Lace

That's great. Going to give Blender a good looking at and see what I can come up with.

Remember IRL SEAD missions are not single aircraft. They are part of large strike packages with dedicated EW, jamming, HARM shooters, and other DEAD CBU armed aircraft. You are not going to take down a protected IADS/SAM installation by yourself. The 476th publish a decent threat guide 476TTP3-1.Threat Guide - Public Release - Downloads - 476th Virtual Fighter Group (476vfightergroup.com) which gives a bit more info on the capability of various systems.

I thought the point of the FC3 modules was that they were just hangovers from LOMAC? Worth including as an easier option for casual players, not as a stepping stone or training aid for FF modules. At risk of flogging this dead horse, my point is simply that if your end goal is mastery of a FF module, then start with a FF module, even if it is a 'simple' one like the L-39, F-5, etc. At least that way you are learning something about the processes in starting, operating and fighting a realistic airframe. If your end goal is to fly FC3 aircraft and you have no intention of investing the time in a FF module, then crack on. Nothing wrong with that.

Ah yes, that button. Must admit I often skip the BIT for that very reason. Same manual gymnastics required starting the Mossie too.

Anything is possible if you want it enough, but the question for the OP was which aircraft to start with. My argument was simply that if they are a VR user (we still don't know if they are) then FC3 complicates things be requiring keys to be mapped (and remembered) which is not the case in the FF modules. The F-5 is much easier to learn, to switch on the battery, I click the battery switch, I don't need to remember if it is LShift+B, or RShift+B, or whatever. The learning curve is steep for new users, Just remembering the start procedure is difficult enough without having to remember which arbitrary key press is required to do that thing. You can only fit so many penguins on the iceberg. IMHO FC3 workload can be higher*, and ultimately wasted time which could be used learning proper FF modules. If the end goal is to fly FC3 aircraft, then great, go out and learn them. * especially for VR

You can teach monkeys to fly. It is the button pushing which turns a VFR bimbler into a combat effective fighter pilot. How would you structure the A-10A training? Given there is a one-button start procedure, you won't learn that. The NAV/COMMS is through a magic non-interfaceable radio set. Ok, I'll give you arrival and departure procedures (same for any aircraft essentially), weapons delivery has zero commonality with the FF A-10C, You might learn 'navigation' in a first principles sense, but it will not teach you how the nav systems in the C work nor will the A teach you the handling characteristics of the C, given the simplified FM. There is no reason why if the end goal is flying the C, you would not just start learning the C. There is nothing specific to the aircraft that the A will teach you. You might as well use a C172 in xplane for learning the basics. One question though, assuming you are a VR pilot (since that is why this came about), why do you use the gear keybind in the F14 rather than a glance and a click? Do you look later to verify correct gear travel? Is it not immersion breaking to reach for a keyboard with the headset on?

YMMV I said 'effectively' unusable. If the end goal is competency in a FF module, then simply learning a load of key binds will do nothing to prepare you for that. A huge part of flying is about instrument scans - i.e. following a pattern around the cockpit as you interact with various controls and witness their effect. With a clicky cockpit in VR you are looking at each control as you interact with it, and can develop these scan patterns (especially important in VR since you can see the panel, but can't see the keyboard). Lets take the very simple example of landing gear. In a clicky FF module, you are forced to look down at the lever, you click it, verify the lever has moved, wait, verify three greens, then go back to the finals scan of on-AOA, on-centreline. Now a with the FC3 aircraft there is nothing making you look down at the lever, you just press whichever button is allocated to the gear level down, without taking your eyes away from the HUD. Good for simmers, bad for pilots. If you are just trying to learn to play the game, then it isn't that important, but if you want to fly FF modules in a competent and professional manner, then it is. The point is that FC3 aircraft are fine in their own right, but are not well suited as a stepping stone to the FF aircraft, which ultimately is what the OP is asking. You could spend a dozen hours in the FC3 A-10A, how much will that have taught you about the FF A-10C? Nothing, there is no commonality, no scans or flows, no procedures. Just pushing keys.

Hey, if FC3 works for you that's great, but I respectfully disagree. Even with several Warthog/Cougar combos at my disposal, I find the fact that I have to bind simple functions like gear, canopy, battery switch, etc to buttons overcomplicates things. With FF modules, I don't need to remember button maps, I just push the button. When flying the Viper with my Cougar for example, The only keybinds I have are LMB, RMB, Mouse Scroll up/dn, ESC and VR Centre (all modified stick hats). Everything else is on the HOTAS or a button I can press in the cockpit.

You don't mention whether you are currently or are planning to be a VR user - this has a bearing on your decision as due to the non-clicky cockpits, FC3 aircraft are effectively unusable in VR (or useable with a huge amount of button binds to remember). Personally I am an advocate of flying the aircraft you want to fly. The concept of trainers in a sim world is flawed, given there are no consequences for failure or crashing, and the cost per hour is the same no matter which module you fly. If you want to fly the A-10C, then fly the A-10C. Start small. Learn to start it, fly, navigate, and land. Learn the gun, then unguided rockets. Learn dumb bombs. Learn the TGP and guided rockets & LGB. Learn mavericks and sidewinders. Learn tactics and enemy capabilities. Learn IFR, AAR and night ops. Don't try to be combat proficient in one or two flights. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.

I have both, but spend significantly more time in the Viper. Every time I fire up the Hornet, I think to myself, this is actually an awesome aircraft, why don't I fly it more? And then it goes away and I go back to the Viper. I'm not sure why, I think it is simply that I don't have any emotional attachment to the Hornet. Growing up I spent hours on Falcon 3.0. The Viper was a regular on the UK airshow circuit, whereas I can count on one hand the amount of times I've seen a Hornet in the flesh (and non of those as a kid in the 80's/90's). This means that for me, while I appreciate and enjoy the Hornet, I will 9 times out of 10 go for the Viper., regardless of on-paper comparisons. The beauty of DCS is that we can just change airframes on a day-by-day or even hour-by-hour basis, without the real world limitations of requalifying etc. Even switching between rotary and fixed-wing, piston or jet. I'm sure we all have our favourites but don't limit yourself, it shouldn't just be about flying the 'best' aircraft, its about different experiences. Oh, and squats to pee up top ^^^ - If you are a genuine carrier qualified fighter pilot then you get to say stuff like that, otherwise it comes across a little walty. Don't kid yourself that competency with a game puts you on a par with the guys doing it for real. (I know you are probably just joking, but its laughable that simmers who have gone through no form of selection claim to be better than another type of simmer who has chosen to fly a different platform. A MSFS 747 pilot is not more professional than a MSFS cub pilot, they are still just playing a game). @Steel Jaw

Sounds great. At the moment I'm using IDF, Angolan, and Algerian skins for the units. A mix of desert/jungle appropriate colours, but lots of colour also feels appropriate for an African warlord.

Would love to, but most aircraft are sporting the liveries of the various export nations which supplied them at the moment. It's not easy to get stuff painted around here. I'm trying to go for something far removed from the sanitised and procedural modern US/NATO type experience a lot of missions offer, and go for something more chaotic and atmospheric if I can. Also I figure AH-64 vs MiG-21 is about as asymmetric as air warfare is possible to get. Might work, might not. We'll see.

Don't play with the grey.

It will only ruin the game if your sole focus is PvP and K/D ratios. For everyone else who wants as realistic as possible an experience it will vastly improve the game.

I am writing a set of missions depicting a low intensity skirmish between two fictional small African nations. It will take place in the north of Cyprus, with multiplayer slots for two aircraft, and playable from Red and Blue sides (probably as 3 separate .miz files, red, blue and both). Blue have taken delivery of a small detachment of ex-Israeli AH-64Ds. Their orbat is a mix of new/old mostly western kit. They have no offensive fixed-wing assets Red are equipped with ex-soviet kit, with the playable units being the MiG-21 and the Mi-8 The scenario back story is as follows... Bluefor: Equatorial Mirumba, thanks to revenue generated by recent coastal oil reserve exploitation has begun replacing its older military hardware with small amounts of modern western equipment. The relationship with their Southern neighbour had always been frosty, but never hostile, however the recent coup and violent tendencies of Field Marshal Kijambiya are well known and a cause of real concern for President Mutello. The Mirumban Volunteer Army has increased border patrols and all forces have been brought to readiness. The newly delivered AH-64 gunships will prove critical to maintain the safety and prosperity of the people of Equatorial Mirumba. Redfor: Having secured power in a military coup, supported in large by the population of The People’s Democratic Republic of Kzama on promises of economic reform, Field Marshal Kijambiya casts an envious eye over their small but wealthy neighbour to the North. Feeling pressure to make good his promise and wanting to maintain momentum, Kzaman People's Army troops have been harassing Equatorial Mirumba's border patrols with sporadic skirmishes and intimidation. The Kzaman Peoples Air Force's small fleet of mostly outdated ex-soviet hardware is primed and ready for further operations into Equatorial Mirumba's sovereign territory. However, aware of Mirumba's recent spending Field Marshal Kijambiya is worried that any delays will only make the job harder, and possibly not achievable at all. It is now or never. Decisive action is required if the oil wealth of their rivals is to be seized. The first couple of missions will be ready as soon as the Apache drops, six total planned. I have also posted this in the Apache subforum but thought others might be interested from the redfor side.

I am writing a set of missions depicting a low intensity skirmish between two fictional small African nations. It will take place in the north of Cyprus, with multiplayer slots for two aircraft, and playable from Red and Blue sides (probably as 3 separate .miz files, red, blue and both). Blue have taken delivery of a small detachment of ex-Israeli AH-64Ds. Their orbat is a mix of new/old mostly western kit. They have no offensive fixed-wing assets Red are equipped with ex-soviet kit, with the playable units being the MiG-21 and the Mi-8 The scenario back story is as follows... Bluefor: Equatorial Mirumba, thanks to revenue generated by recent coastal oil reserve exploitation has begun replacing its older military hardware with small amounts of modern western equipment. The relationship with their Southern neighbour had always been frosty, but never hostile, however the recent coup and violent tendencies of Field Marshal Kijambiya are well known and a cause of real concern for President Mutello. The Mirumban Volunteer Army has increased border patrols and all forces have been brought to readiness. The newly delivered AH-64 gunships will prove critical to maintain the safety and prosperity of the people of Equatorial Mirumba. Redfor: Having secured power in a military coup, supported in large by the population of The People’s Democratic Republic of Kzama on promises of economic reform, Field Marshal Kijambiya casts an envious eye over their small but wealthy neighbour to the North. Feeling pressure to make good his promise and wanting to maintain momentum, Kzaman People's Army troops have been harassing Equatorial Mirumba's border patrols with sporadic skirmishes and intimidation. The Kzaman Peoples Air Force's small fleet of mostly outdated ex-soviet hardware is primed and ready for further operations into Equatorial Mirumba's sovereign territory. However, aware of Mirumba's recent spending Field Marshal Kijambiya is worried that any delays will only make the job harder, and possibly not achievable at all. It is now or never. Decisive action is required if the oil wealth of their rivals is to be seized. The first couple of missions will be ready as soon as the Apache drops, six total planned.

I'm more hyped for the 58 than the 64. The complexity and 2-person crew puts me off the Apache, and the fact that it is effectively a static weapons employment platform means the missions might feel a bit samey. Hover, bob-up, fire Hellfire, repeat. Too many MFDs, too many sensors, to much eye clutter. Don't get me wrong, I have it on pre-order and will fly it, but have no intention of dedicating the countless hours required to master it. The Kiowa on the other hand will just be awesome fun to throw around, hedge-hopping, armed recce, target spotting, workable with single or multi crew. I will happily spend 1hr+ just flying the Gazelle in VR for the heli experience (no mission, just low-flying). If the 58 feels like the Gazelle (in a good way, i.e. nimble and light, not a bit weird around the edges of the envelope) then it will be my go to heli for pretty much everything but heavy lift (nobody can take away my Hip).

Lead a flight of four with ECM and 2xAGM-88. Engage all emitters (the AI do ok here as long as they are properly equipped) at range, transition to TARCAP role. Second flight of two with 2xCBU mix to clean up. Could reduce the first flight to two if you don't have the numbers but the trade-off is that you have less chance of getting all the emitters (some HARMS will be intercepted). That would be my approach, YMMV.

Anyone know if the Viper throttle is compatible with the Gemini base?

Good point, well presented.

No, but I tend to stay clear of 3rd party mods. I would much prefer if ED would just integrate these features into the sim.

Well aware of the tactics required RE expendables, was just answering the OPs request. Bypass useful for a FENCE check though.

Good to know. Thanks.

Interesting. Both sources I have in front of me now (DCS Manual and Chucks Guide) show CMS Left as 'No function'.

Or just put the CMDS panel MODE selector into BYP (bypass mode). Then CMS FWD for 1 chaff & 1 flare.