appropriate way possible, while making sure that we stay a thriving and viable team. We’ll share more details on our plans with regards to variant additions to the F-4 later, but we remain steadfastly committed to ensuring that we are fair to our beloved community and supporters. As for the Tomcat, it has not yet exited early access development so you can't say that we are "post release" because quite frankly the Tomcat is not fully released yet. I have faith that Heatblur is trying their hardest to get these things to us as customers.

Cancelled? They never planned it in the first place and added it later as a bonus. They never stated they would be making a -95GR, but they HAVE stated that they will be releasing a modified version of the early-135GR with limited weapons and the disabling and possible removal of the TCS pod among other things.

Heatblur will give us an update when they are ready. We've waited this long, I think we can survive a little longer without news. I don't really expect any updates from them until the Phantom is ready for preorder/release, after which I expect a whole deluge of information and video tutorials leading up to its release into the DCS open beta.

People taking things personally in 2023 surprises you? Where exactly have you been the last couple of years? While your comments may not be inherently negative, they are worded or phrased in a way that can be seen as negative. From what I have seen, this discussion has led both sides to become very combative, which in itself, makes this a net negative. Also, I may have missed the part where you said the F-4E had good qualities that the F-4J did not and the F-4J had good qualities that the F-4E did not. You merely say that the F-4J is clearly superior in every conceivable way without providing any sources as evidence besides that one video. This implies that you have at minimum a sense of superiority(if not outright disdain) in regards to the F-4E and this causes you to be rather condescending in your responses and as others have pointed out, you repeatedly refuse to acknowledge the evidence and rebuttals presented to you. Please provide the evidence of your claims as @SgtPappy has done since you claim historical evidence without citing your sources. You also say there is plenty of disagreement in regards to which version of the F-4 to release. Clearly, this is true, but I'll say this once more... Which version gets released is not up to you and neither is up to me or anyone besides Heatblur and Eagle Dynamics. Discussing(or in this case arguing) about it will not change the fact that Heatblur is the developer and they have already decided to release the F-4E first. You also never address the fact the Heatblur have clearly stated that we will be receiving a naval Phantom at a later date. In regards to personal attacks, I have not made any personal attacks against you, nor will I be goaded into name calling or other such nonsense as it will add nothing to the conversation. I have merely stated that they way in which you come off in most instances is rather rude and condescending to those with whom you disagree. Discussion is important but simply stating things without presenting the evidence for the statements will win you no arguments and acting in a condescending manner will win you no friends.

Really excited to see the A-7 getting closer to the finish line. Great job guys!

The subforum is indeed the best place for it. This however, is a thread/topic on that subforum made in response to negative comments about the F-4E, not a place for you to provide more of those negative comments. The thread was created with the clear intention of bringing some positivity back to the release of the F-4E so saying negative things about that is in fact off topic. There is another thread on this subforum dedicated specifically to the Naval Phantom variants and I suggest that if you have nothing positive to say, that you discuss the Naval variants(of which I am a huge fan of) there. I think that sounds like an excellent idea. Pit pilot and plane against one another to decide once and for all. On the other hand, other than bragging rights and I must say an awesome F-4 grip, I don't think anybody's minds will be changed as to which they favor. I'm just happy we're getting any F-4 at all. And both the USAF and USN versions at that.

Happy New Year! Yeah there's a lot to be excited for in 2023. The F-4E and F-15E are both really close to being ready for release as well as the Sinai map and possibly the F4U Corsair as well. Maybe there's more stuff that will come out as well, guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we.

I mean seriously... Heatblur decides what Heatblur makes, not people on the internet. The history that's important here, is that sometime in 202X, Heatblur decided to begin the journey of bringing the F-4 Phantom into DCS. At some point, they made the decision to produce the E model first before a Navy model. Nobody here had any say in that, nor should they have.

I mean if we want to get technical, the screenshot with F-4's over the pyramids basically confirms in my opinion that the F-4 will be at least featured in the video. I seriously doubt they would use the current AI F-4E with the low-poly model for something like that with the F-4E from Heatblur being so close. Heatblur isn't tied to Friday newsletters like ED is so they could still announce something before Jan 4th. Also, the F-4 isn't the F-14 and the reasons for the delays are very different. I mean, come on, one is a war. I honestly think they are purposely avoiding posting anything in the F-4 forums because the devs are really active in the F-14 section for instance. They don't want to prematurely spoil anything so we get a big surprise when it releases.

Well, at least the F-4 will be making an appearance on January 4th in the 2023 and Beyond video. We shall see how much they give us then. Maybe we get something in next Friday's newsletter too, who knows. In any case, it will be exciting to see the F-4 in game.