WinterH

This isn't entirely a meaningful comparison, because if we have to compare apples to apples, the helicopter that came about a couple of decades later will be better in just about anything, suprise surprise :). But Mi-24 is just too iconic. It was the "Soviet gunship", a symbol of Cold War. Also if you're inclined towards historical or current plausible scenarios, it has been operating for decades now, and the variant we are getting is pretty decently capable of representing entirety of that period more or less. One clear difference is, Mi-24 has an RWR, even if an older generation one. Ka-50 has a LWR instead to warn of lasers ranging you, and Blackshark 3 update will have a MAWS to warn you of missile launches, but still no RWR. So in a way they will complement each other in a mixed flight. That aside, if we compare them, Mi-24 may *theoretically* bring about a little more boom per sortie if the target area demands less in the way of precision long range missile hits and more in the way of as many rockets as possible. But that is very case dependent, and even then probably won't hold much water because Ka-50's semi flexible and highl accurate gun and 12 missiles will end up yielding more kills more often. Mi-24's advantage is more in "flavor" so to say. It is a helicopter in the classical sense, as opposed to a coaxial rotor one without tail rotor like the Ka-50 is. It also has a lot less in the way of automated/assisted flight characteristics. The cockpit, navigation and targeting systems, are all much more analogue and old school, which many people enjoy more in DCS, myself included. Finally, it kinda-sorta has some transport capability as well, unlike the Kamov. Tactically speaking, one thing Mi-24 will suit slightly better will be tossing a huge load of rockets from a decent distance, turn back, and have some missiles ready still, or only toss half your rockets, and have some ready to do that again if need be. This can suit better to a scenario where you can't hang around searching for targets and guiding missiles from from for long, and the target is an area target with mostly soft targets. Ka-50 can still do that of course, and in most cases better at that, but it will either have to get half the rockets, or leave its missiles at home. But that is really pushing it. Most of us want Hind because it is Hind, for nothing else

Looking forward to it, but also looking forward to maybe a dev update on it when possible :))

Yeah that's completely backwards. F-4E is way more capable in its strike options, and F-4J/F-4S are just too limited. Besides I'd like my onboard gun thank you very much. Advantages of J and S are look down capable radar, which by the time of introduction F-4 was already second fiddle at best for air to air compared to F-15 and F-14, and carrier aviation, which not everybody cares about. For these they give up F-4E's advantages of being by far the most widespread variant operated all over the world, in hot conflict zones and actual or hypotethical wars, as well as Mavericks, early targeting pods, LGBs and TV guided bombs, and the actual "original old school multirol experience". You can put navy skins or if you try hard enough probably land on carrier, or not, don't really care A naval F-4 would never represent F-4E in any way, and F-4E is where the worldwide service and strike capabilities were at. While as many F-4s as possible would be very cool, I really don't expect any developer to do more than two, if that. I do admit, to do the F-4 justice, you need at least two or three very different versions made. But I don't see us getting like 5-6 variants from different periods. And while they are cool, the British versions are just too niche for most developers to consider in my opinion. Unfortunately that is old news. ED gobbled up Belsimtek after that, and most of the former Belsimtek projects were put on ice. Mi-24 came back, F-4E, at least so far didn't. Last we heard of F-4 in DCS was, ED's COO Katia saying something like "F-4 will eventually be made, probably by a 3rd party, variant not clear yet" sometime around end of last year or beginning of this one.

You're in the wrong game /thread

Because that's exactly what it is, at least as far as public info goes. Check back in a year or two I guess, and enjoy what's available meanwhile

To be fair, I've never seen a photo where the opposite hardpoint wasn't empty either. Wonder what's the weight it adds up to. Perhaps close to maximum with 8 missiles and 3 rocket pods?

Late 70s or 80s F-4E. It is absolute heresy anything else is even discussed. No F-4 is better than F-4 but not later block F-4E edit: well, J or S would be cool too. BUT ONLY in addition to E, and AFTER it

I'd be inclined to agree. It can sort of represent the tank plinkers of first Gulf War too in a pinch. Did they get much in the way upgrades between 80s and then? Though, I wouldn't say no to earlier F-111 either.

I love these early fighter bomber jets. F-86, MiG-15, MiG-19, A-4, now G.91 coming, and there is even a possibility for MiG-17. Great stuff!

Short teaser video for India Foxtrot Echo - DCS: G.91R

"Where's my G91 at?" Well, here, apparently :

I can, yes, and I want an option so that Petrovich won't look for targets and shoot them with Shturms/Atakas unless I go to gunner seat and do so myself. I'm fine with callouts like Jester does though. I want Petrovich to be able to a pilot, but not a gunner. Obviously our definitions for unrealistic and unauthentic are polar opposites, which is fine.

Very much depends on the Cold War aircraft. I'd be all over a G.91, F-100, Mirage III, Mirage V, MiG-17F, MiG-27K, MiG-25PDS, MiG-25BM, MiG-25RBT, Su-15, Su-17M3 or M4, Buccaneer, Super Etendard or SEM, About 5 or so versions of the F-4, OV-10, Jaguar, Draken... oh lord the Draken... I can keep counting. But I'd rather get more MiG-21 or Mirage F1 versions over a F-104. Besides, your argument was that average DCS customer wouldn't be interested in more versions of an aircraft. Well, I'm fairly sure said majority of the customer base would be a lot more interested in capable Mirage F1 versions than at least half of the aircraft I've listed above that I am personally looking forward to. Then you have things like F-4, where you can't get people NOT to march with pitchfoks and torches unless you have at least two very different variants of. I do think it is high time for additional variants for additional payment in DCS because we do need more variants to represent different time periods, capabilities, characteristics etc, and it could be feasible for devs and customers alike: new product with relatively lesser effort for devs, new shinty toys and more fleshed out stable for relatively less price for customers. I'd say A-10C II and Blackshark 3 already is prototypes of that model, and it is seemingly worknig well so far.

And I'd MUCH rather see more Mirage F1s than F-"we forgot putting actual airplane wings on this thing"-104, thank you very much. Besides, going by the less interest on the older aircraft argument, average customers would be much happier paying for Mirage F1 with anti radar missiles, laser guided bombs and missiles, and a targeting pod, than one of the most viceful fighters of history ever. From their point of view, a Mirage F1 would be something they could happily use on most cold war servers, and an F-104 is something they can get killed over and over for not much in return on the same servers I don't like how you seem to equate being realistic to following the flow of the masses, at the expense of your own tastes, especially when the example doesn't hold much water to reinforce the point :).

Yep. While I really applaud Aerges for including CE, EE, BE, and M all in one module, I'll happily pay some extra if they can later on expand the library with things like later Iraqi EQ, French CT, or more ground attack focused but still old school AZ or AD. These variants would be extra interesting to eventually get! Also since Iraqi EQ's made a run for it to Iran, and later incorporated into Iran's forces, they'd be a potential fit for more current scenarios on multiple maps we have.

There's just something about the looks of MiG-29UB that feels soooo right.

Su-34 has entered service over 4 years later than MiG-29K, and is arguably the higher end, more sensitive equipment of the two. Like I have said, AI units in DCS are not nearly as detailed and realistic in neither flight, nor systems performance characteristics, and don't require nearly as much in the way of potentially sensitive data, nor do they reveal much of any meaningful things about potentially classified things. They also don't fly in tactical sense that represent how the real type fights. They have a few set attack patterns and they just rinse/repeat those. I may be wrong, but from what I see, what you need for an AI aircraft in DCS is a good 3D model, and more or less wikipedia level of information on the aircraft itself. Now, I too personally prefer 80s assets, but that is because I want the maing thing DCS to be the 70s-80s. That's where you can likely make much less guesstimated player aircraft, hopefully from both sides of the cold war fence. Also I personally find modern aircraft outright boring, for me personally anyway. However, despite my personal preferences, I must admit at this point getting some modern AI aircraft in DCS makes as much sense as 70s-80s ones, because we have F/A-18C, F-16C, JF-17 all either late 2000s or early 2010s, as well as upcoming AH-64D Block II, Eurofighter Typhoon, and F-15E, which will all apparently be at least late 2000s. These things don't have a lot of contemporary things to play with neither player controlled, nor AI wise. AI SAM sites probably require more sensitive information to model than AI aircraft.

Su-17M3 or M4, or their Su-22 equivalents is currently the top unannounced thing I want in DCS along with F-4E, but I suppose this really isn't the thread to speculate about it I'd rather wish Aerges to come through with their ambitious 4 variant set, and then if information is available, hopefully develop additional addons like F1EQ6 and/or F1CT, or hell even a F1AZ/AD because why not! Now that the Mi-24 is just around the corner, Mirage F1 is the thing I'm anticipating the most among upcoming stuff.

Is it? Do we have a clear list of what is and isn't available somewhere? I'm not aware of one. Though, right now I'm more in the mindset of "we'll find out soon enough" it's weeks to perhaps a month away at this point I'd think. If the current estimate holds, it's literally two weeks This is what I have been looking forward to most in DCS for quite a long time. Always wanted a good Hind sim since mid 90s when I was a teenager. I'll enjoy the hell out of it either way

I would assume notproplayer3 meant disabling Petrovich gunner features, it is what I want as an option myself.

Eh, already said my piece, and believe it to be fairly comprehensible, so will leave it at that. Besides, all along I've said "imo", it's not like I'm screaming "ED should remove every feature I don't like" :). In my view letting a magical bot do the identifiying and killing is opposite of the way it was meant to be flown, even if said magical being is somewhat reined in. Also terms "nerf" and "buff" shouldn't even belong on these forums. They tend to imply artificially decreasing/increasing capability of something to balance its gameplay performance against other fictional game assets, as opposed to modeling something as close as possible to reality. Anyway, it is already announced by ED that we will have an AI that can do these things, so it will come, either at release, or later at some point. Unless ED drops out on that (which I honestly doubt will happen), you will get to enjoy it the way you like. I would also enjoy if that is possible to disable, even on singleplayer experience, so would hope for that as well. EVeryone's happy I hope?

And I am one of them. And yet...

I'm in the polar opposite camp: I believe AI shouldn't be able to guide a missile, or find targets, but can very basically fly the helo so I can do those tasks. Letting AI find targets and guide missiles feels fairly cheaty to me in aircraft like Gazelle and Hind. That's me anyway. Sighting systems in these aircraft are completely manual, arguably apart from Viviane's thermal mode, but even then, they both feature no target lock ability, and no automatic tracking either. Just stabilization. And in case of Hind's Raduga, no rangefinding either. An AI that can spot targets and engage them with a guided missile by itself, takes away characteristic features of these systems, and the challenge/fun in using them IMO. As far as I know, there is an actual hover autopilot mode on the real helo, and as far as we know so far, Petrovich will be able to do these as well. So, I think I'll probably be happy myself :). And AI hovers or flies a straight line is exactly what I wanted all along, even better if I can tell them to slightly ascend/descend, or turn x degrees left/right. I can understand Jester to some degree because of Tomcat's and AWG-9's uber-complexity. But an essentially bot merrily finding and plinking away random targets while I'm flying in a Hind just sounds wrong to me.

Seeing as we already have a Su-34 AI, I don't see any reason that would bar us from having an AI MiG-29K as well. And since we are getting more and more late 2000s or 2010s modules, I think some modern AI aircraft would be nice to have. It's not like AI aircraft in DCS ever been particularly accurate regarding flight and system performance anyway. Although, to be perfectly honest, I'd rather see greater focus on 80s assets, both flyable and AI. But that's my preference. While I don't particularly care for them, modern AI assets does make sense at this point, because DCS is getting lots of modern modules lately.

I don't know how GSh-23L and GSh-30-2 exactly work, or if they really differ. However, principle can be the same, but the mechanism may differ, at least theoretically. Gast principle is, as far as I know, using energy from one barrel's firing to cycle the other, but the cycling itself may perhaps be achieved in different ways: gas piston, long recoil, short recoil etc. They are both Gast guns, yes, this is already well established.