Buren

OP, is this a variant for the PVO?

If they release something this year, I'd bet that it would be the MiG-23. I dimly remember they said that there is a lot of commonality between the '23 and the '21 and it would take them about a 1/2-1 year to actually make it with the groundwork of the '21. Otherwise it would be a prop/ww2 plane. Also, way more hints at the Tomcat. Getting real excited.

I'd really like to see a Pacific War Solomons/New Guinea, '42-'43 extension someday. Perhaps it is the only real time when things were balanced between the Japanese and American combatants.

The genie is out of the bottle. It'd be very disheartening if it wasn't the Tomcat after all this teasing. It seems like it's almost a tacit fact with these allusions and implicit talk. I am cautiously optimistic about a future announcement. The team probably can't just comment straightaway "Yeah guys, we're making the F-14", presumably they have obligations to coordinate these kind of stuff with ED (and/or make 110% sure they really can/will do it). Frankly, right now my greatest uneasiness is how the infamous company lawyer teams could affect potential projects like this. Just look what happened, for example, years ago to Pacific Fighters and recently, to the VEAO A-4. Hope these can be sorted out.

He kills the Tomcat even in its potential virtuality?

Probably he wooes all of them with singing "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'".

Wow... really interesting. Thank you! (It is way more subtle hint than Cobra's :) )

The Wildcat was very famously used by the USMC. (Think of Guadalcanal/Cactus Air Force) The only aircraft that I can of think of, which was curiously not used -- but could be easily imagined to have been -- by the Marines (as already stated above), was the A-7. On the other hand, every little clue points towards the Tomcat. Cobra's avatars... (detail of AWG-9 radar dish; a goose [reference to the Top Gun character]) Rudel's current avatar -- REDACTED. See this post. Thanks MiG21bisFishbedL! The dismissal of the now obsolete comments on how difficult is to make complex (e.g.: multi-crew) aircraft. Official code/support for multi-crew (L-39) and carrier ops (F/A-18C) coming from ED themselves... (the 'cat would be a perfect companion to the Hornet btw) + Hormuz (IRIAF) It is a very famous, popular and important aircraft (e.g.: cultural icon, unique and powerful combat capability, variable geometry wings etc.) [it was/is second in a particular wishlist/poll, and now that both Hornets are in production...] -- it ought to be lucrative. Or all this is the trolling of the century.

Regarding the Tomcat-USMC connection: "Marine F-14A The Marine Corps was scheduled to receive 190 F14As starting with the FY74 procurement. Due to development delays with the F-14, plus its shift away from the ground attack role, the Marine Corps decided to produce 138 McDonnell Douglas F-4Js at a total cost of approximately $1.73 billion as an alternative. As late as 1976 it was still thought probable that the Marines would purchase some number of F-14s, but this never happened, the Marines purchasing McDonnell Douglas AV-8 Harriers and F/A-18 Hornets instead. No Marine F-14 aircraft were ever produced, although Grumman issued decals and press packages depicting the aircraft." Dennis R. Jenkins: Grumman F-14 Tomcat (London: Aerofax, 1997.) p. 24. Probably this is one example from those "press packages": Grumman had a tendency to make patches depicting every potential customer.... Regarding which variant should be made (if all this teasing is true...) -- I think definitely the original "-A". With that, one could simulate scenarios from the '70s up to the 2003 Iraqi War. Frankly, I'm a bit rusty on the incremental updates the '-A' got in its lifetime, but it would be a good base. There were only a limited number of "-B"s and especially of the "-D"s, although the "-B" would be a good compromise between "retro" (I'm biased - the original cockpit design is one of my favorites) and higher combat value (it had the "-D"s engine, plus upgraded RWR). Leave the ground-pounding to the Bugs. ;) Plus, don't forget the up-and-coming Hormuz map with Iran as an added side. The F-14A would be a pretty interesting OPFOR aircraft.... (Although I'm pretty sure today's surviving persian Tomcats don't really retain their original capabilities with all that tinkering, but hey, I'm no intelligence agency) aaand... inb4 DCS: Montgolfier Hot-Air Balloon

Unlikely, given that VEAO just ceased development of the Scooter due to legal reasons. But of course, I don't know how this would influence other teams.

His avatar is from the same picture.

It is the AWG-9 radar of the Tomcat.

Kuril Islands and/or Taiwan.

A huge yes to the F-105. I must confess that despite it's somewhat pervading negative reputation, it is one of my favourite combat aircraft. I hope someday DCS will reach the early vietnam era. (As others said, I'd also be happy with an A-6 and/or F-111 too. Gotta love proper, real strike aircraft/interdictors.) EDIT: I don't want to pollute this thread with videos, but here's an interesting little gem, which I really enjoyed. (the video didn't like embedding, sorry)

Why are they trying to model an aircraft which is, for all intents and purposes, being developed and constantly refined? If they so badly want to model an uber-plane why aren't they doing an F-22 instead? At least that's got some service-time. Or they won't let them sit and film in a simulator so they could do a simulator-of-a-simulator? Yo dawg I heard you like sims, so we made a sim of a sim, so you can sim while you sim... On the top of that, their website, their KS page and their presentation are noncomittal, unrevealing, indefinite, vague and unconvincing. Protip: To be convincing try to actually present something not just being pleonastic about the DCS-platform (of which we are already more than familiar with) and your long-term dreams/goals. No, the three small res renders do not count, thank you. Verdict -- 'meh'.

Okay, if we ever get to the the Spit Mk XIV, I might just jump into this DCS WW2 craze. (And by then, we'll perhaps have a more complete period plane/equipment set) :P

I absolutely like the idea of the F-16 being in development, but has anyone considered which block would it be? Or 99% of the people agrees that it is going to be the de facto standard desired 50/52? How about the blk 40/42 (with CCIP) for a change? :P

I really think that the poll should be changed to only the F-16C and the F-18C. Generally these two seem to be the most popular follow-up options. There was something about the Viper that beyond one block it couldn't be modelled to DCS standards (due to classified info you know..). Anyone remembers which one was that? @NeoOhm Check this.

Don't forget that the current american Harrier variant can employ AMRAAMs so fighter/bvr afficionados can get their lot too. :smilewink:

Is there any backup sight/reticle in case of HUD failure?

If that wouldn't work out ED could still have the possibility to try and get a contract from the german Lufwaffe, no? I could be wrong but IIRC they're going to keep the Tornado in service longer. Some people might even prefer to fly a german IDS instead of a british GR.4... (and vice versa)

Of course it was a bit rash to say that but I hope you agree on that getting neccessary information for the Tornado is way more viable than for the F-14 or the Superbug, right? Of course we can still have a DCS: Cessna 172...

Yes the Tonka is a mud mover. But... It is a high-speed one. It's got variable swept wings. It's got an Air-to-Ground and Air-to-Air radar (!), with terrain following option. It's a two seater (multiplayer anyone?). It's a European designed aircraft. It looks badass. It can deploy some even more badass weaponry (eg, JP.233, MW-1 etc.) Would be a huge nod for DI's Tornado, one of the first truly hardcore sims. The notion of modelling it wouldn't be far-fetched - it has no uber (classified) technology like the others in the poll. Developers subtly hinting it's consideration (remember April fools screen made on March 31?) Just my few cents... :music_whistling:

No love for the Tornado?