CheckGear

The F-14D was one of the best fighters ever made, but it hardly received the accolades it deserved. Probably because its service life was relatively short. I, for one, can't wait to fly the Super Tomcat with its circa-1996 VF-11 and VF-31 liveries.

I was just saying it's something they should do, given the possibilities. I'm perfectly fine with the focus being on the Strait of Hormuz, especially given recent events.

Not really. A Soviet invasion of Iran might've seemed plausible at the time, but with the benefit of hindsight, we know it was neither feasible nor likely. As for me, I'd like to see a hypothetical Iran campaign taking place in the 1990s (that way, we can fly either the F-14A, F-14B, or F/A-18C, AV-8B, and maybe even the F-15C from land bases). Specially, I want to explore the possibility the U.S., under President Clinton, would've launched retaliatory strikes against Iran in response to the June 25, 1996 Khobar Towers bombing. A massive single mission can be created to simulate a "one-day war," like so many we had between the end of the Gulf War and the War on Terror. Or a campaign lasting for weeks can be designed to simulate an escalatory spiral threatening to engulf the... Persian Gulf in war. I'd also like to see a campaign taking place during the 2012 - 2013 timeframe, when U.S.-Iran tensions were last at a peak. This would be a campaign for the AV-8B, F-15C, or F/A-18C. Finally, given, recent events, I'd like to also see a near-future campaign against Iran, though we're short on contemporary aircraft to adequately simulate such a conflict. A future U.S.-Iran clash will involve Eagles, Strike Eagles, Fighting Falcons, Super Hornets, Raptors, and Lightning IIs.

I think the map needs to be expanded, especially with the Hornet and, later, the Tomcat being released. By extending it to Iraq, we can simulate no-fly zone enforcement operations during Operation Southern Watch.

Syria and the entire Middle East actually has varied terrain, you are correct. It's really Iraq and the Gulf Arab countries that are mostly desert.

My name is CheckGear and I approve of these two campaigns! The campaign notes reflect a heck of a lot of research and historical accuracy. I'm a freelance military writer and I've researched and written extensively about U.S.-Iran relations and the Tanker Wars of '87 - '88. I'm most looking forward to the historical campaign (the Persian Gulf campaign). The hypothetical campaign sounds great too, but my appetite for these World War III NATO vs. Warsaw Pact stories has all but been satisfied. The narrative is exceptional, however. The Persian Gulf campaign seems to put you in the cockpit of a VF-1 or VF-2 F-14A. Here are some useful links that'll help establish your place in the campaign a bit better: The WESTPAC 1987 USS Ranger Cruise Book. You can use this to assume the persona of one of the real-life VF-1 or VF-2 NAs or NFOs! LOL https://www.navysite.de/cruisebooks/cv61-87/index.html In fact, a couple of Tomcat legends were on that cruise - Lt. James Winnefeld was flying for VF-1; Winnefeld recently retired from the Navy as a four-star admiral, his last posting as Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Meanwhile, everyone's favorite NFO, Lt. David Baranek was back-seating in VF-2 on that cruise. Coincidentally, both served alongside each other as instructors at TOPGUN just a year or two earlier! And at the risk of shameless self-promotion, here is a link to an article I wrote concerning Admiral James "Ace" Lyons, who, in summer 1987, attempted to provoke a war with Iran. This takes place during the exact same timeframe as described in the campaign notes: http://warisboring.com/in-1987-a-rogue-u-s-navy-admiral-schemed-for-war-with-iran/ Happy reading!

And think I was the only one who thought this way. I'm proud to call you my brother! :beer: As for Nevada, you have to practice there before you can deploy. Take it seriously. :megalol:

The LANTIRN became a must-have the moment they announced an Afghanistan theater would be released. The F-14 was a huge part of the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, serving as the campaign's sole fixed-wing strike fighter for quite some time. It's a big part of Tomcat history and I'm looking forward to re-creating the many sorties flown during that incredible time.

Late to the party, but IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!!! I've been saying for years ED needs to develop theaters where the U.S. is most likely to be militarily involved, not just the Russians. I'm looking forward most to the Syrian theater. If, at some point, it can be combined with the Persian Gulf map, we could simulate real-world warfare to the max! I'm less excited about Afghanistan, though with the F-14 coming out, we can re-create the many sorties flown by the Tomcat, especially during the 2001 invasion, accompanied by the long flights from carriers in the North Arabian Sea. I also hope we get RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus and Muwaffaq Salti Air Base, Jordan

Thanks!

We all know the NFO (or RIO) could control the Phoenix and Sparrow missiles, but could he also shoot Sidewinders as well?

My position is similar to that of what someone said earlier - if it was in the NATOPS manual, then it should be made available and it ought to be up to the player to decide if he wants to use it or not. The one exception to this rule, however, is that campaigns and missions should reflect real-world Tomcat employment. Weapons like the Zuni ought to be made available in Instant Action, custom missions, or multiplayer. Can anybody post a picture of the last NATOPS manual for the F-14A/B prior to its retirement so we can see what the Tomcat was capable of employing at the time? When it comes to weapons like the AMRAAM or HARM, if the NATOPS manual didn't specifically note these weapons were employable on the Tomcat at the time ("Will Be Added in the Future" doesn't count), then they shouldn't be included. If they were, it'd have the credibility of featuring A-6Fs, all because a few of them were actually built, yet never fielded. I understand ED's desire to make the fanboys happy, but I think, for the sake of fidelity, the line has to be drawn somewhere.

ULTIMATE TOMCAT!!!

Thankfully, it looks like DCS does get that immersion matters as much as stone-cold realism.

I second this. It pales in comparison to what's available today, but for its time, Fleet Defender was the cream of the crop when it came to combat flight sims.

But this is precisely where the '90s sims excelled - immersion. This isn't a complaint per se, but the level of detail of sims like Falcon 4.0 and DCS has made the genre extremely cold. Past sims may have been less realistic, but they made up for it by making you feel as though you were actually "there."

Commercial air traffic, please!

This is what I like to hear - how systems were employed in the real world. I want to experience how things were actually used, as opposed to how we wished they'd been used. Not saying we can't have both, but I'd prefer greater emphasis on real-world implementation.

My vision is poor, so yes, I'm looking forward to being an NFO! :megalol:

I'm sorry, but VF-213 doesn't belong in the Atlantic Fleet. :P

Why does everyone want Heatblur to rush the product? DCS, I believe has set a reputation for releasing the best product every time. It earned this reputation in large part because of the time it was willing to commit to making this happen instead of getting so wrapped in arbitrary deadlines. Besides, we have plenty of superb modules coming up to occupy our time - AV-8B and F/A-18C.

Ah, that's right, forgot about VF-24 and VF-211. The final cruise of the F-14 was epic in that CVW-8 deployed with two Tomcat squadrons, just like they did in the '90s!

Wow, we're getting really detailed now. LOL I'll raise you - if they wear the HGU-33/P, are we going to have a choice between the MBU-5/P oxygen mask or the MBU-12/P (that's the one seen in the photographs above).

The following squadrons operated the F-14A+/F-14B: - VF-11 "Red Rippers" - VF-32 "Swordsmen" - VF-74 "Be-Devilers" - VF-102 "Diamondbacks" - VF-103 "Sluggers"/"Jolly Rogers" - VF-142 "Ghostriders" - VF-143 "Pukin' Dogs" It's funny, the B-variant was operated exclusively by Atlantic Fleet, while the D-model was operated almost exclusively by Pacific Fleet. Even the squadrons that spent time on both coasts changed between Bs and Ds as they moved from coast to coast.

Top Gun was a great starting point, but yes, it shouldn't ever define the F-14 in the end! The real world's so much cooler than the world of Tom Cruise!