CheckGear

Just watched the video. I'm rarely as amazed as I was afterwards. Just from watching it, you can "feel" how the aircraft strains to defy the laws of physics in order to stay airborne. The Tomcat's an absolutely wonderful plane, but I see what people when they say "it takes muscle." I just hope Heatblur takes their sweet time. I want absolute perfection!

While nuclear weapons use in today's world is an unlikely scenario, it's not as remote a possibility as people once thought. Check out the following links http://www.mitpressjournals.org/doi/full/10.1162/ISEC_a_00284 https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2017/08/30/commentary/world-commentary/north-korea-end-nuclear-taboo/#.WamLMLKGP9Q None of this is to suggest nuclear war lies over the horizon. But it is to say it's not some fantastic scenario that belongs squarely in the realm of Hollywood. In other words, the likelihood of nuclear war is probably higher than a U.S. military intervention in the Caucasus (which is the scenario Eagle Dynamics has peddled for over two decades now) and is certainly higher than F-15s and MiG-21s flying in 1944 Normandy. On a lighter note, all this talk of nukes has got me re-installing GraphSim Entertainment's F/A-18 Precision Strike Fighter.

I think nukes should be available. But they should only be available as part of semi-dynamic campaign which, if played out in a certain manner, results in a situation where nukes would be authorized. As for all the talk about nukes being of no use or unrealistic, people here suggest things that are so no real-world to begin with. I'm sure having one or two instances where you can drop nukes won't bother anyone too much, given there's no shortage of hokey ideas people like to throw around here.

One of my favorite memories from GraphSim's F/A-18 Hornet franchise was being able to drop nukes. The game didn't even authorize them unless the mission specifically called for it, adding to the realism.

Looks like there's going to continue to be real-world events for campaign designers to draw inspiration from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/28/iran-nuclear-deal-violations-white-house-search-intelligence?utm_campaign=news-alert&utm_medium=email&utm_source=nuzzel

Depends on the size and scale of the conflict. Iran-Iraq was a pretty goshdarn big war, but Bandar Abbas didn't become a ghost city. Not sure why people think every war has to be like the two world wars. Most wars aren't.

I'd actually love to see "ambiance" items like cars, trains, and commercial air traffic long before I see any APCs and tanks. I want the theater to be a living, breathing world first before it becomes a war zone.

Amazing. Can't wait to see more!

This is a pipedream, but my hope is that tanker availability is based on timeframe. For 1991 - '94 scenarios, we can have the KA-6D or S-3A/B. For 1995 - 2008, we have the S-3 exclusively, maybe even the F/A-18E/F. For 2009 - present, we have the F/A-18E/F and land-based tankers.

I love flying at blue hour!

I still like my favorite VF-213 livery better. ;)

More than likely, the KC-10 and KC-135 will be refueling in the F/A-18, especially considering the lack of organic tanking within carrier air wings today. The Super Hornet is the only aircraft capable of tanking.

By all means, build them. I'm just saying they really serve no purpose other than ornaments. I can definitely picture such vehicles on Abu Musa. But Abu Musa's a small island and such vehicles would probably be destroyed in short order. In a Strait of Hormuz scenario, there's not many situations where Iranian ground forces would need to be attacked. Hopefully, they'll prioritize Iranian SAM, AAA, and surface-to-surface missiles when it comes to ground vehicles.

This thread has been dead for a while, so I want to revive it. I want to see the mid-1990s VF-213 livery:

Look at the map of the Strait of Hormuz. Unless you're planning on a scenario in which Iran invades the UAE, which would be a complete denial of the reality regarding Iranian military capabilities, there isn't a whole lot of opportunity to attack ground platforms. Abu Musa and the other islands belonging to Iran are the exception. There, I can definitely see ground vehicles as means of garrisoning the island. But on Iran proper? You're going to be targeting fixed facilities or aircraft and ships while they're on the ground or in port.

I wonder if they can make the Super Hornet available as a non-flyable aircraft.

Here's an interesting article talking about the significance of the UAE to the U.S. in the Middle East. https://warisboring.com/is-the-united-arab-emirates-americas-best-friend-in-middle-east/

Good point. It's been used extensively by the Coalition in the campaign against ISIL, Operation Inherent Resolve. It's also going to gain more significance, especially if the Arab Gulf states' row with Qatar persists and puts the future of Al Udeid in jeopardy.

The 1980s are widely seen as the "Decade of the Tomcat," but I think the plane had a great showing in the '90s as well. I think it was in the '90s that it showed what a widely-capable platform it actually was. I look forward to any campaign taking place in the '90s involving the F-14. What's your poison? :drink: Somebody was making a Super Hornet mod a few years back. I don't know if it was ED-sanctioned. But it appears to be dead now. I'd welcome a Super Hornet mod one day. But there are a few aircraft I'd like to see before that.

I wouldn't put it past them. But scenarios involving Iranian ground forces in the Strait of Hormuz are almost non-existent. With the exception of a garrisoned Abu Musa, war in the Strait of Hormuz will be largely fought from air and sea.

My hope is that it will. Dubai may be the "New York" of the UAE, but Abu Dhabi is the capital. The problem is one of memory and processing. It takes quite a bit of both to bring one city, especially one like Dubai, to life. I can't imagine what it'd take to bring both Abu Dhabi and Dubai to life.

Thanks again! I feel like it's 1995 again. :holiday:

No, he quoted a specific timeframe posted by baltic_dragon. Again, he was referring to the 2012 - '13 timeframe mentioned by baltic_dragon. He said nothing of the '90s. I mentioned the '90s.

The Tomcat was retired in 2006. It wouldn't appear in the 2012 - '13 timeframe.

Although it pales in comparison to DCS, Fleet Defender, along with Tornado, were among the best "study" sims of their era.