WinterH

They have a 3rd party dev license agreement with ED, and access to DCS SDK. Red Star Simulation doesn't have those yet, and that is the difference. Hopefully they will get it, and we will enjoy MiG-17 and more from them as they prove themselves up to the task

I do vaguely remember ED saying at some point that these will get looked at, and hopefully we'll have a more detectability based system than the legacy "missile can be countered, rocket and bomb not" we have. C-RAM was seen in a few ED trailers last few months. Also, we were to get a Pantsir too last year but then we didn't hear about it again. Really though, I'd much rather we get older air defense from both sides of the fence before 2010+ ones.

It works for me, but the missile needs a target point in these modes, so you need to either have a stored target or a waypoint etc as an acqiuision source before firing the missile.

You don't move TADS with cursor control, but with manual targeting thumb controller found on the right handle of TEDAC. Select TADS as the active sight, unless it is slaved to an acquisition source you should be able to move it around. If it is slaved, pressing the slave button will let you slew it.

I'd love a DCS: Jaguar!

I think a mid-ish 90s W would also give the option of using either TOWs or laser Hellfires, so the Super Cobra would be a fit for both older and somewhat newer scenarios this way :). And if Sidewinders and Sidearms were indeed an actual possible loadout, it would make it a unique capability even in face of Longbow Apache, Hind, Blackshark 2/3. I'd be happy with either such a W, or a relatively same vintage F myself being a weirdo, I'd even eventually buy them both

Yeah, we need neither NATO nor Russian latest gen air defense. What's the point? We neither have, nor will in foreseeable future things they are supposed to defend against as modules. We are less likely to have the numbers to simulate these modern air defense stuff even semi faithfully either. So the best way to get them in DCS imo, is through mods, and high digit sams mod does that for the most part, tho more so with Russian SAMs. If anything, we should get things like Redeye, early block Stinger, Strela-2 and 3 (SA-7) etc older MANPADS and older NATO AAA, so that some of the cold war modules will have more proper threats to play with/against.

Ballistic limit afaik. So the weapon is out of range.

Said it before, I'd really, really prefer we get an 80s-90s Cobra instead. Either an Army F or a Marines W. AH-64D scratches the modern blufor attack helo itch. 80s to early-mid 90s Cobra would be anothher kind of experience, would fit the most fleshed out DCS period really well, and also would be a great counterpart to the Hind. Besides, they would be a better representative of Cobra's broader service over the world.

If you can use other DCS helos, and the Hornet, I don't see why Apache would be too much. You should be fine.

Yes, if you choose any acquision source for your current sighting system, pressing the slave button will make your sight target whatever that acquision source is, which can be a waypoint/target point, pilot's or gunner's helmet, and I guess in future the radar. To get your human gunner to see where you are looking at for example: - Pilot looks at the target area, and tells CP/G to slave there - CP/G chooses pilot helmet as the acquisiton source for TADS - CP/G presses slave button, which will slave the TADS to wherever pilot is looking at - CP/G presses slave again when he wants to slew around the TADS to look for targets there. Similarly, as the CP/G, if you choose TADS as your targeting system on the right handle of TEDAC, TADS video will overlay on your monocle display. Then, choosing gunner helmet as your acquision source, and pressing slave will make TADS follow your head movement, and you can "see through" the helicopter with FLIR or TV, but you can also zoom on that overlay. When you are satisfied where your TADS is looking at, press slave again, and fine tune with slewing control on the right handle of TEDAC, probably also turn the monocle off, as I personally find it distracting after finding the correct area.

Maybe Wags confused modules or something, because there is literally no point of having an AI helper with Ka-50, at least none that I can think of. Would love a Ka-52, but I don't see it being likely. Mi-28 would be cool too, but between the two I'd definitely much prefer the Kamov.

Story of AH-1 module for DCS is quite the saga actually. Belsimtek wanted to make AH-1G, as it would have the most commonality with UH-1, but people (understandably) wanted at least a TOW capable Cobra of later Cold War. Then they have said they will consider AH-1W. Then loooooong silence. Afterwards it was said AH-1S will be developed, to which community answered "yeah but which S?" To that, "ok" said the devs, "it is AH-1F". ...and then ED took over Belsimtek, and Cobra got postponed indefinitely, which is where we are I do really hope for an 80s to early-ish 90s F or W. Would be very cool, be a different, late cold war experience to go with modern one from the Longbow, and it would go really nice together with Mi-24P. Anyway, helicopter folks over in ED will have quite a bit to do for sometime, with AH-64D and Mi-24P. So I would think next ED chopper is awhile yet to come, I would think. They are perhaps working on art or research portion of it for now. More helos, happier I am though

There is a huge difference still. Su-25T and Ka-50 were experimental or even more like pre-series aircraft, and were actually used in operational trials in active combat over Chechenia as far as I remember. RAH-66 was only at the prototype stage of a project that was being designed/tried/tested, and was't "set in stone" even as much as Ka-50 (all of which were difference between themselves) or Su-25T. Comanche Gold of mid-late 90s was my first helo game on PC, and spent many loving hours in it but I don't see Comanche being a thing for DCS. We often say "the information needed to model [put random module here] is not accessible", in Comanche's case it probably does not even exist, as it was being tested/evolving/not even installed on prototypes when the project was canned.

Call me weird, but I'd love an armed Mi-2, out of curiosity if nothing else. Apart from that bit of novelty, the unannounced helo I'm looking forward to most is AH-1F or AH-1W, a mid to late 80s, or early-ish 90s one to be specific. Otherwise, I'd enjoy any littlebird, maybe a heavier blufor transport/utility kinda helo, like a Super Frelon, or even a Sea King derivative. I'd really love Mi-28N, Ka-52, WZ-10 or 19 etc as well, but they're reeeeeaaaally unlikely to happen, so, eh...

Only Huey and F-4E are kinda correct though. And they are mostly late war. MiG-15 is too old, and does differ significantly from MiG-17. Although there is a group currently working on a MiG-17, aiming for a 3rd party dev license. MiG-21Bis and the F-5E block 3 are both very much later versions with considerably better capability than those served over Vietnam. MiG-19P is not the right version, but fits well enough arguably. There will be an F-8J, but that's pretty farish in the future to release. Many years ago Belsimtek wanted to do AH-1G, and the response from community was quite negative because G is more or less just a Huey but thinner. E or F for single engine ones, T or W for twin engine ones are the way to go imo.

Hopefully not, that'd be just "Apache-ish, but takes off from a boat". At least not as the first or only variant. I'd also be happy to see a late W or Z after we get a late Cold War or ODS era F or W, as they would add more to DCS.

I firmly believe that 80s or 90s AH-1F and/or AH-1W would be the best fit to get. I'd be really sad if it would be AH-1Z, 2010s or later W, or earlier than F. For the modern ones, AH-64D really scratches that modern American attack helo itch. Older ones on the other hand, are really quite limited and don't have the right environment to fit yet. Moreover, two variants I've proposed can also be a decent representative of Cobra's international service, as P/F and W were operated, or is still operational in quite a few nations. They could also nicely complement UH-1H, and would be the almost exactly right counterpart to Mi-24P. Once either of these two is available, I'd welcome additional Cobras from either before or after this period.

Probably you two aren't looking at the same manual, I had that same confusion with a friend because there are quite a few versions/supplements However, with a quick look at 2 versions of -1 and 2 or 3 versions of -34, I can't find a definitive answer whether pre-DMAS aircraft had interrogation capability or not. As far as I've *heard* APX-80 combat tree was only on some of the select F-4Es, and was more common on F-4Ds. Most manuals did refer to a transponder panel, but that interrogation button on hand controller seem to be on DMAS related supplements, and it only show that such a button exists, which may not be enough of a evidence that capability was availabe as cockpits having non-functional controls that were intented to be added later but didn't end up isn't an unknown thing. It almost seems like that aircraft which had TISEO and aircraft that may have had IFF interrogation capability are mostly the same ones

My prediction is we'll have Pave Spike but no TISEO on earlier F-4E, and TISEO + probably Pave Tack on later DMAS F-4E. Haven't been able to exactly find whether TISEO is DMAS only or not in primary documentation, but it seems like it.

F1CE, F1EE, F1BE, and F1M, in this order, or maybe BE and EE can switch places not sure, but CE is first, and the M is last. Not sure if this is in effect yet to be honest. In any case, first to release will the CE, which is primarily air to air with iron bombs and rockets as strike options.

Very much looking forward to the A-7 as well, but don't think it's for this year. Otherwise I have long list of upcoming things I'm very much looking forward to that also includes A-7, A-6, G.91, Mirage III, MiG-23, Su-17, EE Lighting, Super Tucano, Pucara, Bo-105, Kiowa, F-8 etc etc Hope F1 is really getting near!

Anxiously waiting for its arrival in my virtual hangar This, and if it really happens this year the F-4E are my top anticipations for this year's releases, followed by Corsair.

I had put this together a couple of years ago to answer this same question, if anything, something visual in addition to the written info up here

Su-25T is on the heavy side due to additional avionics and fuel it carries compared to the regular Su-25. So it takes some careful flying but not too bad really. It features no radar, it has the Shkval TV sighting system, where a camera on the nose can provide you with a magnified view of an area, and lase that point for your missiles. HUD visibility can differ from module to module and depends on the lighting conditions in the mission, but you can expect better visual quality on HUDs of other aircraft, all newer and higher fidelity than the free Su-25T.