Kola Development Report | Bat Bomb Progress | F4U-1D on Finals

[Graphics]

 

13 June 2025

Dear Fighter Pilots, Partners and Friends,

The Kola map is progressing steadily with six new airfields, improved ground textures and reduced loading times slated for the next DCS update! Please read the details below and keep your eyes peeled for the incoming update. Development Screenshots.

In collaboration with Magnitude 3 and to support the release of the F4U-1D Corsair, we are developing the United States Navy’s revolutionary weapon in the Pacific Theatre: the ASM-N-2 Bat, the world’s first fully automated, radar-guided glide bomb. Deployed in April 1945, the Bat’s active radar system made it a pioneer of modern missile technology capable of autonomously homing in on targets with deadly accuracy. Please read the details below. 

The Corsair is undergoing thorough tests, and we plan to deliver this module in the next update. We look forward to your feedback. 

Thank you for your passion and support.

Yours sincerely, 

Eagle Dynamics

 

DCS: Kola – One Year of Development

A Year of Crafting the Battlefield

One year on, the DCS: Kola map continues to expand as a dynamic and strategically significant theatre within DCS. Developed by Orbx, a leading scenery developer, this map spans over 1.35 million square kilometers of Arctic and sub-Arctic terrain covering northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia’s Murmansk and Karelia regions.

Since release, the map has received substantial improvements; adding new airfields, infrastructure, visual improvements, and performance enhancements that have shaped it into the detailed and responsive environment it is today. Built for large-scale operations, the map blends complex infrastructure with fjords, tundra, forests, and mountainous zones layered with historical and modern-day military relevance. With more than 20 functional airfields, detailed ports, and key industrial zones already in place, Kola supports a wide variety of tactical scenarios.

End of Early Access – 22 July 2025
The Kola map will exit Early Access on 22 July 2025. This marks the formal end of the initial launch phase, but not the end of development. Orbx remains committed to ongoing improvements, with new content and technical updates already planned.

“The development of the Kola map is not ending with Early Access. We are committed to adding content and updating the map in line with the platform technical innovations. Orbx started to work on the map over three years ago and this has been a great project for us. We have learned much about DCS and will use that knowledge together with our passion for creating terrain and sceneries to enhance this map even further.”

  — Anna Cicognani, CEO, Orbx

What’s Been Delivered
1.35 million km² of land and sea coverage
20+ airfields with surrounding infrastructure and navigation
Custom ports, radar sites, urban centres, and military facilities
Free and payware missions available via Orbx and ED stores
Significant VRAM and performance optimisations

Scheduled New Content for June 2025 Release:
Kilpyavr (XLMW)
Luostari (XLML)
Koshka Yavr (XLMY)
Kalevala (ULPK)
Poduzhemye (XLPU)
Afrikanda (XLMF)

Coming Over the Next 3-6 Months:
Airfields & surrounding infrastructure
ESPG, ESNG, ENKA, ENVR, and EFRU
Enhanced ground textures for low-level flight
Continued VRAM and rendering performance updates

Why Kola Matters
The Kola region has long served as a critical military frontier — home to Russia’s Northern Fleet and dense Cold War-era infrastructure, now bordering NATO-aligned airspace. Its geographic and strategic role continues to evolve, making it a compelling setting for both historical and modern scenarios.

Drive what’s next
Tell Orbx what you think they should work on next by leaving your comments and voting on others’ here: Suggestions for DCS: Kola Map by Orbx. 

DCS: Kola remains in active development, with more content and improvements on the way throughout 2025.

 

ASM-N-2 Bat

America's First Radar-Guided Bomb

The release of the ASM-N-2 Bat in DCS marks a significant advancement in World War II combat simulation by introducing the first operational radar-guided glide bomb to the battlefield. This weapon enhances the strategic depth and historical authenticity of late-war scenarios, allowing players to engage enemy ships from stand-off distances with unprecedented precision for the era. Its inclusion showcases evolving aerial strike capabilities and provides a unique tactical option for pilots flying U.S. Navy aircraft, emphasizing the technological innovation that began to reshape air warfare in the closing stages of WWII.

Development and Design
The Bat’s origins trace back to 1941, when RCA proposed a television-guided anti-shipping weapon called Dragon, where an operator would steer the bomb using a live TV feed from its nose. The National Bureau of Standards (NBS), later part of the Army Research Laboratory, was tasked with designing the airframe, building on the same guidable ordnance frame used in the earlier, abandoned Project Pigeon. By 1942, the concept evolved into the Pelican, a semi-active radar-guided bomb for anti-submarine warfare. In mid-1943, the design shifted again to incorporate an active radar homing system from Western Electric, paired with a 1,000-pound (454 kg) AN-M65 general-purpose bomb, the same ordnance used in the USAAF’s Azon guided munition.

The final Bat design, officially designated SWOD (Special Weapons Ordnance Device) Mark 9, was a technological marvel for its time:

The Bat featured a plywood frame, constructed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Organ Co., known for its expertise in bending plywood for organs and jukeboxes. Its 12-foot-long, 10-foot-wide structure was gyrostabilized with a Bendix Aviation autopilot, using elevons (combined ailerons and elevators) for steering. Small wind-driven generators powered the controllable tail elevator, linked to an S-band radar homing device in the nose. 

The Bat carried a 1,000-pound general-purpose bomb, optimized for anti-shipping strikes but adaptable for land targets like bridges.

Corsairs over the Marianas in 1944

June 1944. Dawn slides across the Pacific and glints off the blue-black wings of the brand-new F4U-1D Corsair as she taxis onto the deck of USS Essex. Below, a seething amphibious armada is already closing in on Saipan’s coral beaches. Flight-lead Lieutenant “Duke” Klein pulls his canopy shut, opens the cowl flaps, and spools the mighty R-2800 to life. The gull-winged fighter shudders like a thoroughbred straining against the blocks. One last magneto check, a green flag from the deck officer, and the Bent-Wing Bird is hurled into the humid morning sky.

That take-off sequence is exactly what you’ll feel in DCS with the DCS: F4U-1D Corsair by Magnitude 3 LLC. The module is confidently approaching finals with our recent tests showing promising results for an early access launch. Stay tuned!

 Thank you again for your passion and support,

Yours sincerely,

[Raven (Elysian Angel)]

2 minutes ago, Graphics said:

Enhanced ground textures for low-level flight

[Beirut]

Love me some Kola map. 

[BIGNEWY]

 

[ThorBrasil]

The F-4U is beautiful!

 

[YoYo]

Will we get the Corsair sooner than the Hellcat? 

[hannibal]

Wow.. warbird carrier launch will be interesting experience!

[av8orDave]

10 minutes ago, YoYo said:

Will we get the Corsair sooner than the Hellcat? 

Sure looks like it. When was the most recent F6F news?

[schurem]

How about some zeros to shoot at with our mighty corsairs?

[flanker1]

unfortunately no KOLA development screenshots to see. . . !??

Edited June 13 by flanker1

[Gunfreak]

34 minutes ago, hannibal said:

Wow.. warbird carrier launch will be interesting experience!

Landing will be even more interesting...

[MBot]

So Kola is going out of Early Access with the major Norwegian cities of Tromso, Narvik or Hammerfest missing completely and most of Norway being bare of any villages and infrastructure? Wow.

Meanwhile Ugra with their Cold War Germany map...

[Nodak]

Fock Wulf's for Zero's, so sad.

[Fisherman82]

3 hours ago, MBot said:

So Kola is going out of Early Access with the major Norwegian cities of Tromso, Narvik or Hammerfest missing completely and most of Norway being bare of any villages and infrastructure? Wow.

Meanwhile Ugra with their Cold War Germany map...

Yes, and you wont be seeing the biggest airport in northern Norway Tromso for atleast 3-6 months after either if ever. Unbelivable. If only Ugra had made the Kola map instead. What a wasted potential. I think Orbx are basicly retreating from the project.

Edited June 13 by Fisherman82

[Beirut]

7 minutes ago, Fisherman82 said:

Yes, and you wont be seeing the biggest airport in northern Norway Tromso for atleast 3-6 months after either if ever. Unbelivable. If only Ugra had made the Kola map instead. What a wasted potential. I think Orbx are basicly retreating from the project.

 

I don't see that at all. I think it's a very enjoyable map and ORBX isn't "retreating" from it at all.

[Qcumber]

12 minutes ago, Fisherman82 said:

Yes, and you wont be seeing the biggest airport in northern Norway Tromso for atleast 3-6 months after either if ever. Unbelivable. If only Ugra had made the Kola map instead. What a wasted potential. I think Orbx are basicly retreating from the project.

Have you read the whole post? Your comments suggest that you have just skimmed it and made some assumptions. 

6 hours ago, Graphics said:

Drive what’s next
Tell Orbx what you think they should work on next by leaving your comments and voting on others’ here: Suggestions for DCS: Kola Map by Orbx. 

DCS: Kola remains in active development, with more content and improvements on the way throughout 2025.

 

[Cunctator]

Not to mention ground attack. We get the fully developed fighter bomber F4U-1D, also used by the RN FAA, not some early model just fighting Zeros over the Salomons

[Qcumber]

Don't forget the use by the Royal Navy. 

[BIGNEWY]

folks please remember our rules here, keep the discussion about DCS not other sims.

thank you 

[YoYo]

I hope that the ground asset will also come with F4U. These are Magnitude3 products, so just like with the asset for the South Atlantic map - if you have Corsair, you will also get the asset:

[TheBiggerBass]

Great news! I love flying the Kola map.

[Roy35150]

Great stuff devs,

Always nice to see map updates.

[Gunfreak]

3 hours ago, YoYo said:

I hope that the ground asset will also come with F4U. These are Magnitude3 products, so just like with the asset for the South Atlantic map - if you have Corsair, you will also get the asset:

My understanding is both the carrier and ground units will be part of DCS core. You don't need to own the Corsair. 

So if you don't want the Corsair. But buy the Hellcat. You can use the Essex carrier with the Hellcat 

 

Edited June 14 by Gunfreak

[YoYo]

1 hour ago, Gunfreak said:

My understanding is both the carrier and ground units will be part of DCS core. You don't need to own the Corsair. 

So if you don't want the Corsair. But buy the Hellcat. You can use the Essex carrier with the Hellcat 

 

Im not sure that it will be DCS core for free, see this:

”All these and a substantial number of other assets and AI units will be available in the DCS: WWII Pacific Pack. Please be aware that owners of the existing WWII Assets Pack will benefit from a 30% discount.”

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/newsletters/efb74b9a7ab1067e51ff6f796b07a4b4/

From what we know:

• Magnitude3 is responsible for some of the WW2 PTO Assets (Essex carrier, ground vehicles, possibly Zero AI),
• the ED team is responsible for some of them (Enterprise carrier, other ships, other planes, possible static objects),
• the assets with planes and ships will be paid (according ED news).

It is possible that you need to have Corsair to have the assets from Magnitude (according me, something like with SA map, however some Magnitudes model are on ED’s newspaper as payware option so the second option - only payware addon).

Edited June 14 by YoYo

[Gunfreak]

1 hour ago, YoYo said:

Im not sure that it will be DCS core for free, see this:

”All these and a substantial number of other assets and AI units will be available in the DCS: WWII Pacific Pack. Please be aware that owners of the existing WWII Assets Pack will benefit from a 30% discount.”

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/newsletters/efb74b9a7ab1067e51ff6f796b07a4b4/

From what we know:

• Magnitude3 is responsible for some of the WW2 PTO Assets (Essex carrier, ground vehicles, possibly Zero AI),
• the ED team is responsible for some of them (Enterprise carrier, other ships, other planes, possible static objects),
• the assets with planes and ships will be paid (according ED news).

It is possible that you need to have Corsair to have the assets from Magnitude (according me, something like with SA map, however some Magnitudes model are on ED’s newspaper as payware option so the second option - only payware addon).

From the Corsair update a few weeks ago

Quote

The AI Corsair, Essex-class aircraft carrier, and Imperial Japanese ground units will be available for all DCS players to ensure singleplayer and multiplayer compatibility.