Next DCS (US) Fixed Wing Aircraft Wish List

[Nickhawk]

Hello, sungsam, your anwer is true. I haven't see this problem.

I find that a simulator of F15E or F22 will be really super!

A+

 

I doubt we will see a DCS F-22 Raptor in the next 10 years, i think there is too much classified about that aircraft to do it in DCS style.

[Dimebag1]

Too true. I also doubt we will see dcs level simulation of 2 seater aircraft, as dcs aims to accurately model every part of flight and pilotage, and to switch seats in the heat of battle would ruin the high fidelity of realism IMO. Since this topic seems to be touchy I will add that it is just my opinion, so don't go blowing any veins out over my comments please people, you know who you are.

[Funkyjazz]

FA/18 Hornet...great multiroll jet.

[Napa]

Dassault Rafale

 

 

I'm just guessing here ... :P

 

Aeronavale (the French naval air arm) required from them to make a transitional trainer for the pilots of the Super Etendard.... hopefully :cry:

[Limelime]

Hello, after these answers, I have choose, I want a F15E or F22 simulator. It's possible to put a F15E in the polls (where there are "F22, F14, F18 and F35")?

Thanks,

A+

[asparagin]

I really wish that with a (hopefully) future DCS fighter also an improved AI would come. Good AI pilot is imperative for a fighter module, with overall more human-like characteristics, like withdrawing when in danger. AI is really one of the softspots of DCS that needs to be addressed. When flying an A2G aircraft, AI is not so noticeable. But in the air DCS: fighter with the current AI will be like driving a Benz through mud.

[ThePlainsman]

I'm glad the F/A 18 won the poll. I'd like to have it (with full flight deck ops) next, followed by the Apache Longbow. That would be heavenly.

Edited December 14, 2010 by ThePlainsman

[element1108]

I'm glad the F/A 18 won the poll. I'd like to have it (with full flight deck ops) next, followed by the Apache Longbow. That would be heavenly.

 

I wish the poll would have included the F16, I'd be curious to see how the F-18 would do head to head with F-16.

Edited December 14, 2010 by element1108

[mavyalex]

Hello,

 

I know that would seem useless since the F-117 Stealth fighter (rather bomber) is not in service anymore, but had DCS existed 15 years ago I would have said "Next DCS installment: F-117".

 

What do you think of this? It would be quite different to fly a completely stealth aircraft and learn to avoid radar detection.

[LawnDart]

Where's the choice for an F-16C Block 52?!! :cry:

[Olympuss]

F-18 with full carrier operations will be just fantastic.

[Agg]

Hello,

 

I know that would seem useless since the F-117 Stealth fighter (rather bomber) is not in service anymore, but had DCS existed 15 years ago I would have said "Next DCS installment: F-117".

 

What do you think of this? It would be quite different to fly a completely stealth aircraft and learn to avoid radar detection.

The F-117 is still classified Im afraid, so any F-117 sim would be based on guess work. But it would indeed be an interesting aircraft to fly :)

[Montes]

F-18 with full carrier operations will be just fantastic.

[sobek]

Where's the choice for an F-16C Block 52?!! :cry:

 

You guys are aware that this poll is not official?

[Geraki]

Some DCS F-16 Blk52 wish list that could be implemented. and compared with OF version.

 

AIFF/transponder

 

The real F-16 has an Auto-Identify Friend Foe (AIFF) transponder that both responds to interrogations from other aircraft or ground controllers, and can interrogate any aircraft in front of the F-16. OpenFalcon implements the IFF switch and supports changing transponder codes through the DED (both coupled transponder codes through the IFF master mode button, and de-coupled separate interrogation codes through the INTG page), but this is for ornamentation only and does nothing.

 

In the real F-16, pressing TMS left for < 0.5 seconds commands a scanning IFF interrogation, the results of which are visually indicated on your radar as colored circles with IFF mode numbers above them. TMS left for > 0.5 seconds commands a line-of-sight interrogation to keep your RCS down. The INTG DED page lets you choose which IFF modes are interrogated (M1 through M4), and the selection is shown on the bottom right of the FCR page.

 

In the real F-16, the "IFF Ident" eyebrow button commands an "ident" which causes your F-16 to "bloom" on controller radar; used for identifying the aircraft at the request of controllers.

 

The real F-16 supports changing transponder codes based on time criteria and/or position criteria, changed from the IFF master mode button.

 

Digital Terrain System (DTS)

 

The DTS is a digital representation of 480 NM^2 of terrain loaded into the data tape cartridge (DTC). The F-16 uses this digital terrain for a number of different things:

 

Database terrain cueing (DBTC): With the radar altimeter on, the actual terrain the F-16 is flying over is compared against the database to determine position on the digital terrain. This information is combined with the INS and GPS and used in position fixing. When flying in an area without DTS coverage, the words "OFF MAP" appear below the ASI on the HUD.

 

Proximity to ground collision avoidance system (PGCAS): Without the DTS, the airplane assumes a "flat earth" for the PULL-UP cues (in other words; it's only effective if flying over the ocean or perfectly flat land). With the DTS, the jet can give accurate PULL-UP cues over mountainous terrain. To differentiate between cues given by the existing ground-proximity warning system and PGCAS, a separate terrain-proximity warning (along with the break-X on the HUD) will appear below the ASI. If PGCAS is not available, a "NO GPW" warning is displayed on the HUD.

 

Obstacle warning/clearance (OW/C): Along with a terrain database, the DTS includes information on man-made obstacles (height and position). The HUD will display "OBSTACLE" when nearing an obstacle, and "<- OBSTACLE" or "OBSTACLE ->" when one is to the left or right of the aircraft.

 

The DTS is configured from the DTS page on the DED, ICP button 3. In OpenFalcon it's nonexistent (though you do get terrain-based pull-up cues). From this page you can turn on and off different DTC features and configure minimum altitudes.

 

Have Quick

 

All F-16 models support the Have Quick (HQ) anti-jam radio on UHF. It uses rapid frequency hopping to confound enemy interception attempts. To work, all aircraft on a participating "net" must have the same time-of-day (TOD) set. Time of day words are entered using the back-up controls (in a long and confusing process of setting "fake" frequencies in a specific order), or using a sub-page on the UHF page. TOD can also be transmitted by another flight member; you can use the DED to enable receiving TOD from another flight member. For long missions, multiple TOD words can be pre-entered (up to 14 days I believe) using the UFC or the backup controls (also confusing and tedious).

 

The HQ radio supports combat and training mode, each with their own presets, all configurable through the COM1 master mode on the DED.

 

Datalink

 

The F-16 MLU and up can receive CAS and SEAD updates over datalink. For CAS, two protocols are supported: Air Force's AFAPD and Army's TACFIRE. A received datalink message results in a "Data" VMU warning and a message on the HUD indicating which steerpoint the new data was stored in. Pressing TMS right with the HSI as the SOI opens the datalinked info on the DED. For AFAPD messages, you get the full 9-line format across 3 pages. For TACFIRE, you get a briefer one-page summary.

 

An IP and target steerpoint are added to your HSI. You can clear them from your steerpoint list by holding TMS down for one second.

 

In addition, SEAD updates can be datalinked by AWACS or ground controllers. New threats appear as steerpoints on your HSI in purple with a slash through them. You can select them using the TMS in the HSI.

 

The real F-16 has selectable datalink bauds, from 1200 baud (analog) up to 16 KHz (digital). All flight members must be using the same bandwidth for datalink to work. Older aircraft or datalink over degraded radio may be forced to use the 1200-baud analog mode.

 

In the real F-16, datalink requires radio non-interference to work. If two members are leading CONT rounds, the rounds could interfere, resulting in no usable datalink data. Likewise, people who talk over the radio during datalink rounds will prevent those rounds from completing.

 

Datalink symbols on the HSI and radar will flash briefly before disappearing.

 

Additional bombing modes

 

The F-16 supports the following bombing modes: CCRP, CCIP, LOFT, ULFT (unified loft), LADD (low-altitude drogue delivery), and MAN. Only some of these are implemented in OpenFalcon. All are selectable from the SMS page.

 

AGM-119 Penguin

 

This infrared anti-ship missile is unmodeled in OpenFalcon. The Penguin can be launched in three different modes: pre-planned, HUD straight-ahead, and HUD turn. Selecting the missile enables an additional DED page where the Penguin can be configured. In particular, you can send and receive datalink calculations for moving targets (bearing and speed).

 

From the SMS page, the Penguin can be configured to fly different profiles: high or low altitude, left or right turn after launch (HUD turn mode), narrow or wide IR search pattern, etc. The Penguin takes two steerpoints, an initial turn point and a target. In pre-planned mode, the target is acquired over radar and the steerpoint is pre-chosen. In HUD-turn mode, the target is acquired using the HUD, and then the airplane turns and launches the missile from another direction (stand-off). The missile chooses a turn point and makes a turn in flight and acquires its target on IR. In HUD straight-ahead mode, the missile chooses an IP directly in line with the target and flies a straight path to the target. When using straight ahead mode, target accuracy can be increased by designating the target through the HUD twice, from two different directions. This is also used to determine target motion for dead-reckoning.

 

HARM avionics

 

FreeFalcon has some of this, but in OpenFalcon all we have is the HAD. The WPN page for the HARM has two modes, the normal HARM display and HARM-as-sensor (HAS) mode. The normal HARM display lists pre-planned threats from a threat table (one of three threat tables that are loaded into the jet via the DTC). As these threats are recognized by the HARM's RWR sensor, they appear in a boxed list and can be designated and fired against. The top half of the screen shows information about the next missile to be fired (time of flight, etc.), and the bottom half of the screen shows information about the latest missile in flight.

 

A complete scan of all potential air defense radars can take up to a minute or more, so to keep scanning frequency up, the pilot can filter down to only threats he's interested in (SA-2's, etc.) using the MFD.

 

In HAS mode, threats that the HARM's RWR picks up are shown on the MFD in reference to the missile's line-of-sight. Targets are designated using the cursor and TMS and fired against.

 

You can choose different options to ensure you hit the right target: in particular, you can force the missile to trash itself if it doesn't detect a target of the same signature that you launched against.

 

When HARMs are selected, an additional DED page is available. This page lets you modify threat tables. These threat tables are encoded; you simply enter 10 numbers followed by a checksum to verify you did it correctly.

 

HUD fix-taking and altitude-taking

 

If your GPS and INS fail by unfortunate luck, you have to manually tell your jet where it is by fix-taking (FIX button), and manually calibrate your altimeter with the A-CAL button. They share the same modes, and in fact fix-taking also calibrates your altimeter for good measure. OpenFalcon supports overfly and radar fix-taking. In these cases you choose a location with a known position/altitude, and either overfly it or lock it on radar. A third mode unsupported by OpenFalcon is HUD fix-taking, where a known landmark is designated on the HUD in a similar procedure. (Useful if your "known landmark" is a highly defended enemy base.)

 

Backup radio controls

 

OpenFalcon supports many of the backup controls, but some are left unmodeled. The "A-3-2-T" knob next to the manual frequency controls are used to change the current UHF channel, set presets, and configure TOD words. The UHF and VHF mode knobs can be pulled to generate a test tone for checking audio. They can also be rotated out of SQL (squelch) mode to hear distant signals.

 

Behind the hand-written preset list is another bank of controls for the UHF radio, including a gain control and a tone generator for transmitting TOD.

 

MLU EWS

 

The MLU aircraft have a different EWS arrangement with a digital display next to the RWR. The digital display contains many of the same features as the RWR control panel and EWS control panel on the earlier aircraft, but also includes menus for configuring chaff, flare, O1/O2 stores, and the jammer.

 

Tanker radio

 

There's a switch on the aux comm panel allowing the pilot to talk directly to the tanker crew during refueling.

 

Other random notes

 

- It seems that F-ACKs in the real jet are listed three-to-a-page.

- The hands-on blackout (HOBO) switch on the throttle is unimplemented in OpenFalcon. When NVIS-compatible lighting is selected on the lighting control panel, the HOBO switch blacks out non-NVIS compatible lights.

- The lighting control panel allows you to set the intensity of each instrument's light individual, or the total intensity of all backup instruments.

[Limelime]

Hello, why the F-22 raptor, in the poll, is writting in italic?

[KillaALF]

Hello, why the F-22 raptor, in the poll, is writting in italic?

 

Because you voted for it, d'oh!

[Limelime]

Sorry...

Ok thanks!

A+

[LawnDart]

You guys are aware that this poll is not official?

 

I assumed so. :thumbup: Just seemed silly to leave out such an obvious choice for so many... :huh:

[alpinemike]

Wha????? No SU-30s???? Whole new line of Sukhoi figters, Beautiful every one! And not a single good simulator that represents them.....Yes FC-2 and Lockon have 3go. But Your asking about DCS...

 

Wanna good subject for a great combat sim? SU-30 MKM, SU-30 MKI, SU-27 SKM...... SU-35..... Geesh! Put F-15s and F-16s in there too...

 

Give Us the modern weapons and radars made for these aircraft....

 

Just My opinion tho..... Love what FC-2 has to offer...

Edited December 16, 2010 by alpinemike

[Amuro]

Why only 4 options in the poll? I'd like to see a F-16 variant, but it's not there, so I voted for the F/A-18E instead.

[mig29]

Wha????? No SU-30s???? Whole new line of Sukhoi figters, Beautiful every one! And not a single good simulator that represents them.....Yes FC-2 and Lockon have 3go. But Your asking about DCS...

 

Wanna good subject for a great combat sim? SU-30 MKM, SU-30 MKI, SU-27 SKM...... SU-35..... Geesh! Put F-15s and F-16s in there too...

 

Give Us the modern weapons and radars made for these aircraft....

 

Just My opinion tho..... Love what FC-2 has to offer...

 

Besides modern weapons and radars, these have thrust vectoring engines which will make the flying amazing.

[Limelime]

Hello, in the poll, there is FA-18E Super Hornet, why not FA-18F Super Hornet (the biplace version)?

A+

[Amuro]

Hello, in the poll, there is FA-18E Super Hornet, why not FA-18F Super Hornet (the biplace version)?

A+

Because the single-seat variant is more popular in the flight sim community?

[Agg]

And not a single good simulator that represents them.....

While you are indeed correct, you could say that about pretty much any aircraft, except the A-10 and the Ka-50 :P