DCS: A-7E Corsair II by FlyingIron Simulations

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DCS: A-7E Development Update 2021

Today we've got a small development update for you from the A-7E. Apologies that we've been quiet lately; we've had a few setbacks these last few months that have slowed us down slightly, but work has never stopped completely and progress continues to be made. Aside from that, we've also been polishing and tidying up our next (non DCS) module for release; more info on that to come soon.

Previously I've discussed our development plan for the A-7E and our intended phases of development. We can now happily report that we are elbow-deep into Phase 2, and making excellent progress so far. With the Flight Model making progress in leaps and bounds, we'll soon be turning our attention to avionics and systems development and integrating these with the previously developed core systems.

Today we'd like to ask your thoughts and feedback: In what condition do you prefer to see the cockpit in DCS? Dirty, worn and aged? Immaculate, fresh from the factory? Or somewhere in between? 

  

Artwork

As you can see, 3D Art has continued to progress steadily, with some focus returning once again to the cockpit. Alex has been very busy experimenting with materials & photogrammetry, building texture sets, and painstakingly recreating panel and rivet lines. Work has begun on gauge and analogue avionics modelling, including some initial experimental lighting tests. These are all of course very much WIP and subject to change substantially throughout development.

Below are some WIP images including a photogrammetry test, texture demos and lighting tests.

 

Flight Model

We're very excited to say that our Phase 1 test EFM has been discarded, and we are now well underway building our first iteration of our full-fidelity A7E Flight Model. Our current model is exponentially more complex than our previous test build, and is built from real world wind-tunnel force, moment and derivative data for the A-7E.

The FM so far is built from a combination of Stability & Control derivative tables (taken from real world data) and force/moment lookup tables to accurately capture the unique aerodynamic properties of the A7, including it's interesting spin and stall tendencies. Whilst the available data is comprehensive and suitable for a detailed simulation, we will be going the extra mile and investing heavily in Aerodynamics simulations & CFD software in order to extrapolate additional data, validate current data and validate additional parameters of our FM. In this way we can create a comprehensive aerodynamic database for the A-7E, cross-checking and validating data as we do so via CFD simulation and other means.

All this of course is a significant amount of work, and we expect work on the FM to be ongoing for many more months yet as we continue to develop the aircraft systems. With that said, we're extremely pleased with the current progress of the FM. So far we have met our development timeline targets and are confident we can produce an excellent FM.

 

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Edited May 12, 2023 by phant

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Edited May 12, 2023 by phant

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Edited May 12, 2023 by phant

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DCS A-7E Corsair II: 2021 Q4 Development Report

Firstly, thank you all for being so patient in waiting for this report. Your continued support & interest in the project gives us more & more motivation to continue making the A-7E the best it can be!

Today I (Dan) will be discussing the Corsair, how development is going and talking through some of the systems that we've been working on. Development has been cracking along at a fantastic pace these past few weeks in particular, with tasks & milestones being ticked off our list almost daily. This is a very exciting time for the Corsair, so there's plenty to talk about.

Before starting I'd also like to put it out there that we are constantly looking to expand our SME team and bring in more experts, so if you or anyone you know has flown or worked on Corsairs, please get in touch with us!

Now, let's start with the Flight Model!



Flight Model Development

Development of our EFM (External Flight Model) is going well and is currently focused upon building up & expanding upon our full-fidelity iteration of the EFM that was discussed in our last development report.

To recap, our EFM is being built upon a combination of wind-tunnel data, CFD generated data as well as feedback & information from former A7 Pilots. So far I have developed a base Flight Model that we are very pleased with - our goal was to create a base EFM that captured the key aerodynamics & characteristics of the Corsair with only minimal aerodynamic data, which I've now achieved. This now provides a strong & accurate aerodynamics 'base' that I can build & expand upon, which is exactly what I've been doing over the past months.

We have been using the excellent CFD program, FlightStream, with the aid of DARCorp to help us capture flight data to be used in the EFM. For those that don't know, CFD software essentially simulates air flow over a CAD model to predict & calculate aerodynamic forces over any range of flight conditions. Below is a quick plot of real-world wind tunnel data (orange) vs Flightstreams predictions (blue) for pitch-moment forces. Note that this was captured with our first test CAD model, which was of a low fidelity & has since been improved; even so, the results are excellent - notice that accuracy continues well past the stall region and all the way up to 90 degrees Angle of Attack!



Recently I have completed & integrated aerodynamic models for the Landing Gear & Trailing Edge Flaps, with work ongoing to integrate the leading edge flaps as well as the inboard roll spoilers. Drag modelling has been significantly improved, with a focus on Mach corrections & improvements in the transonic range. The TF41 engine modelling has also been expanded upon, with thrust calculations now significantly more accurate and spooling delays implemented.

Over the next few months I will be working to expand upon control surface modelling, edge of envelope performance and working closely with SME's to perfect stall & spin modelling.

AN/ALR-67 RWR

I'm very happy to say that the core functionality of the RWR has already been developed and implemented, meaning that the 'hardest part' of development is already done here. With that in place, development is now focused around calculating priority groupings & threat rings, implementing lock/launch & other symbols and finally updating the sounds.

Development is focused on recreating the AN/ALR-67 Radar Warning Receiver, which was used in the later stages of the Corsairs lifespan along with the ALR-45F Display. The ALR-67 is also used in the F/A-18, F14B and many other Western aircraft & therefore be very familiar to many of you. One of our SME's, a former A-7 avionics tech for LTV, had this to say about the RWR system "...Big advantage of new RWRs and HARM was precise Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) files and direction finding within 360 degrees with no time consuming manoeuvring and aligning as was the case with Shrike. In high concentration of enemy radars, lots of tones in the headset were annoying to pilots, but for survivability most tolerated and survived to fight another day."



Heads-up Display

Whilst we have had a placeholder HUD system in place for quite some time that has served us well, over the next few weeks I will be continuing development of the full HUD simulation. We are developing the AN/AVQ-7B(V) HUD, which was installed on A-7E's after Airframe Change No. 390.

The AVQ-7B variant of the HUD has the additional capability of operating in Night Mode in conjunction with the Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) system. When in night mode, HUD symbology is combined with video feed from the FLIR to create a composite display on the HUD that provides excellent night vision.

Over the next few weeks I will be finishing development of the basic Nav Modes & display elements, and then moving onto the fun stuff: CCIP & CCRP 

Here is an excellent overview & demonstration of the HUD in action on a real A-7 Corsair!
 

Projected Map Display System (PMDS)

I'm pleased to say that development of the PMDS is well past halfway, with all basic modes & functionalities now modelled accurately. The PMDS works by projecting film-strips onto the display, with the film strips being scrolled & rotated to reflect the aircrafts heading & position. The film strips were comprised of photos of aeronautical charts at 2 scales: 1:500k & 1:2 million. This gave the PMDS two scale settings, equating to approximately a 10nm radius on the display and a 50nm radius on the display. The PMDS also features a 'Data' mode, where spare film on the film-strips could be used to store flight data & procedures for the pilot to view when needed.

With all of the basic modes & functionality of the PMDS modelled, I will be moving onto more advanced features over the coming weeks & months, including: PMDS Slew Functionality, Manual/Hold operation, mark point saving as well as having Alex complete the visual & art elements of the display (textures, glass, model etc).

 

AN/APQ-126(V) Forward Looking Radar

The forward looking radar is designed for ground mapping, A2G ranging & weapons delivery, beacon operation & terrain avoidance. The dynamic range of the display allows it to be dimmed sufficiently for night ops. It has 11 modes of operation:

1. Beacon
2. Terrain Avoidance
3. Ground Map, Pencil
4. Ground Map, spoiled
5. A2G Ranging
6. A2A ranging
7. Combined Terrain Following & Terrain Avoidance (CSTA)
8. Combined Terrain Following & Ground Mapping (CSGMP)
9. Terrain Following
10. Shrike Improved Display (SIDS)
11. Television Display

The television display can be used to guide optical weapons, such as the Walleye.

I'm pleased to say work has begun in earnest on the radar system; here you can see some very WiP shots of our proof of concept testing. We are using the ground radar API developed by ED, which so far has been excellent and works well for the Corsair. So far I have modelled a basic ground mapping mode & am now working to develop additional modes, as well as aiming & weapons delivery logic.

NB: Again, these images are a proof of concept test and missing all relevant art elements & setup.



Artwork

You'll notice that this development report is a little sparse with images - that's because unfortunately we don't have much new to show yet in terms of art! Alex, our Artist, has largely been focused on MSFS work over the past few months as he hasn't been urgently needed on the A7 - I still had lots of programming work to do in order to catch up.

Recently however, we have expanded our team with 2 additional artists doing amazing work for us. With that work now complete, one of our new artists has been assigned to overhaul, update & complete our 3D model, both inside & out. Our artists have proven over the last few weeks that they can create extremely high quality models incredibly quickly, so we are very excited to see what they can do with the A7 over the next couple of months!

We will be sharing some images of their work alongside our next MSFS Module announcement sometime in the next few weeks 

    

Roadmap

Previously we have discussed our development roadmap as consisting of 4 phases of development, with release to come after the completion of Phase 4. We're extremely happy to say that since our last development report, Phase 2 of development has been fully completed and Phase 3 has been in full swing for a couple of months now. Development speed has increased significantly, thanks to Raimond (aka GotGravel) joining the team to help with our MSFS branch, which has in turn freed me up to work on the Corsair 7 days a week.

Our main goals for Phase 2, which are now complete, included:
- Functional & Flyable EFM , low-mid fidelity
- Key analogue gauges integrated for testing
- Core Systems modelled & integrated (Electrical, Fuel, Hydraulic, etc)
- Basic Functional HUD: Nav Mode
- Pylons + Loadout Setups
- AI SFM integrated
- Key Clickable switches integrated

With all that done, Phase 3 is now in progress, with many milestones already tracking very well and progress happening quickly. Phase 3 has many goals & milestones attached, but to summarize it is about developing full fidelity simulations of all of the Corsairs key avionics, weapons & flight systems - the idea is for the Corsair to be ready for SME flight testing once Phase 4 begins.

Phase 4 of development will be centred around SME testing & feedback; perfecting the EFM, avionics and filling in any missing details.

FONTE https://flyingironsimulations.com/blogs/news/dcs-a-7e-corsair-ii-2021-development-report

 

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Edited October 25, 2021 by phant

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DCS WORLD: A-7E CORSAIR II

The A-7E continues to steam along through development, with many major milestones having being achieved since our last report in November. Today I'll briefly recap some of the milestones achieved in the last few months, discuss where development is focused at the moment and what we are expecting over the next few months.

Avionics & Systems

Development through November & December focused on avionics & weapon systems, with the vast majority now modelled and integrated to various extents. Thanks to some very valuable documentation detailing the inner workings of the code & computer structures of the aircraft, I've been able to simulate avionic systems in great detail, recreating the information & data flow of the real aircraft.

There's far too much work that's gone on to discuss every detail here, but to summarise some of the key systems that have been developed over the last few months include:

• AN/AVQ-7B(V) Heads Up Display - The HUD is now nearing completion, with most functionality integrated. Thanks to the documentation mentioned above, all HUD elements have been sized, placed and programmed exactly as per their real world counterparts. The HUD uses a slower refresh rate compared to modern aircraft (25x/second). The 7B variant of the HUD includes FLIR integration from the LANA pod for low altitude night-ops.
• Unguided Weapons Delivery - Almost all unguided weapons are now hot & integrated for use, including release parameters
• CCIP Bombing Modes - Developed & integrated
• AG Radar - Mapping modes now integrated, work continues on developing Terrain Avoidance modes, radar ranging modes & integration with slew, aiming & waypoints.
• AN/APN-194(V) Radar Altimeter - Modelled & integrated
• AN/ASN-91(V) Tactical Computer - Development of the tactical computer is well underway, with the tactical computer already powering & feeding information to many other avionics as per the real aircraft. The Tactical Computer is very complex & in many ways the 'heart' of the avionics; therefore work will be ongoing here for some time yet.
• + Waypoints, Navigation, Radio and much more being worked on!

 

Flight Model

The Flight Model has been my primary focus of 2022 so far - much work has been devoted to building it up into our Phase 4 Model as previously discussed (ie ready for SME testing).

I'm happy to say that work on the Flight Model has progressed much faster than I anticipated and in just the last few weeks the EFM has improved drastically. It's hard to quantise something like a Flight Model in terms of fidelity and development progress; however if we use data points as a simple measure of fidelity I can say that the EFM has increased in fidelity 40-fold since the new year (40,000%!).

As simple summary of what's been done the last few weeks:

• Overhauled control surfaces to be simulated at a greater fidelity to support the updated FM
• Hugely expanded upon coefficient build-up equations and data tables
• Improved fidelity of Mach affects on aero model
• Speedbrake, Trailing Edge & Leading Edge Flaps Aero models integrated
• Stall/Spin/High-Alpha modelling improved further and refined
• Fuel, Mass, MOI & CG modelling further refined
• + Much much more

With the EFM approaching a stage where it's ready to be handed off to our SME's for flying, I've developed and implemented a unique new way of integrating our Corsair pilots feedback - a EFM Tuning system. It is simply what it sounds like - a way for us and our SME's to tweak, refine and improve the flight model from within the sim and record & report their tweaks back to us. This will allow us to get past any barriers of communication and really help us to get the 'feel' of flying exactly right. Exciting times ahead!

Over the next week or so, I'll be finishing my work on the EFM, finishing up developing debugging & tuning tools and then introducing Grav to the A-7 so he can go through a round of testing & tuning. After that, the A-7 will be passed onto our SME's for testing & tuning while I continue to work on the more advanced cockpit & weapon systems.

Art Overhaul

In our last update I discussed that our 3D Model was being overhauled - today I can finally show you the extent of that! Our previous 3D Model was lovingly crafted from scratch by Alex, having started working on a model all the way back in 2019. It was great! But ... it still wasn't up to our standard. For the A-7 we wanted the 3D Model to be mind-blowingly detailed, virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

To that end we made the heart-breaking decision to scrap our existing model and start all over. Completely from scratch! With a new artist joining our team, we knew as soon as we saw his work on the F6F that remaking the model from scratch was the right choice in order for us to put out the best sim possible.

This of course has cost us quite abit of time, but quality must come first. I think that when you see the WIP images below of what our artist has managed to create in just a few WEEKS you will agree that we made the right choice!

       

 

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Anche questo sarà un bel giocattolo! 

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Edited June 6, 2022 by phant

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A7 CORSAIR II FOR DCS WORLD

ARTWORK

The Corsair has had a tumultuous journey! 2022 saw the completion of our complete remake of the A7 3D model, which took a significant amount of time. With the aid of Iakov, our new artist, both the external and internal models of the A7 have been completely remade from scratch as we've previously discussed. The remake started work in 2021 and was completed around Q3 in 2022. The remake is significantly more detailed than our original model, with almost all elements of the aircraft accurately modelled, including maintenance areas.

Having such a detailed model delivered by Iakov meant that lots of work was required in terms of optimizing the model to extract the maximum possible performance, without compromising much detail. This is still ongoing, however most of the exterior has now been optimized, as well as large chunks of the cockpit. Work is ongoing to optimize the remainder of the cockpit so it can then be textured.

Work has begun on UV mapping the exterior model and to that end we have created a dedicated Paint-Kit team, who are providing value feedback during the UV mapping process to ensure that our paint-kit is as easy to use as possible for livery artists.

Work is also well underway in animating the cockpit & exterior as well as setting up clickable areas, which has been very helpful in allowing us to start testing more systems in-flight using proper procedures.

    

FLIGHT MODELLING

The A7 Flight Model has undergone extensive work this year, especially in the first half of the year, with much of that work being 'behind the scenes' so to speak. This year we've been working closely with Research in Flight, an aerospace & hydrodynamics analysis company that creates tools for aerospace engineering applications. They are the developers of Flightstream, a sophisticated numerical flow solver and one of our primary tools that we use for CFD analysis & data collection for the A7.

We have been working closely with them to enhance & improve our A7 Corsair model, to the point where we have been able to supply validation studies and case tests against the real wind-tunnel data we have gathered. The A7 model has also been used to test & assist in development of new control surface analysis techniques being integrated into Flightstream, in turn also enhancing our data collection capabilities for various control surface & damage configurations.



CFD COLLABORATION & NASA PRESENTATION

As part of our collaboration, we spent some time this year developing some internal tools to aid in the collection of CFD data; not only for the A7 but also for any model we wish to analyze. One such tool that I developed personally was a utility that facilitated the conversion of an OpenVSP model into a solution-ready FlightStream model. Without going into too much detail, what this accomplished was an extremely fast & efficient method for simple OpenVSP geometry models to be analysed in great detail in FlightStream. For us, this allows us to gather CFD data in a fraction of the time required using traditional modelling techniques. Our work was shown off at the 2022 NASA OpenVSP workshop, and we have since made the tool publicly available, where it is now being used around the world in both academic & commercial design purposes. We have even been informed the utility is being used over at Boeing! It is our hope that this simple tool will make CFD modelling more accessible to all sim developers. For further reading, you can see the presentation slides that relate to the relevant Flightstream developments here.



Of course, all this only matters if it helps us to develop the A7! Although it's taken some time, these developments have been a worthy time investment. By forging a new workflow, we're able to tweak & experiment with our models in a fraction of the time to get the best results possible when testing unusual aircraft configurations. If you've worked with CFD or know alittle about it, you'll know that it is an enormously time-intensive process using conventional techniques, and almost always requires constant model tuning & tweaking to collect valid results. As we are now developing the advanced aspects of the A7 Flight Model, this has been absolutely essential when testing non-standard configurations.

For example, using our workflow we've been able to run tests and collect data on virtually every control surface interaction possible, in order to assess the relative significance of unusual interactions and determine how best to model them in-sim. Some examples include interactions between the flaps & elevator at various high Angle-of-Attack configs, forces in a spin and leading to a spin, spin recovery analysis and post-stall analysis. Furthermore, this new modelling workflow has provided us with a very efficient means to study the effects of airframe damage on flight dynamics, an aspect that is often modelled with only very simple approximations due to data limitations. Not so anymore!

DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF CONTROL AUGMENTATION SYSTEM (CAS) AND AUTOMATIC FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEMS (AFCS)

In terms of Flight modelling, the latter half of 2022 has been heavily focused on designing & developing the CAS for the A7 Corsair. This has been a huge undertaking and admittedly has required a large amount of time on my part devoted to studying advanced engineering control system design principles.

Although we don't have the exact equations used in the real aircraft CAS, we do fortunately have enough information on the inputs & outputs of the system to be able to reverse engineer it. This has required us to approach the situation in much the same way as the original aircraft designers, attempting to carefully craft a control system that meets the requirements of the airframe and pilots.

Although work is still ongoing, we are quite pleased with how things are shaping up and are confident that with the feedback from our SME's we will be able to fine-tune the CAS to operate almost exactly as the real system would. Flying with the CAS switched on is a completely different experience than flying with it off; the airframe is incredibly difficult to control without it. Therefore, it is absolutely critical that we get this right and we are dedicating an appropriate amount of time & resources to try and achieve this.

The CAS is only one part of the A7's AFCS, which is used not only to enhance flight stability but also for Autopilot control of the aircraft. The AFCS is being developed in tandem with the CAS and has made significant progress in 2022. The primary Autopilot modes (HDG, ALT, ATT, Airspeed) have all been developed & implemented. We are currently in the process of refining the Yaw Stab system, which stabilizes and corrects for aircraft slip and assists in turn coordination.

CAS & AFCS naturally have a strong interconnection with the control surfaces and thus required a complete rewrite of all of our control surface models. This was completed in 2022 and are controls are now working in harmony with the AFCS, respecting defined authority limits and behaviours. As a pilot you will need to be aware of & respect these limits to ensure that you are working with, and not against, the AFCS.

The A7 Corsair is not a simple airframe to fly; it has extensive quirks that need to be understood and mastered for the aircraft to be flown effectively. The AFCS is a quintessential part of this; understanding & mastering it will be a key component of flying the A7 well.

OTHER FM DEVELOPMENTS

On top of everything discussed above, this year we have been working to refine our mathematical classes & methods implemented in our codebase. Focusing on optimization, we have been spending time implementing new methods of data processing that require less computational resources to achieve the same result. An example of this is interpolation and look-up table (LUT) modelling, which is the foundation of data processing in a simulator and one of the primary methods used to implement CFD & aerodynamics data. These calculations happen thousands of times every second and have thus been a big priority for us in terms of code optimization.

As discussed in the CFD section, we have developed a new workflow that has allowed us to quickly and efficiently analyze aircraft damage scenarios and the impact of damage on Flight dynamics. While still in-progress, we have been very pleased with the data we've been able to collect and are currently busy expanding the Flight Model to include damage modelling.



SOUND DESIGN

Although still only in the very early stages of development, work has begun on sound design for Corsair! Thanks to the collaboration from some amazing people in the community, we've been able to organise the recording of a real A7 during a maintenance engine run. This is of course an extremely rare opportunity, and we are so grateful to the good people at Tulsa Tech University for making this possible!

Thanks to some collaborative efforts from 'Armorine' in our community discord (who has also been invaluable in helping us to secure certain documents. Thank you Armorine!), we were able to organise a professional field recording of the A7. The recording was carried out by Tulsa Tech's team of sound engineers & sound engineering students, with the entire engine run captured from various positions by professional grade equipment. The team even went so far as to produce an excellent master of the samples for us! In total we were given an amazing 29 high-quality aircraft samples from various mic positions, as well as 4 completed mixdown tracks.

We will be applying many of the lessons that we've learned from sound design in Wwise/MSFS to our A7 sound design work; for more detailed information I encourage you to read through the sound design subsection of the MSFS report above.

Below you can see some shots from the recording process.

   

SYSTEM & WEAPONS DEVELOPMENT

Alongside all of this, work has continued throughout the year to develop and flesh out the cockpit systems of the Corsair. Once again, we owe our thanks to 'Armorine' for assisting in helping us to acquire some missing documentation. Unfortunately, due to the nature of systems development, we don't have a wealth of flashy screenshots to show here, but I will do my best to explain the various systems under development and the state they are in.

One of the biggest priorities this year has been developing the codebase & logic underlying the A7's targeting and weapon delivery systems. To this end, lots of time has been spent refining and further developing the armament control systems: developing correct pylon release cues & logic, release inhibition conditions, developing calculations for interval drops and developing the core logic that underpins the sophisticated weapons systems of the A7. The culmination of this has been the development and integration of CCIP & CCRP weapon release modes; both of which draw heavily from various sensors and targeting systems in the aircraft before making real-time calculations to determine an impact point. We are pleased to say our A7 can now accurately release unguided weapons on target, using both CCIP & CCRP methods that are unique to different weapon types. Work is ongoing to further develop both weapon release modes to include inhibition cues as well as to develop the navigational modes of weapon release, such as Bomb on Coordinates (BOC) and offset bombing modes.

Navigation systems also received some development time in 2022, with the INS and tactical computer systems currently being expanded upon and developed. We have developed the aircrafts waypoint system, including storage, recall and editing of flight plan waypoints. We've also made progress integrating information from the navigation systems into other aircraft avionics; most importantly the HUD and PMDS. 2023 will see the detailing & expansion of the INS system; expanding on current modelling of the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMS) and the development of the Doppler Radar, both of which feed information to the INS. We will also be working to implement mark-points, target points and other in-flight navigational systems. As a pilot flying the A7 will require careful monitoring and management via positional updates and pilot corrections; the A7 requires navigational updates to correct for INS drift, in a similar fashion to the Viggen.

As we've shown throughout the year, 2022 has seen the development of most of the A7's key avionic systems in various states of completion. The Projected Map Display (PMDS) is integrated and functioning, with current work focused on integrating navigational data from the Tactical Computer, as well as integrating some of the lesser used functionalities. The RWR has been on the backburner for some time due to some limitations in documentation, however we have now obtained the necessary documents and work is now ongoing in developing the RWR fully! The aircrafts multiple radio systems are also well in development, with the primary functionality of all radios already implemented and work ongoing to implement cockpit controls, presets and other functions. The A7 Radar systems are also well in-development as we've previously showcased, with current work focused on radar targeting functionalities as well as navigational cues.

As well as all the above, our current codebase is being constantly refined, expanded upon and rewritten in order to be more realistic with its flow of information. To elaborate, we are aiming to mimic the flow of data as it occurs in the real A7 avionic systems, with many avionics being dependent on other systems and prone to certain failures and accuracy limitations. For example, the tactical computer relies upon information from the Air Data Computer (ADC) as well as IMS systems in order to complete navigational and targeting calculations; any inaccuracies in data supplied from either the ADC or IMS will result in flow on errors and inaccuracies further down the avionics chain. In practical terms, this means that simple things like damage or icing to your pitot tubes can result in inaccurate data being supplied to the ADC and thus the Tactical Computer, creating targeting & instrumentation inaccuracies. We want each system to be interacting with each other as organically and realistically as possible, allowing for the accurate simulation of failures, errors and inaccuracies as they can occur throughout the aircraft.

To summarise the state of systems development in the A7 Corsair: most if not all systems have been developed and integrated to at least a basic extent, with work now being focused on expanding and developing the advanced functions of each system as well as the interconnections between each system. This will happen in-tandem with the art, as more & more cockpit controls and displays become available and ready to be tied to code work; we anticipate this will be ongoing for much of 2023.



WHAT'S NEXT?

We've previously discussed our 4-phase development roadmap for the A7, which roughly translates to the following 4 phases:

• SFM Based model
• Basic EFM & flight systems
• Advanced EFM & advanced flight/weapon/avionic systems
• SME testing & tuning + damage modelling

We are currently approaching the tail-end of phase 3, which as expected has been the longest development phase by quite a margin. Our goal is to complete phase 3 and move into phase 4 of development at some point in 2023. We know it's been a long wait and it seems to still be forever away, but we want to say thank you for your patience and hopefully this report can give you some insight into what's been happening behind the scenes.

 

Bye
Phant

[phant]

   
FONTE https://forum.dcs.world/topic/97330-dcs ... nt=5215852


Bye
Phant

[phant]

FONTE https://forum.dcs.world/topic/97330-dcs ... nt=5308129


Bye
Phant

[phant]

DCS: A-7E DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

We know that you've been itching to find out more, so this report will be purely focused on the development state of the A-7E Corsair II for DCS World. The SLUF has an all new, much improved 3D model and today we're happy to be sharing the first pictures of the new model in-sim!

First, I must apologize for the lengthy gap between development updates. We understand that many of you are keen for more regular update reports, and I will strive to do my best going forward to try and keep the development news flowing through more regularly.



ARTWORK

2023 has been a wild ride for our beloved Corsair; with some difficult decisions being made throughout the year. In our previous report, we unveiled our overhauled and remade 3D model in all of its beauty. The model was exquisitely detailed, and we were very proud of it (and still are) - especially considering the model was built from only photos and blueprints.

In 2023, we recruited a new artist, Oleg, who is a veteran of the industry & aircraft modelling, having worked previously with some of the very best teams in Flight Simulation. Not only an incredible 3D artist, Oleg has extensive experience with photogrammetry; the fascinating process of extracting a 3D model from a real-world object via a detailed photography process.

This presented us with a unique opportunity to do something we've never done before - scan an entire aircraft as the basis of our model. After being presented with this opportunity, we made the very difficult decision to remake the 3D model AGAIN. Now I know what you're thinking, and don't worry - this decision hasn't had any effect on our release projections; there is still plenty of more programming work to be done in tandem. Of course, this decision was very painful for us, having to set aside thousands of hours of work is not a decision to be made lightly.

Ultimately though, we believe that this was the best decision going forward for the team, for the module and for the consumer. Our previous model was excellent, however any model built from blueprints & photos is prone to inaccuracies, as minor as they may be. This is just the nature of dealing with wild blueprint inaccuracies, incomplete photo reference and managing strange photo perspectives and alignment. Photogrammetry eliminates these errors and inaccuracies, providing a true-to-life 3D reference of the model and textures.

The external model has progressed at an incredible pace thanks to the photogrammetry, and soon work will begin on the cockpit remodel.

Now that the new model has been in development for some time, we are absolutely confident that we made the right decision, and we think that these screenshots might just convince you too 

      

PORTUGAL TRIP

Earlier this year, Oleg & all of his gear packed up and made the journey to the Museu do Ar (Air Museum) in Portugal. The museum is home to 2 beautiful A-7P aircraft - one in Ovar, and one in Alverca (plus an additional cockpit display in Sintra). We were lucky enough to be granted full access to both aircraft; not only the exterior and cockpits, but also to internals such as the radar & avionics bays, landing gear compartments and intake!

With perfect weather shining down on our scanning days, we were able to capture near perfect scans of both airframes - giving us not only 1, but 2 complete reference models. This took several days of laborious photography, crawling inside tiny compartments, setting up lighting rigs and capturing tens of thousands of photos from every angle imaginable. As you can see, the end result has been well worth the effort. We are immensely proud of the new artwork and the progress it's been making; Oleg is doing fantastic work and we truly believe it will be up there with some of the best in DCS World.

Of course, we didn't stop there - you don't get an opportunity like this every day! We also used the opportunity to capture video footage inside the cockpit, providing detailed reference of switch, dial and lever motions to provide accurate reference for animation. The final step, using a professional microphone rig, was to capture all of the unique cockpit sounds that we possibly could. Although it would be very easy to use generic switch & lever sounds, we think using genuine sounds from the real cockpit just adds that extra level of immersion & authenticity.

     

FLIGHT MODEL - MOVING INTO PHASE 4

In the last few months, work has been mainly focused on further developing and refining the flight model, with the aim of getting it ready for testing and into phase 4 of development. It's been quite a lengthy process, requiring a redevelopment of the equations driving the flight model, in order to be able to better integrate the CFD data we have been capturing. We also came across a new source of wind-tunnel data this year, providing more direct data to be used in our tables as well as providing very useful validation data for our CFD model.

Without getting too technical, we have significantly expanded upon our stability & control derivative modelling, replacing previously linear derivatives with complete non-linear data tables, often with 3 or 4 dependencies and inputs. Again, this goes above & beyond the derivatives provided from wind-tunnel testing and provides a more in-depth and accurate simulation of aircraft dynamics, particularly at & beyond the edge of performance envelope.

This year also saw the expansion and development of the TF-41 engine simulation, with much the same process being applied here. Various data reports & engine simulation software were used to create a comprehensive picture of engine performance, with work ongoing to further develop simulations of various engine subsystems & quirks. The TF-41 is a relatively slow engine to respond, adding an even greater challenge to carrier landings and Air Refuelling operations.

Finally, 2023 has seen the completion of the Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS), which includes a complete Control Augmentation System (CAS) as well as multiple autopilot operating modes. We've previously discussed the AFCS in detail and the importance it has on all areas of flight - we're now happy to report that it is finished and awaiting testing!



OPTIMIZATION & EFFICIENCY

An EFM in DCS World is typically simulated every 0.005 seconds - meaning that the flight model is updated & recalculated 200 times every second. This is necessary to allow for the accurate computation of aerodynamic models and also for accurate reading of pilot inputs, providing an appropriate level of sensitivity and resolution. Given that an aerodynamic model consists of huge amounts of data (often thousands of data points split into as many as 100+ tables) and heavy calculations, any inefficiencies in the EFM model can lead to a degradation in performance at all times in flight.

For this reason, we have been spending time optimizing and improving runtime efficiency in our flight model to try and ensure we have the best possible performance. The focus here was to redevelop our Look-up Table (LUT) model from the ground up, using the latest available research to help direct our efforts.

Without getting too far into the nitty gritty details, we have been able to significantly improve the processing time of a simulation loop by increasing the speed & efficiency of our look-up tables. Typically in a LUT, data is stored in tables, which usually have up to 20-30 rows and often the same amount of columns. The computer will take an input, such as AoA, and loop through the table until it finds the nearest matching values. From there we can do mathematical interpolation to determine the correct value that matches our input. This is repeated for each table (can be 100+ tables), and the whole process repeated 200 times per second.

While this is an acceptable process in most cases, there is certainly room for improvement. One such approach is to store the previous result, and then use that as a starting to place for the next search loop through the data table. This helps, but still requires a full search loop whenever a large change in input occurs. Our new LUT model however does not require any searching or loops; instead, we have developed a clever method that involves manipulating our data sets so as to maintain a linear relationship between inputs & corresponding data tables, so that the table index (or where to look in the table) can be simply computed from the table input value.

We have of course expanded the model to include n-dimension tables, so that it is ready to handle any fresh CFD data we can throw at it! It was important for us to get this right, not only for the performance reasons above but also because the LUT model is a cornerstone of the EFM, and can be reused in any future modules.

CFD WORK

You'd be forgiven that we would be finished with CFD work on the A7 by now, but not quite! Previously, our CFD model was built in NASA's OpenVSP software, meant to only be a crude representation of the A7 with a very simple, performance based mesh. This has given us acceptable results over the last year, most of which has been implemented into the Flight Model already.

However, having captured the scans on a real A7, the opportunity to collect fresh & more accurate CFD data was suddenly available. So this year, using the scan as a base, we have been busy also rebuilding our CFD mesh; this time using a much more detailed and accurate mesh. Given that CFD is entirely mesh dependant, an upgrade to mesh fidelity consequently provides an increased data resolution and accuracy. This was particularly beneficial for capturing peripheral data that is not present in the literature, such as landing gear forces, speedbrake forces and so on. Our previous mesh was very simplistic, and thus only captured a general idea of the forces. Now however, we are building our CFD mesh from Oleg's incredible scanning and modelling work, providing 1:1 accuracy with the mesh and consequently the data collected.

It has been a difficult & intensive process, as anyone that has worked in CFD can undoubtedly attest to. Fortunately, we have been working closely with Research in Flight once again to further refine our new model and ensure validity of our collected data. It is a large undertaking and fairly heavy workload, however we are grateful to have the opportunity to work with the experts to really develop our CFD knowledge & skills; not only is it a huge benefit to the A7, but it also opens the door for us to be able to model any future aircraft with full EFM fidelity.

Here you can see just a very, very small sample of some of data collected from a test run of the landing gear model.



MECHANICAL SYSTEMS

The Corsair has a beautiful duality as an aircraft; it was a technological pioneer of the time, featuring the first fully-fledged Heads-Up Display unit that we are so familiar with in modern aircraft. Yet, it was also very much an 'analogue' jet of the past, lacking the huge array of sensors and digital control systems that modern fighters are equipped with. The Corsair is a very much a hybrid of the two; a transition between two eras in military aviation.

With this in mind, we've been spending some more time this year really expanding upon our simulations of the aircrafts mechanical systems such as gear & ground operations, carrier ops & systems, hydraulic & fuel systems. While these aren't as flashy as the weapons & avionics systems, these elements make up a considerable portion of the airframe, procedures and overall simulation experience, and its important that we get them right.

As a simple example, the speedbrake is hydraulically operated, but not immune to the intense forces of high-speed flight. It will be buffeted and pushed back, partially retracted by a strong enough airflow. It is prone to drooping & partially opening should PC2 hydraulic pressure fail. It cannot be operated with gear extended, unless using a manual PC2 hand pump when on the ground. We have done our very best to capture all of these quirks & details, really developing the unique character of the Corsair II airframe.

As we are modelling a later-era Corsair, the airframe includes Automatic Manoeuvring Flaps (AMF), an advanced flap control system designed to increase turn performance and manoeuvrability in lower speed conditions. The system operates by partially extending the trailing & leading edge flaps when angle of attack exceeds 14.75 units at an airspeed below 0.7 mach, retracting again below 10.5 units AoA or above 0.7 mach. The AMF system has been completed & integrated fully in 2023!



CARRIER & GROUND OPS

We are happy to report that the Corsair is now operational off the carrier deck, having made her maiden launch & trap several weeks back. Landing a Corsair on the ship is immensely difficult, and success will not come easily. We have to commend the incredible skill & courage of real-world Corsair pilots; to be able to regularly achieve such a feat is nothing short of extraordinary.

We have completed work on the launch bar system and its various safety measures & dependencies, as well as the arresting hook system, nosewheel steering, braking systems, landing gear systems and much more. To give you an example of the work that's been happening, lets discuss the Nose Gear Steering system as an example.

The Nose Gear Steering (NGS) system is the power steering of the Corsair; it is electrically controlled & hydraulically actuated via a hydraulic cylinder mounted on the nose gear shock strut. When the system is deenergized, it provides an automatic nose gear shimmy damping function - essentially damping nose-wheel wobble and providing a smoother taxi. Engaging the system via the Nose Gear Steering button on the grip allows the pilot to steer via the rudders up to 60° off-centre.

Hydraulic power is provided via the PC2 system and requires the utilities isolation valve to be OPEN - it will not function if the valve is closed. Automatic recentring of the nose gear occurs during gear retraction, or when the right gear weight on wheel sensor determines there is no weight on the gear. When this happens, a servo valve repositions to block PC2 hydraulic pressure. A spring-loaded damper shutoff valve then moves into position, connecting the left & right sides of the nose gear steering system to a damping orifice, restoring the automatic shimmy damping functionality.

We are quite pleased that we've been able to capture & simulate this functionality; it will be important to follow procedures correctly when flying the Corsair. As you can see, the technology used is slightly older than what you might be used to, and has some more limitations than modern aircraft. There is alot to remember, even with something simple such as the Nose Gear Steering. You'll need to make sure your utilities valve is open, flap settings are correct, hydraulic pressure is okay and even then you'll always need to be on your toes to ensure you don't exceed that 60° limitation or you may be in for a rapid departure off the deck!

In a similar vein, we have completed work on the braking system - featuring simulation of antiskid behaviour, PC2 pressure dependency and an additional emergency wheel brake system. Landing Gear operation also requires correct management of the utilities isolation valve, and features a similarly detailed emergency release system. I won't go into as much detail on these systems, but each has been carefully crafted to match the detailed operation procedures and information available in the NATOPS & pilot manuals (as well as with pilot input of course!).

There have been a few challenges along the way, such as overcoming DCSs rigid body physics in-order to create a realistic simulation of hydraulic compression, something that is seen during a carrier landing when the arresting hook is compressed. Most likely you might never notice these types of details when you fly the Corsair, and thats good however extensive work has gone into their development in order to provide a natural, realistic experience.

Most of these core systems are in various stages of completion now, with work on-going on the suspension model & fuel systems.



SENSORS & AVIONICS

Much time has been spent this year on improving the realism of the flow of information that occurs through the A7's suite of computers and sensors. Every display, every computer, every calculation throughout the avionics suite relies on data that is collected via specific sensors in the aircraft. These sensors pass data through to the AN/ASN-91(V) Tactical Computer, the central brain & processor of the avionics suite. The computer can then run calculations as needed, and feed data to various displays and systems. As you might imagine, any disruptions in this chain of information can have severe consequences on the quality and availability of data available to the pilot.

Fortunately, the NATOPS manual goes into great detail regarding this flow of information & we are also lucky to have access to a paper that extensively details the inner workings of the software used in the avionics suite. You can see an example below, just one page of many demonstrating the flow of information through the aircraft.



To this end, we have been working on detailing our aircraft sensors - the first part of the information chain. We have created an accurate simulation of the Corsairs unique Angle of Attack system, which used non-standard AoA 'units' instead of degrees and is a key data element for a number of display & guidance systems. Work is ongoing to correctly model damage to any sensors, and the consequential disruptions this has on the avionics suite. We are quite pleased with the progress we've made on this front through 2023, having completed the Air Data Computer, begun work on the IMS and have completed integrating most of our systems correctly within the chain of information.

Work has now also begun in earnest on the Tactical Computer, one of the most sophisticated parts of the aircraft (and consequently most complex to develop). The Corsair does not have any modern MFD's; consequently any inputs the pilot needs to make, settings that need to be changed, data that needs to be read - it all happens via the Tactical Computer and its numerical inputs. The functionality of the Tactical Computer is enormous and beyond the scope of this report; however I have included some of the input codes below to give you a taste of how the computer is operated, and the extensive amount of information that can be accessed and edited as required.



Whilst much of the basic functionality of the Tactical Computer has already been done, we expect we will be continually working on advanced features right up until release.



WHEN WILL IT BE FINISHED??

Two weeks 

Just kidding, unfortunately we still don't have a solid estimate on when we will be finished with development. Officially, we are expecting to move into Phase 4 of development sometime early next year, with the aim to begin testing at some point during the year.

We are only a small team, without the resources to really expedite development over a couple of years. What we do have in spades is passion for the aircraft, and a willingness to craft if to the absolute highest standards, as long as that may take. We do want to extend a sincere thank you to everyone reading this, everybody that stops into our discord to chat about the A7 and everybody leaving comments on our social media and blog posts. Truly, you guys have been so patient and supportive of our work, it fills us with pride to be a part of such an excellent community of aviation enthusiasts. Thank you!

 

Bye
Phant

[komemiute]

OMFG! Update geniale! 

Non vedo l'ora!