F-4E Phantom Development Report - DCS Newsletter 31/03/2023

[IronMike]

F-4E Phantom Development Report - DCS Newsletter 31/03/2023

The F-4E Phantom II is a 3rd generation multirole fighter aircraft, and formed the backbone of many air forces worldwide. Heatblur Simulations’ recreation of the Phantom aims to be as realistic as possible, and marries together a decade of development experience with a new, powerful next generation simulation framework created for all future Heatblur Simulations products.

 

DCS: F-4E is now approaching completion and an unveiling in preparation for early access release. Full completion of the following systems has occurred or is imminent:

• Professional Flight Modeling (PFM)
• APQ-120 radar and associated systems, based on a next generation physically based radar model.
• Weapons Systems
• Flight control, trim feel and autopilot systems, accurately simulating pilot strength stick feel-dynamics,
• APR-46 RHAW radar warning receiver, a physically based analogue receiver with analogue sound synthesis
• Mass Dynamics Systems, providing far more accurate and realistic simulation of all movable and physical components of an aircraft.
• Persistence and Wear Systems
• …and much more

Currently, the Heatblur team is focused on completing some of the last remaining major items of the Phantom II, including some of the more unique and complex features found in other Heatblur modules, such as JESTER AI. JESTER AI is Heatblur’s proprietary AI technology to provide an immersive and unique experience for multi-crew aircraft, currently available in the DCS: F-14. DCS: F-4E will debut JESTER v2, a ground-up rewrite of JESTER AI, providing a better foundation for future extensibility, improvements and a more immersive experience. JESTER v2 will also serve as the foundation for future Heatblur aircraft, such as DCS: A-6E.

 

 

Stay tuned for a full unveiling of DCS: F-4E Phantom II as Heatblur Simulations reaches the end of the development process and dive deep into the aircraft, its systems and this release.

Further DCS Newsletter topics touch on the current F-14 Development Progress and Eagle Dynamics' Free to Play Program. To read the recent DCS Newsletter on the ED Forums please click here.

Sincerely,

Team Heatblur



 

Check out more development screenshots here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/screenshots/

Feel free to also join the official Heatblur Simulations Discord and discuss with us there: https://discord.gg/heatblur-simulations

Edited March 31, 2023 by IronMike

[Bosun]

Is it possible to elaborate on 'Mass Dynamic Systems" and the Jester v2 (how it's different/better?)  

Great update!

[PLAAF]

Man, you guys are fast. 

Just one quick question. The radar of the F-4E, is it a monopulse radar or a doppler pulse radar?

[IronMike]

3 minutes ago, Bosun said:

Is it possible to elaborate on 'Mass Dynamic Systems" and the Jester v2 (how it's different/better?)  

Great update!

We will go more into detail regarding the mentioned systems in future updates.

Mass Dynamic Systems basically means that parts of the aircraft that move are also driven by mass, not only as a function executing a command. Think of stuff like flaps, or landing gear, etc.

We will update on Jester v2 in the future, and more, following the unveil.

Thank you for your kind patience.

[LorenLuke]

16 minutes ago, IronMike said:

Persistence and Wear Systems

How are these expected to function, and what's the scope of their function? Within a single mission, or somehow having cumulative wear across multiple missions or a campaign? A setting in the ME, perhaps?

[IronMike]

1 minute ago, LorenLuke said:

How are these expected to function, and what's the scope of their function? Within a single mission, or somehow having cumulative wear across multiple missions or a campaign? A setting in the ME, perhaps?

To not spill all the beans yet, we will go into more detail about all of this soon.

[Bosun]

 

10 minutes ago, IronMike said:

We will go more into detail regarding the mentioned systems in future updates.

Mass Dynamic Systems basically means that parts of the aircraft that move are also driven by mass, not only as a function executing a command. Think of stuff like flaps, or landing gear, etc.

We will update on Jester v2 in the future, and more, following the unveil.

Thank you for your kind patience.

I'll look forward to it!  


Also - what is the possibility of having Jester use multiple voices in the F4?  Will that still require a labor-heavy mod to re-record all the audio, or has anyone pioneered a fancy AI-program that will take a sample from someone's voice and process it through the 10,500 commands?  Thinking similar to how you can type out a text, and have an AI program run a famous person's voice through a pre-record of someone else, and have it generate a new audio of that person using the same inflection and wording a'la deepfaking.

  (If not - for someone in AI - there's a project there for you).

Having my best bud give me a simple audio test recording that I can then translate in to Jester for a more personalized, and funny, experience would be cool haha. 

Edited March 31, 2023 by Bosun

[IronMike]

5 minutes ago, Бойовий Сокіл said:

Any word on things lieke the AIM-7E family? Will Heatblur rework and implement their version of this missiles like the AIM54, since the current 7E in DCS is nowhere near how it should be. Would also be cool to get proper early AIM-9's.

 

Aim-7s and Aim-9s are purely DCS side.

[Stackup]

Thanks for the update!

[Phantom88]

This is All I Needed To See to Put Me Over The Top!!!

[Trooper117]

Great stuff... we all know who that pilot is 

[Northstar98]

Incredible update, really excited for the F-4!

3 hours ago, PLAAF said:

Just one quick question. The radar of the F-4E, is it a monopulse radar or a doppler pulse radar?

It's a basic pulse radar (without MTI) that uses conical scanning. (FWIW, pulse doppler radars can be monopulse or conically scanned - the monopulse/conical scanning just refers to how the radar tracks targets in angle - a radar can be pulse, pulse doppler or even CW and be monopulse or conically scanned).

Edited March 31, 2023 by Northstar98

[fantomk]

Those screenshots are amazing!

[Tango3B]

50 minutes ago, Phantom88 said:

This is All I Needed To See to Put Me Over The Top!!!

Wait what?!? Is this...dude, this is the legend himself! Robin Olds! Okay, if this is the actual level of attention to detail which we can expect, I think I should take a very long break from work once the F-4 goes public release. Damn HB, you blew me away. By the way, the gold/blue Pharewell F-4 really made me smile...! Have you actually been to Wittmund AB? ;-D

[Greekbull]

Awesome stuff!  And the Robin Olds pilot model is epic!

[pii]

3 hours ago, IronMike said:

F-4E Phantom Development Report - DCS Newsletter 31/03/2023

The F-4E Phantom II is a 3rd generation multirole fighter aircraft, and formed the backbone of many air forces worldwide. Heatblur Simulations’ recreation of the Phantom aims to be as realistic as possible, and marries together a decade of development experience with a new, powerful next generation simulation framework created for all future Heatblur Simulations products.

 

DCS: F-4E is now approaching completion and an unveiling in preparation for early access release. Full completion of the following systems has occurred or is imminent:

• Professional Flight Modeling (PFM)
• APQ-120 radar and associated systems, based on a next generation physically based radar model.
• Weapons Systems
• Flight control, trim feel and autopilot systems, accurately simulating pilot strength stick feel-dynamics,
• APR-46 RHAW radar warning receiver, a physically based analogue receiver with analogue sound synthesis
• Mass Dynamics Systems, providing far more accurate and realistic simulation of all movable and physical components of an aircraft.
• Persistence and Wear Systems
• …and much more

Currently, the Heatblur team is focused on completing some of the last remaining major items of the Phantom II, including some of the more unique and complex features found in other Heatblur modules, such as JESTER AI. JESTER AI is Heatblur’s proprietary AI technology to provide an immersive and unique experience for multi-crew aircraft, currently available in the DCS: F-14. DCS: F-4E will debut JESTER v2, a ground-up rewrite of JESTER AI, providing a better foundation for future extensibility, improvements and a more immersive experience. JESTER v2 will also serve as the foundation for future Heatblur aircraft, such as DCS: A-6E.

 

 

Stay tuned for a full unveiling of DCS: F-4E Phantom II as Heatblur Simulations reaches the end of the development process and dive deep into the aircraft, its systems and this release.

Further DCS Newsletter topics touch on the current F-14 Development Progress and Eagle Dynamics' Free to Play Program. To read the recent DCS Newsletter on the ED Forums please click here.

Sincerely,

Team Heatblur



 

Check out more development screenshots here: https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/downloads/screenshots/

Feel free to also join the official Heatblur Simulations Discord and discuss with us there: https://discord.gg/heatblur-simulations

 

You heard it folks, Two weeks!  

[Gunfreak]

I'm all for Robin the Moustache Olds model. But will we have an option to fly without a helmet so we  can gaze upon it in the mirror?

 

Also what are the legal stuff related to using the likeness of him in DCS? Did Heatblur ask permission from his family?

[Nodak]

Gotta make him on cold start with helmet off.  

[Tango3B]

15 minutes ago, Gunfreak said:

I'm all for Robin the Moustache Olds model. But will we have an option to fly without a helmet so we  can gaze upon it in the mirror?

 

Also what are the legal stuff related to using the likeness of him in DCS? Did Heatblur ask permission from his family?

Oh, I am sure his daughter is fine with him having an appearance in DCS. Let the legend live... ;-D And yeah, I also wanna see that moustache in the mirror. Actually I wanna somehow touch it...them Phantom vibes, you know?

[Gunfreak]

Just now, Tango3B said:

Oh, I am sure his daughter is fine with him having an appearance in DCS. Let the legend live... ;-D And yeah, I also wanna see that moustache in the mirror. Actually I wanna somehow touch it...them Phantom vibes, you know?

After ejection, you land, rip of the helmet then duel wield two 1911s as you take out a VC platoon. 

[Tango3B]

2 minutes ago, Gunfreak said:

After ejection, you land, rip of the helmet then duel wield two 1911s as you take out a VC platoon. 

Hell yeah. I´ll be with you on that rice paddy in the sweaty sun of Vietnam...

[Mig Fulcrum]

Since I saw many German liveries is it still planned to be E model ONLY? with just german liveries on it?

Don't get me wrong, i'm fine with this choice but having a real F-4F would be something else with not too much work (at least I think, maybe i'm totally wrong).

If i recall correctly we are talking about different amount of fuel and removing AIM-7 capabilities, all the rest should be the same, right?

I'm thinking about it only because we are talking about Heatblur and we know they like to do many variants of the same plane for the correct time period or scenary. Hope this will be the case.

Edited April 1, 2023 by Mig Fulcrum

[Nightstalker]

I really wish ED would stop using the word "imminent" in their news letters when they don't really mean imminent.  The last time we heard imminent was for the F15 before Christmas and look how long we are actually waiting.

[SgtPappy]

1 hour ago, Mig Fulcrum said:

Since I saw many German liveries is it still planned to be E model ONLY? with just german liveries on it?

Don't get me wrong, i'm fine with this choice but having a real F-4F would be something else with not too much work (at least I think, maybe i'm totally wrong).

If i recall correctrly we are talking about different amount of fuel and removing AIM-7 capabilities, al the rest should be the same, right?

I'm thinking about it only because we are talking about Heablur and we know they like to do many version of the same plane for the correct time period or scenary. Hope this will be the case.

I believe it was communicated that the F-4F would only appear as liveries. 

Fuel lines and systems are one task but the non-slotted stabiliator would require different modeling - aerodynamics and mass are different. Modeling the F-4F would cause scope creep for this release... but who knows for the future.

[LanceCriminal86]

42 minutes ago, Бойовий Сокіл said:

To be fair though, their reference airframe is an F-4F  

No, they referenced a number of jets. One was an F, but more than one US E was also referenced and checked over to make sure all the bits were right.