bies

I understand your comment, but it has to be the other way around: All modules must be scaled properly by ED or 3rd party developers to have real size at one set "IPD/world scale". Common user absolutely shouldn't be forced to fiddle with IPD to, more or less, scale each and every module separately. After buying few modules it would be a big mess. Remember changing "IPD/world scale" you are changing not only the size of the cockpit, but the whole world around you as well, you would see i.e. some absolutely massive trees in one module or tiny toy soldiers running around in some other. Proper unified scaling must be obligatory for each developer.

Radar guided Hellfires didn't see much use because of the nature of the enemy. Radar Hellfires + FCR + Longbow link give great advantage in symmetrical combat against capable enemy in high threat enviroment, but not in war on terror. Soviet Union collapsed, Desert Storm ended, Cold War ended - by 1991 era of conventional WARS was over. Why using radar guided Hellfire missile if you need to kill a group of few helpless bad guys? Milimeter radar has definitely impressive resolution but probably not quite enough to reliably detect and hit a single guy - laser Hellfire does the job just well. Maybe you want to hit the specific window in a building? Still laser Hellfire can do the job very precisily, radar variant obviously not. Or maybe you want to hit specific car bad guys are driving, are you going to trust radar guided fire-and-forget missile with it's radar gates? And if you hit another car with family? Still laser variant is way better for the job as you have full aim control. And helpless non-symmetrical enemy is not going to detect your laser beam to fire laser-jamming smoke grenades or fire back with radar guided Shilkas or SAMs... Delta Apache with Longbow system and FCR + radar Hellfires design started when USSR still existed and it was meant to go all out war against hordes of Soviet armor in very high threat enviroment, radar guided AAA, SAM, interceptors - not to kill some terror guy, but in the meantime Soviets collapsed, threat ceased to exist and Apache Longbow has been used in "war on terror" - that's the only reason it didn't use radar Hellfires (maybe except for the first days of 2003 Iraq invasion when they still had some tanks like Raptor9 mentioned).

It may be one of two yet unannounced modules Heatblur is working on. It would be a ton of fun to use both SP and MP.

True. Even making i.e. F-16C from ~Desert Storm would take about half of the time compared to F-16C from 2007. F/A-18C in kind of 1980s/Desert Storm standard was released as early access after 2 years (Flight Model, 3D external model, fully interactive 3D cockpit, Sparrow, SIdewinder, Gun, dumb bombs CCIP/CCRP, unguided rockets, besic guided munitions, INS and TACAN navigation, carrier operations etc). Next 2-3 years was just adding 2000s weapons and avionics to it like JHMCS, GPS navigation and GPS guided munition, datalink, AMRAAM, AIM-9X, targeting pod etc.

I like Kamov helicopters as well, but this two, Ka-35 and Ka-226T are practically a prototypes produced just a few years ago. Not even serially produced standard. There is close to zero data available so they would heve to be totally unrealistic and use fictional systems. Ka-226T is civilian helicopter for now. Ka-35 is an early warning helicopter so it's whole electronic suite would have to be totally fictional or nonexsistent at all so it even wouldn't have real purpose in DCS without it. Classic Ka-25 or Ka-27 would be nice, used by Soviet and Russian Navy, but they would require the anti-submarine warfare to truly show their potential, just like SH-60 Seahawk.

It's a matter of preference so i'm not going to question that, but in how many real full blown wars Mi-28 took part? How many enemy tanks destroyed? How many has been lost due to enemy fire? How many books man can read about its action, how many videos, documentaries, crew interviews etc? Probably close to zero. Apache is catching imagination because it's a legendary helicopter, proven in many real wars, destroying hundreds of enemy tanks, AFV, soldiers also shoot down by the enemy, it generate all the videos on YT, TV documentaries, books, crew interviews, military reports etc. Mi-28 is practically a hangar queen prototype, nobody know how it would perform in real combat, all we know about its capabilities are what some Russian commercial brochure says and it doesn't have all this real life experience thus catching imagination aura. Me and you may buy such helicopter but it would be a fraction of Apache revenues plus it wouldn't be even close to Apache in terms of realism of systems modeling. Not even that, our FC3 F-15C can bug only 4 targets at once, one PDT and up to 3 SDT, just lke the MSIPII from mid 1980s. Let alone without AMRAAM it can't perform simultaneous shootings at all. So even the radar is modeled after the Cold War one capabilities. (2000s F-15C AN/APG-63(V)2 can track up to 14 targets at once according to publicly available data, and lets not forget everything regarding equipement more modern than ~Desert Storm may be intentionally false information, not to give any real information to the potential enemy)

Usually i'm rather picky when it comes to variants when i create SP or MP missions, but what is the one single capability non-AMRAAM armed FC3 F-15C has which the Cold War F-15C MSIPII from 1985 and Desert Storm did not have? In late 1980s it already had NCTR, built-in AN/ALQ-135, TWS mode, RAID mode, digital weapon panel, AN/ALR-56 RWR, overload warning system - this is all Cold War stuff on F-15C. It was even integrated with AMRAAM before Desert Storm, USAF tested short serie AIM-120A since 1986. Just capability, like i.e. Viggen has 1990s TERNAV which can't be disabled in editor or Mirage 2000 has 1990s NCTR device which can't be disabled as well. IIRC F-15C started to receive the new capabilities only in early-mid 2000s like AESA radar AN/APG-63(v)2, Link16 datalink, JHMCS - each of this would make it unsuitable for all my Cold War or Desert Storm scenarios, but not what our FC3 model has outside the Cold War or Desert Storm? Maybe i don't know something, but i wouldn't like to be super picky when it comes to FC3 simplified modules, i know our F-15 lacks even some Cold War stuff like Magnavox AN/ALQ-128 which is classified even today or some radar modes like velocity search and rudimentary A/G capabilities. But i can't find where our F-15C is more capable then the Cold War one.

Beta update of the SimShaker soft? IDK there is something like that, i just install automatic software updates.

I've seen Mi-24 doesn't work with the SimShaker. All the other modules works great but Mi-24 no, there is some error like "the index was outside the bounds of the table". It's Mi-24 implementation WiP or this is just me?

JA-37 entered service early 1980s, maybe Heatblur will have enough data to make it in the future. They said something about JA-37 sharing the datalink with the early Gripen and this was a big deal, not allowing them to make JA-37, but i don't remember the details. JA-37 fighters with Skyflash fighting MiG-21/23/29 escorting AJ-37 with bombs or anti-ship missiles attacking Soviet Navy on Baltic Sea would be great.

FC3 F-15 AN/APG-63V)1 is just 1990s maintenance/reliability upgrade of the 1980s radar, not even close to 2000s (V)2 radars. For FC3 simplified standard it's identical to the 1980s/Desert Storm radars, it's even missing few modes compared to the Cold War one from MSIPII. Heatblur themselves states their F-14 varisnts simulate aircrafts from late 1970s to early 2000s. Heatblur say even F-14B is proper for the Cold War scenarios without the LANTIRN. ALR-67 is an old 1980s RWR. ALR-45 is even older, in use since early 1970s. Mirage 2000 and Viggen i agree. If you are suggesting Hornet and Viper, I think the demand for the earlier variants will grow only after all this 1980s modules start to show up in numbers and catch the imagination more. Like early 1980s carrier air wing with Forrestal carrier, F-14A fighters, A-6E bombers and A-7E attackers from the Mediterranean campaign. Plus who knows which two modules Heatblur is releasing before the Intruder. Mi-28 from 2010 is a pipe dream, especially now. It entered service just few years ago, together with "Guardian Apache" AH-64E. And sad thing is it entered service so late not because it is so modern, but because Russia doesn't have money to buy the modern equipment.

F-14A (and B without LANTIRN), Mirage F.1, F-5E, A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair, Huey, Gazelle, FC3 F-15C and A-10A. To some extend Mirage 2000 and Viggen but this are a bit more recent variants. All quite close in capabilities.

Soviets incoming! In the near future we are going to have nearly all 1980s Soviet tactical aviation in DCS. Mi-24P, Mi-8, MiG-21bis, MiG-23MLA, MiG-29 9.12, Su-17M and low fidelity Su-27S, Su-25A. Only Su-24 will be missing.

I adore the legend of the Eagle and the aircraft itself and it makles me sad to be forced to be this guy, but Eurofighter with better kinematic performance, supercruise, better acceleration, climb, better supersonic and subsonic maneuverability, unstable design trim drag, carefree FBW flight control, smaller RCS, smaller IR signature, passive integrated with airframe advanced IR sensor etc. eats Eagle alive BVR and VVR. Let alone Meteor missile. It's not a shame for the Eagle since its production started in year 1972 with Vietnam war still going with Vietnam-era aerodynamics, engine, sensors knowledge. The one and only reason F-15C is even still in service today is the fall of the Soviet empire - F-22 Raptor was ordered to replece F-15C, 1 to 1, with 700 airframes operational in early 2000s. The sole reason this hasn't been finished was the fall of the only real enemy with A/A capabilities. And F-22 vs F-15 is just another league in every department. That being said personally i would prefer full fidelity F-15A or C over the Eurofighter in DCS. Just not from the time when proud Eagle was only a cheap second grade substitute to the F-22. And having all the real air combat 20-30 years behind, just partolling an empty sky for decades without any real purpose. F-15 A and C forging its legend during late 1970s to early 1990s against Syria and Iraq, when there was no AMRAAMs or secure datalinks. Operation Opera, Lebanon war, Bekaa Valley battle, operation Desert Storm when despite of the US advantage Eagles still were forced to dogfight MiG-25s and MiG-29 in close maneuver air combat. (another thing is realism - all the electronic gizmos connected to its radar, EW suite, ECM, ECCM etc. which F-15 received post Desert Storm would be missing in DCS anyway being strictly classified or changed on purpose not to reveal how the real air combat would be fought)

F-15 overall is a museum tech designed ~55 years ago by our grandparents. With requirements from totally different era, no supercruise, no RCS reduction, no internal weapon bay, no thrust vectoring, no IR signature reduction, previous generation era engines, late 1960s aerodynamics knowledge etc. There is literally nothing "modern" in the F-15. During 1970s it was a super-fighter like an F-22 was 15 years ago. It ruled the sky during the Cold War. Then being replaced by the F-22 by 2000s (not completely because the only enemy able to threat their domination disappeared and budget shrinked drastically). Today it's just an outdated cheap missile truck to release it's weapon and run when F-22 or F-35 guide them to the targets. (Or simply a way to keep Boeing company afloat during the crisis.) Still the most fascinating aircraft, arguably the most successful jet fighter of the previous century. One of the last fighters having an opportunity to perform serious air combat in history, from late 1970s to early 1990s ~30-40 years ago.

You just listed every possible reason why i want F-4 Phantom (or F-8 Crusader, A-7 Corsair, A-6 Intruder, A-4 Skyhawk, MiG-23, MiG-17, Mirage F.1) even more: Non fly-by-wire flight control manual stick and rudder feeling very alive flight model reacting on all my inputs, requiring actual skill to fly and fight and not to depart during maneuver contrary to modern 2000s aircraft. Rudimentary avionics requiring skill and practice to use and interpret with steam gauges, vacuum tubes, analog radar contrary to modern 2000s aircraft. Unguided and first simple guided weapon requiring skill and experience to use, puting the thing on the thing manually in both A/A and A/G at short range within visual and lots of merges contrary to effortless automatic JSOW/AMRAM spam on datalink from dozens of miles not even seeing the targets. It's going to be comparably effective to the F-14 in relation to it's 1960s period threats like MiG-17, MiG-19, MiG-21, Su-7 etc. plus A/G component. P-51 is going to be helpless against the F-16 in 1980s, F-16 is going to be helpless against the F-22 in 2000s etc.

IRL flying boom is considered a bit easier than hose and drogue. In DCS right now it's the other way around - hose and drogue is a bit easier. When hose and drogue will receive basket turbulence and collision making it a bit more difficult and flying boom will hold the aircraft with some force at the same time making it a bit easier, differences will be more realistic.

I understand that but I fly Soviet Cold War MiG-29A, Su-25A and Su-27S on proper timeframe Cold War and 1980s scenarios and MP servers and i have a blast, it's both competitive and realistic at the same time. No point really taking 1980s MiG-29 against 25 years more modern 2007 F-16, just like there is no point taking Bf-109 against 25 years more modern MiG-21 - it's a matter of realistic or fictional mission design.

I think it's WiP feature in special options menu - i guess it's to be removed from MiG-19P when MiG-19S variant without radar and with Sirena RWR is going to be released.

According to ED splash damage is being work on.

This will add a lot to the overall experience with Petro more of a human than an interface.

It depends to what we compare them. DCS modules like WW2 warbirds or Korea MiG-15bis, F-86 Sabre are older technology then Vietnam and still present in DCS. After few years of works of passionate team DCS WW2 presents quite coherent WW2 1944 Normandy enviroment - agruably the only realistic coherent DCS timeframe at this momemt with few full fidelity flayable aircrafts for both sides, few AI aircrafts for both sides, some ground assets and units from the period and two proper timeframe maps. I can imagine Vietnam would be something similar in the future. After all during Vietnam war more aircrafts has been shoot down than in all other post Vietnam wars untill today combined.

Possibly coming to DCS.

Yes so there is obviously one more qustion: is current DCS Tomcat empty weight correct to aircraft with pylons and as for now removing pylons is just cosmetics not decreasing the mass (like they were in i.e. F/A-18 at the beginning)? But this would hamper pylonless Sparrow configuration. Or it's the opposite and aircraft with pylons should be heavier.

Exactly. No map, close to no ground assets, no other flayable aircrafts, not even other AI enemies. Just two fantastically modeled Sabre and MiG-15 to fly over 1980s Caucasus, without any context or enviroment.