Evoman

Not sure if you all are aware of it but there is currently a Rafale M and other variants MOD available. I know its not exactly what you desire but at least someone else has been working towards bringing the best possible representation to DCS. The A-4 Skyhawk has proven how good a community mod can be. So until Desault grants a license to ED or another 3rd party to be able to do a full fidelity simulation a community mod is the best you can hope for.

I think that portable airfields or expeditionary airfields EAF would actually fulfill this need as it has been used in many conflicts.

I assume that Heatblur would have the highest probability of developing it later on for the F-4 Phantom variants that was part of their loadout options.

I just found out about this project and just by reading the first post on this thread I could already tell it was a passion project. That there sir is the main reason why anyone would be motivated to the extent to go through all the work needed to bring their passion to fruition. As matter a fact the Christen Eagle, F/A-18, Typhoon and OH-58 are also passion projects.

What makes the Lancaster project very interesting is that it will be the first multi-engine and multi-crew of 7 to be in DCS. It is nice to see new groups trying to develop their passion project to share it with a community that will appreciate them just as much. No, doubt that this project will pave the way for a future B-17 and other aircraft.

ED themselves have said that they have been disusing changing the free aircraft that come with DCS to better attract new comers. See the below interview at 1:27:54min to understand why.

There was a recent discussion about changing the free aircraft that come with the free DCS dowload, which ED is actually looking to do to attract new people. It was brought up that the regular A-10C could be a good candidate. However as good as that may seem to attract new people and ease to fly it would still be a bit frustrating for newbies to learn its complex systems. However the A-10A would be a more ideal candidate even if it where to just have a clickable cockpit. So maybe campaigning for the A-10A to be included with DCS would lead to a FF update or a clickable cockpit at a minimum.

What are your systems specs by the way?

That is why I thought the H-13 Sioux would be a great candidate. It would not only be a historic aircraft used in both Korea and early Vietnam but it would be a prefect helicopter trainer as well. The only other helicopter ED could currently re use in a simplified variant for training purposes to include in the free DCS download would be the Huey. However that would still not be an ideal helicopter trainer. But I guess that would be good enough if other better options can't be done economically. DCS already has a few good fix wing options that could be included with DCS download. The regular A-10C would defiantly be a great option as far as attracting new people to the sim and for its easily to fly nature. However its systems complexity might frustrate a lot of new people. Which is why I think the A-10A might be a better fit with an updated clickable cockpit. Plus it would be an easier thing for ED to do since it would not affect A-10C sales.

I understand your concern but ED has already stated before that they recognize that the current free aircraft that come with DCS are not the most appealing or helpful to attract new comers. So that has been at top of their list of things they are looking to change. The interview can be found here at 1:27:54min. I am sure you can agree that changing the free aircraft that come with DCS would have an impact on new interest and revenue. And it does not have to be all new aircraft. They can simply re-use current or future modules to make a simplified variant for the free version. In my opinion the best option for a free helicopter trainer would be making a Bell TH-67 out of the OH-58 Kiowa that will be out soon. The TH-67 is actually what the U.S. military uses to train their helicopter pilots in anyways.

Lets be realistic. Two weeks is not enough time to train to fly a helicopter well unless your a teen or retired with no responsibilities. I my self tried to "Further" my basic helicopter skills I had acquired by playing Battlefield 3 and messing with an RC helicopter simulator a years ago with the Huey during one of those free to fly events. Needless to say it was a struggle to just get the helicopter to hover and land without wrecking it. Out of those two weeks I was only able to practice with the Huey for like 3 days with the free time I had available. And because of that I wont be buying a helicopter module that I can't really enjoy flying right away. Which is a shame because otherwise I would be very interested in the Apache. I could not imagine how frustrating it would be for someone with no prior helicopter skills to try to learn in a span of only 2 weeks. Those two weeks were intended as a test drive for people that already know how to fly the aircraft not train.

I totally agree even if its just a control option. Its for this reason that I can't stand flying in BFV anymore. But more so because the situational awareness is awful. However their helicopter controls with a gamepad are pretty decent and they actually come close to mimicking the controls on an RC helicopter.

The Bell 47 would actually make a great candidate for a free helicopter to be included with the DCS download. They really need a simple free helicopter to help attract and train people that are interested in buying the helicopter modules but are hesitant because they won't be able to fly them well. By the way the F4U-1D is coming for DCS by ED soon.

The main reason there aren't more Russian aircraft in DCS is because Russia has a tight restrictions on data on military aircraft. Therefore making it almost impossible to acquire the necessary data and permissions to be able to make a full fidelity simulation. So unless you got some connections with the Kremlin so that they will relax some restrictions on at least some of the older aircraft it will be almost impossible.

The A-1 Skyradier would bring an useful mission capability for it just being able to do A/G attacks better than any other aircraft in Korea and Vietnam. Here is an interesting account of an A-1 Skyraider that shot down a Mig-17 in Vietnam.

So am I. It would definitely be more interesting and exhilarating to fly into those areas from a carrier. I recommend watching this episode of Dogfights if you haven't already.

It would be nice if you guys would include pictures or videos to help your case. Geez. By the way I chose this picture to show off the Jaguars unique landing gear that is designed to operate off fields.

Not sure why your surprised. I had been seen for a while on these forums that the F-4 Phantom was one of the most coveted Cold War era jets. The Phantom was originally going to be done sooner but it was put in the back burner because the F-16 community had being crying for the Falcon to be done. But now that the F-4 will be done you will be left to compete against the Tornado community who have been being crying for it for a long time.

The Typhoon is in development because all the requirements just so happened to lineup for it to come to fruition. Even at that it will be a very early model. And from my observation it seems like it almost did not happen had it not had been for Heatblur offering to collaborate with Truegrit.

From what I have seen the F-4 has been one of the most requested aircraft. I personally don't have much interest in anything modern. I bought the FA/18 because I got at a really good sale price but I hardly fly it because I just don't like the feel of it. I prefer to fly the Tomcat. The F22 would not even be feasible to do until its retired and its systems declassified. Which would be like in 20-30 years.

Since the Super Etendard was involved in the Falklans war, RAZBAM has stated that it is one of the aircraft that they plan on developing to complete the scenario. IA-58 Pucara Mirage III (or) IAI Dagger (either one, not both) Dassault Super Etendard Sea Harrier FRS.

I had read that ED had to pretty much do that for the P-47 by doing their own wind tunnel test to get the data they needed. However it was very expensive to do.

It looks like there is a pretty good interest in submarine warfare for DCS. It would be great if they added the necessary code in the short term to allow for mods. However I would like there to be a new 3rd party that is dedicated to submarine warfare in the long term. There are like two new developers that currently have their high fidelity sub sims in alpha like Crush Depth and Modern Navel Warfare. It would be great if they got involved creating modules for DCS.

FYI, the MH6 Little bird is off the table. From what I have read around there were some serious talks about doing a full fidelity module but SOCOM shut it down because it would present a risk to their special operations.

The general consensus here and the most realistic expectation is for a new 3rd party to focus on WWI.