Everyone at Eagle Dynamics is working hard to make the start of this decade one to remember. While 2019 was a monumental year for DCS. We have more exciting things in store for 2020. This includes new aircraft such as the P-47 Thunderbolt, Mosquito, Mi-24P Hind, as well as the continued development of the F/A-18C Hornet and F-16C Viper including air-to-ground radar, Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensors and enhanced missile dynamics and behaviour. We will also see detailed aircraft carrier operations with DCS: Supercarrier, and new maps like the free Marianas Islands map and The Channel map. We will also be releasing updates to the A-10C Warthog and Ka-50 Black Shark (including a free cockpit update coming very soon).

Most of the Eagle Dynamics team will be focused on DCS World core to improve performance, lighting, and weather. We will also launch our new damage modelling engine which initially will be for the WWII aircraft. The team is also working hard to improve airfield air traffic control, more life-like AI, new AI units, and a dynamic campaign system.

Our 3rd party partners will also be hard at work in 2020 with the F-15E Strike Eagle, MiG-23 Flogger, OH-58 Kiowa Warrior, Syria and Falkland Islands maps, and more.

Later this year, we are looking forward to announcing an eagerly awaited aircraft for DCS World. This will be a highly detailed and complex aircraft representing a huge milestone

Browse our Modules




WWII enthusiast, we welcome you to join us for a truly incredible and unforgettable experience. Members of the Eagle Dynamics team would love to meet you.

Flying Legends tickets are only available in advance and must be purchased before arrival at the aerodrome. Tickets are now on sale for the Flying Legends Airshow, IWM Duxford on the 11 - 12th July 2020. Under 16's go free.

‘Book tickets’ here.


Over the last few weeks, we have been hard at work preparing the next big update to DCS World: version 2.5.6. This update will bring a number of highly anticipated things one of which we can share with you now;

• The DCS: Black Shark 2, Ka-50 free cockpit update. This is a completely rebuilt Ka-50 cockpit with new, high-resolution geometry and textures. It will also take advantage of new lighting and materials.

We look forward to taking this journey with you.

Yours sincerely,
The Eagle Dynamics Team



Visit our forums

The Paint the Anton competition continues; please make sure to submit your entries before February 16th.

We will choose the top 10 (or so) best submissions. If your submission is chosen, you will have your name added to the DCS: Fw 190 A-8 Anton credits, and your work will be included with the Fw 190 A-8. You will also receive one free copy of the upcoming DCS: Channel Map (no substitutions).



Here are some of the requirements and details:
The skin must be created using this template.
The skin can be historically accurate or fictional. However, the skin must be associated with one of the countries currently present in DCS World.
Please do not use nazi swastika.

Here are instructions for saving textures with MIP levels using NVIDIA Texture Tools for Adobe Photoshop. Please upload completed skins to the dedicated topic in the forum.

The contest will run until February 16th, 2020.

Best of luck to all contestants!


It’s not too late to take advantage of the DCS: Supercarrier pre-order with savings between 30 and 50 percent:

• Save 30% while in pre-order
  
• Save an additional 20% if you purchased DCS: F/A-18C Hornet

The module is also available as part of a bundle that includes DCS: F/A-18C Hornet. We are working with Valve to also make this module available as a pre-order on Steam, and provide the ability to transfer your DCS: F/A-18C Hornet from Steam to the standalone in order to take advantage of the discount.

The DCS: Supercarrier pre-Order will be available until the Early Access release, which is planned for the end of the 2020 first quarter.

P-47D-30 - Polishing of this module continues with work being done on the animations, textures, flight model, and combiner glass sight. A series of interactive training missions are also being created. We are pleased to share some new images of the Jug taken over the Channel Map. She is getting close!


The Channel Map - Work continues on this map with the detailing or more areas, adding landmarks, adjusting aircraft AI taxi and landing behavior, and tuning some of the colors. We have been listening to your feedback, and we will be adding a couple ALG’s in England that based USAAF units. We have also been busy researching the placement of the Chain Home radar stations.


Hornet Update - Here is a list of the tasks the Hornet team is currently working on for the next Open Beta release. Please note though that not all of these items may make the new Open Beta (a lot will depend on internal testing results):

• The radar directed gun sight has been updated to make it much more stable and accurate. It feels like a new weapon! We plan to create a video on this soon.
  
• AIM-9X and JHMCS tones have been corrected.
  
• A lot of work is being put on the targeting pod pointing modes. This includes slave to CCIP and AUTO points and the slave to the velocity vector. This should greatly improve targeting with the pod.
  
• Missile Rmax between the HUD and DDI have been adjusted.
  
• We are adding the ability to mount the targeting pod on the station 4 cheek station. In order to do this correctly, we must first recreate the 3D model of the pod because the current model does not support this (cooling intake is on the wrong side of the pod).
  
• Corrected the B-sweep line.
  
• Added fly-out symbols for TWS mode.
  
• Corrected menu freeze that could potentially happen with GPS weapons.
  
• There will be more items and they will all be included in the changelog.

Once this release is complete, we’ll talk about the next series of additions and changes.

Viper Update - Here is a list of the tasks the Viper team is currently working on. Although the following are being worked on, we cannot promise that all will be ready for the next Open Beta:

• The radar directed gun sight is working great internally based on EEGS Level 5 sighting. It is very stable and practically a sniper weapon. We are also working on updating the Dogfight HUD.
  
• The afterburner effect has been greatly improved. Quite a blow torch now!
  
• Fuel flows have been tuned to be more accurate based on the available data.
  
• Turn performance further adjusted regarding over Mach 1 below 8,000 ft MSL.
  
• Wind is better accounted for in the flight model and displayed airspeeds.
  
• Several updates to the INS and alignment system.
  
• Corrected PPLI display in network play.
  
• Updates to the AIM-120 that include launch delay and HUD cue centering in the TD box.
  
• Added ILS declutter function.
  
• Adjusted the command steering cue localizer to be less sensitive.
  
• Corrected AA TCN error.
  
• Added further functions to the Link 16 system.
  
• Added cursor switch depress to switch between AIM-9 BORE and SLAVE modes.

There are many more, and these will be listed in the changelog for the next Open Beta. Once we have the new dogfight HUD working, we will create a new video that explains it, and displays the accuracy and ease of use of EEGS Level 5.

After the next update is completed, we’ll discuss the next set of new features and changes planned for the Viper.

2.5.6 Progress - There has been a lot of buzz about the move to DCS World version 2.5.6, and while many new features and fixes are in the pipeline, not everything will be available when the update first launches. We will give you more of an idea of what to expect as we draw closer. Our goal is still to have the first Open Beta version of 2.5.6 available in early February.


The following message is from RAZBAM:

We are pleased to announce Razbam and Miltech-5 are teaming together to bring the awesome BO-105 to DCS. Miltech has created one of the best Helicopters in the world, the Messerschmitt-Bölkow-Blohm Bo-105. Being a lightweight multipurpose helicopter used not only as a combat aircraft but also as an aerobatic one, she will certainly bring joy to many fans who have been following Miltech’s stunning work.

So how will this work? Miltech has created a great piece of art with the bulk of the model and textures almost at a complete stage, work still continues to improve the textures to make this one of the best modules in DCS. Razbam will work on the coding and flight model to make her come alive.

We are pleased to help Miltech with the Bo-105 and can't wait to see her come to life.


As Always, thanks for all your support!
The ED Team

https://forums.eagle.ru/showpost.php?p=4189268&postcount=34

Hey everyone,

With the holidays behind us, the team is back at work on the Viper. Here is a list of the tasks the team is currently working on. Although the following are being worked on, we cannot promise that all will be ready for the next Open Beta:

The radar directed gun sight is working great internally based on EEGS Level 5 sighting. It is very stable and practically a sniper weapon. Starting tomorrow, the team will be creating the dogfight HUD (Attitude Awareness in DGFT).

The afterburner effect has been greatly improved. Quite a blow torch now!

Fuel flows have been tuned to be more accurate based on available data.

Turn performance further adjusted regarding over Mach 1 below 8,000 ft MSL.

Wind is better accounted for in the flight model and displayed air speeds.

Several updates to the INS and alignment system.

Corrected PPLI display in network play.

Updates to the AIM-120 that include launch delay and HUD cue centering in the TD box.

Added ILS declutter function.

Adjusted the command steering cue localizer to be less sensitive.

Corrected AA TCN error.

Added further functions to the Link 16 system.

There are many more, and these will be listed in the change log for the next Open Beta. Once we have the new dogfight HUD working, I’ll be creating a new video that explains it, and displays the accuracy and ease of use of EEGS Level 5.

After the next update is completed, we’ll discuss the next set of new features and changes planned for the Viper.

Thanks,
Wags

https://forums.eagle.ru/showthread.php?t=194412&page=7

Hey everyone,

Now that everyone is back from holiday, work has resumed in force on the Hornet. Here is a list of the tasks the team is currently working on for the next Open Beta release. Please note though that not all of these items may make the new Open Beta (a lot will depend on internal testing results):

The radar directed gun sight has been updated to make it much more stable and accurate. It feels like a new weapon! I plan to create a video on this soon.

AIM-9X and JHMCS tones have been corrected.

A lot of work is being put on the targeting pod pointing modes. This includes slave to CCIP and AUTO points and the slave to the velocity vector. This should greatly improve targeting with the pod.

Missile Rmax between the HUD and DDI have been adjusted.

We are adding the ability to mount the targeting pod on the station 4 cheek station. In order to do this correctly, we must first recreate the 3D model of the pod because the current model does not support this (cooling intake is on the wrong side of the pod).

Corrected the B-sweep line.

Added fly-out symbols for TWS mode.

Corrected menu freeze that could potentially happen with GPS weapons.

There will be more items and they will all be included in the change log.

Once this release is complete, we’ll talk about the next series of additions and changes.

Thanks,
Wags

The Lunar New Year Sale Continues
This is your last chance to save up to 50% on most DCS World modules. The Lunar Sale ends on January 27th. We are also taking part in Steam’s Lunar New Year Sale; visit the Steam store now!


The DCS World e-Shop will also feature the Naval Warfare bundle for just $64.99 that includes DCS: F/A-18C and DCS: Supercarrier (Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and the Su-33).

Head over to our E-shop to save on most of our library of aircraft, terrain and campaigns:



For those of you that enjoy painting skins for your favourite aircraft, this contest is for you! Using the official template found here, we are holding a paint the Anton contest. We will choose the top 10 (or so) best submissions. If your submission is chosen, you will have your name added to the DCS: Fw 190 A-8 Anton credits, and your work will be included with the Fw 190 A-8. You will also receive one free copy of the upcoming DCS: Channel Map (no substitutions).

Here are some of the requirements and details:

• The skin must be created using this template.
  
• The skin can be historically accurate or fictional. However, the skin must be associated with one of the countries currently present in DCS World.
  
• Please do not use nazi swastika.

Here are instructions for saving textures with MIP levels using NVIDIA Texture Tools for Adobe Photoshop.
Please upload completed skins to dedicated topic in the forum.

The contest will run until February 16th, 2020.

Best of luck to all contestants!

2.5.6 Open Beta - This month we have been working to complete DCS version 2.5.6. Some extra time was needed to ensure a smooth transition from 2.5.5 both by our team and our 3rd Parties. You can expect to see the first 2.5.6 Open Beta in early February. We look forward to sharing it with you in the near future.

P-47D-30 Progress - We are nearly ready to unleash the ‘Jug’ on DCS World! We are finalizing the 3D model and cockpit; making improvements to the fuselage, cowling, and air intakes; and working on externals stores like fuel tanks and bombs.


Ju-88 AI - Some of you eagle-eyed fans may have spotted the Ju-88 in the recent Lunar Sale video. Here are some more lovely images as we work on the finishing touches before release.


Fi-103 V1 Flying Bomb - We are excited to announce the V1 will be coming to the DCS: WWII Asset Pack! This is an iconic weapon, and it is a great addition for use with the upcoming DCS: Channel Map. It should be available as a static object when the DCS: Channel Map releases, and later as an operational unit.


Searchlights - Work continues on the addition of searchlights for the DCS: WWII Asset pack. Below you can see the effort going into these lights and associated effects.





Thanks as always for your continued support!
The ED Team

We are pleased to announce that DCS: Supercarrier is available for pre-order with great savings! Pre-order DCS: Supercarrier and save 30% off the $49.99 retail value. Owners of DCS: F/A-18C Hornet will receive an additional 20% off, for a total savings of 50%. This is on top of ED Miles you may apply.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=eFp0yxdThF8&feature=emb_logo

The pre-order and savings are only available from the DCS World e-Shop

STEAM users please read here



DCS: Supercarrier includes:

• Highly detailed and animated Nimitz-class aircraft carrier that includes the USS Theodore Roosevelt, USS Abraham Lincoln, and the USS George Washington. While in early access, additional ships of the sub-class will be added.
  
• Fully modelled sensors and weapon systems.
  
• Interactive carrier radio communications that includes CASE I, CASE
  
• II, and CASE III flight operations that range from daylight/good weather
  
• landings to night-time/foul weather operations.
  
• Animated deck crew to launch aircraft from all four catapults.
  
• Occupy the Landing Signal Officer (LSO) station with integrated landing camera. This also has the option to play in VR.
  
• Numerous deck starting locations for aircraft in multiplayer.
  
• New static objects for the Supercarrier that includes static deck crew and support equipment.

The DCS: Supercarrier module also includes the Russian Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, and the Su-33 Flanker D fighter.

Starting today, you can save up to 50% on most DCS World modules until January 27th. We will also be taking part in Steam’s Lunar New Year Sale; check Steam for the Lunar Sale start date and duration.

The DCS World e-Shop will also feature the Naval Warfare bundle for just $64.99 that includes DCS: F/A-18C and DCS: Supercarrier (Nimitz-class aircraft carrier, Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier, Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, and the Su-33).

Head over to our E-shop to save on most of our library of aircraft, terrain and campaigns:




This week saw our first update since the holiday break, and the team jumped right back into action. Here are some of the highlights:
WIP version of the AI short-range missile Scud-B launcher
Many DCS: F-16C fixes that include INS adjustments
Numerous fixes for the DCS: F/A-18C and other ED modules
3rd Party fixes for DCS: JF-17, DCS: AJS-37, and campaign fixes

You can read the entire changelog here.

As always, thank you all for your continued support!

https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/news/changelog/openbeta/2.5.5.41962/

DCS World
Added AI short-range missile Scud-B launcher into ground units of some countries (Iran, Iraq and others). It can drive, but missile is not yet functioning and does not launch. WIP

Western RWR:

LHA-1 Tarawa index '40', – same AN/SPS-40 as on Spruance.

KJ-2000 index 50.

JF-17 index JF.

HQ-7 LN SP index 7.

HQ-7 STR SP index HQ.

Fixed M249 AI Infantry poor response to enemy contact.

Fixed name liveries for DEN Leo2A5.

Fixed flight.dll crash on user track.

Fixed mistake in text pop-up in the Russian version of lesson 1 (flaps rising) for Su-25T tutorial.


DCS F-16C by ED
Cockpit. MFD. Fixed wrong AG weapons number. Tuned lighting of navigation gauges and SAI.

Gap near canopy with head shift and mouse look - Fixed

LERX vortex effect corrected.

INS no longer tracks current coordinates in ATT mode.

No longer ALIGN indication in NARF.

Hydraulic flow corrected for JFS start procedure.

INS alignment resets when knob placed to NORM from STOR HDG.

INS coordinates should be confirmed by pilot on DED with enter.

INS coordinates fields on DED no longer limited to 5 or 6 digits.

INS coordinates confirm procedure added to autostart macro.

INS alignment now degraded in BATH mode.

AG TLL Line Points fixed.

Restored missing INS altitude correction from CADC data.

SAI pitch trim index animation corrected.

Fixed DED sub-pages switching.

Fixed AIM-120 reticle position on target


DCS: A-10C by ED
Custom cockpit options updated to correspond with the new model name.

Added strip on windshield glass by outer edges.

Canopy still present in F1 view after jettison - fixed.

Glued strip antenna added to the top of canopy.

BRT DIM Switch has no effect - fixed.

New cockpit caution panel APU GEN not illuminated - fixed.

ADI pointer not illuminated - fixed.

Emergency Chute Safety pin Should be removed for flight


DCS JF-17 by Deka Ironwork Simulations

Fixed RWR issue in MP, RWR signals will be displayed in order of priority, and the total number is limited

Fixed DL receiving E-2/E-3 message in MP

Fixed unguided AG gun/rocket/bomb CCIP not precise because it's based on sea level.

Using SPI (except waypoint) height for CCIP calculation

self radar alt as backup height source

Fixed rada hpt/spt

Fixed radar TDC wont lock target in real time

Fixed radar antenna will try to follow hpt

Fixed radar AG image glitch (with ED's help)

Fixed CM-802AKG will self destroy if launcher landed

Fixed PL-5EII IR missiles will have no tones if not fully powered, default caged, need HOTAS 'T2_Press' to cage/uncage PL-5EII missiles

Fixed HUD TDC axis control logic error

Fixed WMD7 camera init state error, WMD7 camera wont cage after OSB cage clicked

Fixed WPT/RP/PP load issue in MP

Fixed CMS loading issue

Add smoke generators support for pilon 1/2/4/6/7, default 'T' key assigned to turn on/off smokes.

Limitations to turn on smoke generators:

MUST be in NAV master mode

Gun MUST be deactivated

FCS WOW signal MUST be off

Tweak AA missile TOF/TOA, limited by rocket power system time and life time, not hardcoded

Tweak CM-802AKG narrow FOV axis control speed, more quickly now

Tweak CM-802AKG gain/level control, by OSB buttons or keys sensor up/down/left/right, for game play

Restore kneeboard map


DCS AJS-37 by Heatblur Simulations
Added active stores display activated when in TAKT/Out, just pressed IRRB FRAMSTEGN (unless in IDNR) and when UNSAFED (unless in IDNR).

Fixed minus-sign on CK37 thanks to user outbaxx.

Fixed fading-effect of CK37 panel display.

Improved accuracy of low-drag bombs.

Time-to-waypoint is now zero when landing gears are extended or in landing-mode, before it was just frozen.

Fix to IFF IDENT CTD.

Fixed issues with sidewinder step (IRRB FRAMSTEGN) button.


DCS F/A-18C Hornet by ED
TWS - AUTO scan centering does not center antenna elevation on L&S.

ACM entered from TWS incorrect.

L&S/DT2 trackfiles should appear above the LAR Indicator.

AIM-9 Tone does not come through headphone / helmet - fixed.

AIM 9 Not firing after selective jettison.

Fixed TD BOX Guns inside 3000 occluded.

Ground Targets will appear on SA Page if engaged - Fixed

R/BL Harpoon off axis warning - Fixed


DCS Fw 190 A-8 by ED
Gear indicator lights failing or not working correctly - fixed.

SZKK4 controls (knobs and switches) clickable zone increased.


DCS Fw 190 D-9 by ED
Clickable zone increased for cockpit controls: FuG 16 radio selectors, Landing Gear and Flaps Controls pushbuttons, Rocket control switches, Fuel gauge switch, ReVi altitude selector (rotary I)

ReVi altitude selector rotary II is fixed at "63"


DCS Mi-8MTV2 by ED
Fixed broken view position of door gunner at the second mission run.


DCS UH-1H Huey by ED
Fixed broken view position of door gunner at the second mission run.

DCS Combined Arms by ED
Mouse click will no longer fire weapon when ingame debriefing window is open.



DCS Caucasus by ED
Trees restored to original visualization.

Trees removed from roads in some locations.

Mozdok 08 runway broken lights fixed.

Improved a scene on the Gudauta airfield.

Larger aircraft can not use the taxiway. Fixed

Some minor visual improvements.


DCS Campaigns
Enemy Within 3.0 campaign by Baltic Dragon:

M07: helipad and insurgent camp is no longer covered by the trees.

M09: minor changes to AI wingman target reporting.

M13: fixed rare issue when briefing at WP1 wouldn't start.

M14: fixed issue with F-16s not engaging bandits.

M16: updated triggers so that chances of saving HVA are higher. Minor fixes to VO timings.

M17: fixed issue with show of force by player having no effect on the CLA troops on the ground.

F-86F Hunters over the Yalu Campaign by Reflected Simulations:

Corrected F-86 livery folder name for displaying of custom liveries.

In last week’s newsletter, we reviewed our 2020 and beyond plans for aircraft in DCS World. One aircraft we forgot to mention was the MiG-23 from RAZBAM. This will be a great eastern aircraft addition to the stable of jets to DCS World, and it is being created by the same RAZBAM team that created the MiG-19.

For this week’s newsletter, we are excited to discuss the many other DCS World projects that are not aircraft. This includes both new modules and core features to DCS World. Like the aircraft, this is a listing of what we will be working on this year, but unless specifically noted, we cannot promise that all these projects will be completed by the end of 2020. In fact, some of the larger projects may extend past it.


In the latter part of 2019, we released a video showing off some of the early fun parts of this project. We are now nearing the finish line. Much of the remaining work involves adjusting the complex deck crew animations to support the launching of aircraft from all four catapults; ship lights that include the floodlights, the Improved Fresnel Optical Landing System (IFLOLS), and landing area lights; damage modelling; network copy protection; and up to 14 spawn points in multiplayer for client aircraft.

Following the early access release, more features will be added that include a briefing room, more ships of the class, player IFLOLS operation, and more.



We are pleased to announce that the DCS: Supercarrier module will also include a greatly updated Kuznetsov-class aircraft carrier (without deck animation), the Su-33 Flanker D for DCS World (for those of you who don’t already own it), and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer!

• The Kuznetsov is a Russian-built aircraft carrier that is substantially improved over the existing version in DCS World. It is a completely new model with detailed geometry, textures, lighting, and animations. Players can operate the Su-33 Flanker D from the Kuznetsov, including carrier landings and ski-jump ramp takeoffs. In addition to a formidable suite of surface-to-air defenses, the Kuznetsov is also armed with P-700 Granit anti-ship cruise missiles. The Kuznetsov sister ship, the Varyag, was sold to China and now serves in the Chinese Navy as the Liaoning.
  
• A cornerstone of today’s American Carrier Battle Group (CVBG) is an array of Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers. Built around the SPY-1D radar and AEGIS battle management system, the Arleigh Burke-class provides an effective air defense umbrella around the CVBG and is also armed with Harpoon and Tomahawk cruise missiles, close-in gun systems, torpedoes, and a 5-inch deck gun.

These new naval elements to DCS World will be at home in the recently announced Mariana Islands map. Although the island portion of the map will be approximately 400x400 km, the overall map size will be 1000x1000 km in order to provide realistic ranges for modern-day naval operations, sensors, and weapon systems.


As with the new Nimitz-class aircraft carrier model for Supercarrier, the Kuznetsov and Arleigh Burke will be visible to all in multiplayer, regardless if you own the Supercarrier module.


DCS: Supercarrier will be available for pre-order on January 17th with a 30% discount and will deliver as an Open Beta by the end of Q1 2020. Owners of DCS: F/A-18C will receive a discount when purchasing DCS: Supercarrier.


In addition to the Mariana Islands map, we are pleased to announce the first dedicated World War II map for DCS World that is created by Eagle Dynamics: The Channel map! This map will represent southeast England, the English Channel, and portions of the low countries and north eastern France. The map is built to support missions and campaigns between the late 1930s and 1945 with a new level of detail and realism not seen before in a DCS World map. Airfields of the map include:

• Manston
  
• Detling
  
• Hawkinge
  
• Lympne
  
• Dunkirk Mardyck
  
• Saint-Omer Longuenesse
  
• Merville Calonne
  
• Abbeville Drucat

It will also include detailed renditions of the cities, towns, road and rail network, forests, rivers, canals, communication lines, radar stations, of this important region during the Second World War.



DCS: The Channel Map will be available for pre-order with a 30% discount in early February 2020.

While we are focused on the Mariana Islands and Channels maps, our third parties will also be quite busy!



The RAZBAM map team is making great progress on their Falkland Islands map, while at the same time creating new assets and player-units to suit.



After completing a great update to their DCS: Normandy 1944 map, Ugra Media will continue their work on the ambitious Syria map. This map spans from Turkey in the north to Israel in the south, with Syria and Lebanon in between. After an initial map review, the Ugra Team will be implementing the feedback to move forward on an early access release.


Work continues on the World War II assets pack, with the addition of several important air, ground, and naval units including:

• Ju-88A-4 medium bomber
  
• A-20 Boston medium bomber
  
• C-47 transport
  
• MK.VIII Centaur IV tank
  
• Mk.IV Churchill VII tank
  
• Elefant self-propelled artillery
  
• Stug III tank destroyer
  
• M10 tank destroyer
  
• QF 3.7-inch AA gun
  
• 37 mm Gun M1
  
• M45 Quadmount that can be used on different platforms
  
• 8.8 cm Flak 41 AAA
  
• Flakscheinwerfer 37 and generator support unit
  
• Schnellboot Type S-100 E-Boat
  
• Type VII U-Boat

We are also looking at adding some exciting new features to the Asset pack, which include Torpedoes, Paratroopers and functional searchlights.

The core DCS World program will continue to grow and improve in 2020 across several key areas. In fact, more than half of Eagle Dynamics staff is devoted to improving the core of DCS World and not for-purchase products.


In order to improve game performance, particularly in VR and take advantage of today’s hardware, we have been working on the integration of the Vulkan API into DCS World over the past year. This is an important undertaking, but we believe it will be well worth the end-results.


This month we begin the testing of version 2.5.6 of DCS World that will include improvements to the lighting system. This will be most evident at night when viewing the cockpits. In addition to cockpit lighting, overall world lighting will appear more natural and balanced with improved tones.

Following this, our goal will be to further enhance world lighting by allowing multiple world-lighting sources. This will provide a much more natural and realistic appearance to the world.

Another important DCS World enhancement in 2020 will be the delivery of substantially improved weather and clouds. The first step is our new system will render many different types and sizes of clouds in multiple layers. These clouds will impact certain sensors, and be synchronized in network play. We are setting a high bar for ourselves, and it is taking a bit longer than expected. However, we trust that it will be well worth the wait.

In parallel, we are also working on significant improvements to the dynamic weather system of DCS World that will also take advantage of this new cloud system as well as pressure fronts.

In late 2019 we released the first test version of our free, integrated voice chat system into DCS World. Since then, we have been analysing your feedback to make further improvements. Thank you for all the great comments! In 2020, we aim to deliver peer-to-peer connectivity and user chat “rooms” generation. The next step thereafter will be to support radio modulation and frequencies as well as varied mic and audio characteristics of helmets and radios from different eras. Our final goal will be to include communications jamming and secure voice capability. This will continue to be a free and fully integrated feature of DCS World.


Another new feature of DCS World 2.5.6 will be the initial release of the improved damage system for the WWII fighters in DCS. As we have discussed in prior newsletters, this system includes a complex and realistic accounting of damage to aircraft systems, round trajectory and penetration, deflection, and localized damage. We have also added substantially enhanced visual damage effects that include missing structural components, fuel and hydraulic leaks. The new damage model will provide a much more engrossing and realistic experience.

Once we and our clients are happy with the warbirds damage model system, we will implement this new damage modelling to the more modern aircraft, ground units, and naval units.

In 2019 we made initial improvements to the dogfight AI that delivers more realistic and human behaviour, this also includes implementation of modern control theory Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA) and Incremental Nonlinear Dynamic Inversion (INDI) to all our AI aircraft in DCS in 2020. The new approach will extend flight envelopes and improve AI control quality and control response in mass and moment of inertia changes. In 2020 we will continue this effort, but also devote resources to improve other AI areas to include:

• Beyond Visual Range (BVR) offensive and defensive behaviour
  
• Formation keeping and correct use of external lights
  
• Air-to-Ground attack maneuvers
  
• Very-low level flight and terrain following
  
• Defensive threat responses (SAM and AAA)

Another AI task that we will kick off in 2020 is a new implementation of ATC radio communications for airfields. This will be a more realistic and complete ATC system to account for ground, tower, departure, and approach controllers, as well as account for variables that include VRF/IFR and overhead/straight in.

We will be working with subject matter experts to ensure that this new ATC system is a valuable addition to DCS World immersion and enjoyment.

Critical to complete the F/A-18C and F-16C, will be the inclusion of completed air-to-ground (AG) radar and Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) sensor systems. Last year, the JF-17 Thunder used our AG radar application programming interface (API) to great success. We will continue to improve the AG radar API and use it for both the Hornet and Viper. We will continue to enhance this area of expertise and work to improve radar shadowing, synthetic aperture radar (SAR) support, and varied resolution based on the type and era of radar.

The updated FLIR API will be used to improve the targeting pod’s infrared (black hot/white hot) cameras. This is a rather large undertaking because it not only involves programming tasks to account for thermal dynamics of world and unit objects but also creating thermal maps for all objects in DCS World and how they behave under different conditions.


Last year we used the AIM-7 as a testbed to implement several air-to-air missile performance and guidance improvements. Early this year we will be doing the same for the AIM-120. The AIM-120 performance in 2020 will be closer to claimed specifications given adjustments to G-induced drag in the trans-sonic region, and we improved the efficiency of the lofting profile.


In 2020 we will continue to update older DCS World units. We are currently developing the SA-5 surface-to-air missile and the SS-1 SCUD surface-to-surface missile (we still need to develop the Short-Range Ballistic Missile flight model), the S-3B Viking, and cows of course! There are other units we hope to revisit to like the B-52H, C-17A, Tu-95, and others.

Work on the dynamic campaign has been underway for over a year, and the progress has been steady on this very complex task. We understand that this is one of the most awaited features in DCS World and we are giving it the attention it deserves.

Much of the work is focused on the dynamic campaign creation tool layers as part of the Mission Editor, developing machine learning mechanics, and creating an AI neural network for the RTS element of the system. The machine learning and neural network tasks are particularly challenging, but we believe they should provide a unique dynamic campaign experience.

We expect to start testing this feature in the latter part of 2020.

Thank you for the support and kindness,
The Eagle Dynamics Team

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGq2vcbGgaI

Only a few days remain to pick up those modules you have been wanting! The Winter sale will end on January 5th. Save up to 50% on most DCS World products, the only exceptions being:

• DCS F/A-18 Hornet by ED - 25% off
  
• DCS Persian Gulf Map by ED - 25% off
  
• F/A-18 Persian Gulf Map bundle - 35% off
  
• DCS: Christen Eagle II by Magnitude 3 LLC – 25% off
  
• DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations – 20% off
  
• DCS: F-16C Viper by ED – not on sale at this time
  
• DCS: JF-17 Thunder by Deka Ironwork Simulations - not on sale at this time
  
• F-86F Hunters over the Yalu Campaign by Reflected Simulations - not on sale at this time

Note that this is the first time the DCS: F-14 Tomcat will be on sale!
We are also taking part in the Steam Winter Sale as well.


Since the release of DCS World, the sole free map has been the Caucasus Map. Although a great map and the recipient of a huge update in DCS World 2.5, we are happy to announce a second, free map for DCS World! For this new map, we want to use our latest map technologies and provide a very different combat environment in a new part of the world. The map must have the following features:

• A very large ocean area with a few islands. Ideal for carrier operations.
  
• Islands that are situated such that airfields have natural red, blue, and contested locations.
  
• Home to at least one modern-day USAF base.
  
• Feasible for US, Russia, and China operations in the Pacific.
  
• Take advantage of the Chinese Assets Pack.

Taken as a whole, there is only one natural choice: the Mariana Islands. It will initially be a 400 x 400 km map with the option to expand further in the future. Home to one of the largest USAF air bases in the region, Andersen AFB on Guam serves as an anchor of US forces in the Pacific region, but it is within reach of both Chinese and Russian Pacific forces to the north. The same island chain also served as the backdrop of the World War II battles of Guam, Saipan, and Rota, as well as the carrier vs. carrier Mariana Islands battle.

At release, the following islands will be included and modelled at an extreme level of accuracy using our latest map and graphics technologies:


Guam

• Andersen AFB.
  
• Weapons storage bunkers northwest of Andersen AFB.
  
• Ordnance Annex in south-central next to Santa Rita.
  
• Antenna array installation on the west coast.
  
• Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport.
  
• Abandoned Northwest Airfield in the northeast corner of the island.
  
• Abandoned Orote Airfield at Crote Pointe.
  
• US Naval station and Guam Port Authority at Apra Habor / Sumay.
  
• Fort Soledad and Fort Juan Muna.
  
• Urban areas of Talofofo, Yona, Tumon, Yigo, Maggilao, Asbeco, Dededo, Inarajan, Santa Rita, Agat, Piti, Asan, Hagatna, Barrigada, Magilao, and Adacao, Agana Heights, Asan-Maina, Chalan-Pago-Ordot, Mongmong-Toto-Maite, and Umatac.
  
• The University of Guam.
  
• Leo Palace Resort.

Saipan

• Saipan International Airport.
  
• Port of Puerto Rico.
  
• Urban centers of Kagman, San Roque, Tanapag, Garapan, San Vucente, Dandan, Chalan Kiya, Susupe, Chalan Kanoa, Afetna, and Chalan Kiya.
  
• Golf courses at Agingan, Kagman, and along the eastern coast.
  
• Memorial at the east end.

Tinian

• Tinian International Airport.
  
• The abandoned airfield at the north end of the island.
  
• Urban areas of San Jose / harbor and Marpo Heights.
  
• Antenna array along the central west coast of the island.

Rota

• Rota International Airport.
  
• Urban areas of Sinapalu, Songsong, and Teneto Village.
  
• Golf course on the northern coast of the island.
  
• Abandoned weapon storage area on the east end of the island.

Farallon de Medinilla

• Air-to-ground weapons training range

Aguijan


We are very excited to bring this new, free map to you in 2020 that will offer new gameplay, home to new units, and a new chapter for DCS World.


From all of us at Eagle Dynamics, we want to wish you a happy new year and every success and happiness for 2020! 2019 was a wonderful year for us with the release of several outstanding aircraft for DCS World. These included the release of the F-16C Viper, Fw 190 A-8 Anton, F-14B Tomcat, JF-17 Thunder, Christen Eagle II, I-16, completion of the C-101, a new A-10C cockpit, and continued development of the F/A-18C, Harrier, M-2000C, and other modules. It was an extremely busy year for us, but we will further accelerate development in 2020.


Now is a great time to try one of these new modules while the Winter Sale lasts:
https://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com/en/shop/modules/


What follows is a listing of aircraft projects that we and our valued partners will be working on in 2020. We do not expect all these projects to be released in 2020, but this is where our development focus will be in 2020.


Following the free A-10C cockpit update, we will be releasing A-10C Warthog 2 in 2020. This will be a dramatic visual and systems upgrade to our A-10C. Once the new features have been finalized, we look forward to sharing them with you.
In addition to DCS: A-10C Warthog 2 being available as a new module that will replace DCS: A-10C Warthog, it will also be available to existing A-10C Warthog owners at a significant discount.


Since the release of the DCS: Black Shark 2 upgrade many years ago, our technology has improved greatly to allow us to create an even better Ka-50 Black Shark! As with the A-10C Warthog 2, this includes both graphical and system upgrades.


We will first release a free update to Ka-50 Black Shark 2 that provides a free overhaul of the cockpit graphics. This is not simply updated textures, but rather a completely new cockpit 3D mesh and high-resolution textures. This will also address any remaining cockpit lighting issues.


Later in 2020, we will release DCS: Ka-50 Black Shark 3. This upgrade will build on the free cockpit update and add the following features:

• Option for weathered cockpit textures.
  
• Completely new external model with a much-improved 3D mesh detail and textures. It will also account for the new systems like the Missile Launch Warning Systems, Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) and the Igla air-to-air missiles.
  
• Ability to carry up to four Igla air-to-air missiles.
  
• Integrated Missile Launch Warning System (MLWS) system with display system.
  
• Integrated Directional Infrared Countermeasures (DIRCM) system with integrated display system.

In total, it will make the Ka-50 much more deadly and survivable on the DCS World battlefield.


As with A-10C Warthog 2, Ka-50 Black Shark 3 will replace the current Ka-50 Black Shark 2, but existing owners of Ka-50 Black Shark 2 will get a significant discount for version 3.



Our next warbird for DCS World will be the P-47D Thunderbolt. The Thunderbolt will be our first allied radial-engine warbird for DCS World, and it will fill in fun and interesting role in operations over western Europe and beyond. Combining both air-to-air and air-to-ground mission capability, it will provide a wealth of mission types, heavy armament, excellent protection, and long-range.


The P-47D is far along in development with mostly flight model tuning, adding object details, and creating the mission content. Suit up!


We plan to release a new World War II Europe map to coincide with the release of the P-47D.


Following the P-47D, our next warbird will be the Mosquito. Noted for its impressive speed and heavy armament, the Mossy will provide a unique element to DCS World in both the attack and reconnaissance roles. Skimming Europe at tree-top height at high speed will be thrilling!


The Mi-24P has been in development for the past year, and it is on track to be released in 2020. The HIND will be the next helicopter for DCS World and will include cooperative multiplayer, next-generation graphics for the external model and cockpit, and a wide range of mission types from anti-armor attack to troop transport.
The Mi-24P will be an outstanding partner to the Mi-8MVT2!


While our warbirds and helicopter teams are focused on the P-47D and Mi-24P, our modern-day jets team will be working diligently on the Hornet and Viper, with the goal for both to be feature complete and out of early access by the end of 2020.
Important development aspects for both will be the air-to-ground radars, a new Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) system, additional radar modes, new weapons, and more.


For 2020, our next improvement for the Huey will be the addition of cooperative multiplayer. This is currently in internal testing, and we hope to have it to you soon.


Over the past year, a massive amount of work has gone into Modern Air Combat in order to make it a AAA title. During this period, we have also expanded the scope and features of the product substantially. This has led to us push back its release date to 2020.

Modern Air Combat will not be a DCS World product, but rather a new series for us that focuses more on action, gameplay, and a shallowing learning curve.


Developed by Polychop-Simulations, the developer of DCS: SA-342M Gazelle, the OH-58D will add the first American attack-reconnaissance helicopter to DCS World. Using the Mast-Mounted Sight (MMS), the Kiowa can acquire and track targets while in cover, and it has teeth that include Hellfire anti-tank guided missiles and unguided rockets.


Building upon their excellent M-2000C, Harrier, and MiG-19, RAZBAM is hard at work on the iconic F-15E Strike Eagle. Given the massive complexity and mission flexibility of this aircraft, it will be a very challenging module that we are sure RAZBAM will exceed expectations.

While there are other 3rd party aircraft in development, they are currently not under a development license agreement. Once they are, we look forward to providing you with updates on them.

In next week’s newsletter, we’ll talk about the non-aircraft projects and core DCS World improvements that we’ll be working on in 2020.

Happy New Years and thank you for the support and kindness,
The Eagle Dynamics Team

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGq2vcbGgaI

Christmas may be over, but the savings continue! The Winter sale will run until January 5th. Save up to 50% on most DCS World products, the only exceptions being:

• DCS F/A-18 Hornet by ED - 25% off
  
• DCS Persian Gulf Map by ED - 25% off
  
• F/A-18 Persian Gulf Map bundle - 35% off
  
• DCS: Christen Eagle II by Magnitude 3 LLC – 25% off
  
• DCS: F-14 Tomcat by Heatblur Simulations – 20% off
  
• DCS: F-16C Viper by ED – not on sale at this time
  
• DCS: JF-17 Thunder by Deka Ironwork Simulations - not on sale at this time
  
• F-86F Hunters over the Yalu Campaign by Reflected Simulations - not on sale at this time

Note that this is the first time the DCS: F-14 Tomcat will be on sale!
Also, this weekend only, Dec 27th at 10:30 PST to Dec 29th, we are having a DCS: F-14 Tomcat Free Weekend Event in the E-shop and on Steam! Try it out, and then pick it up for 20% off!
We are also taking part in the Steam Winter Sale as well.



This week saw an update to the Stable branch of DCS, this brings many long-awaited changes, fixes and features to this branch. Some of the highlights are:

• Track While Scan (TWS) to the Hornet and Viper
  
• Initial release of DCS Voice Chat
  
• Updated A-10C Cockpit
  
• Update for Normandy Map

You can see these and many, many more updates in the changelog here.

DCS: WWII Asset Pack - Work continues on this highly anticipated update to the WWII asset pack, one of the final items we are working on is the addition of torpedoes to DCS World. Torpedoes will be available for the Ju-88A-4, U-boat and E-boat. This will give Mission Creators and users the possibility to take part in hunting and/or defending shipping lines in the recently updated Normandy Map. This addition opens up many future possibilities for DCS World. Once this update is ready it will add the following:

• A-20 Boston AI aircraft
  
• Ju-88A-4 AI Aircraft
  
• 8.8cm Flak Gun 41
  
• Siemens Flakscheinwerfer 37 projector plus Generator
  
• E-boat Schnellboot type S-100
  
• U-boat type 7
  
• Stug III Tank Destroyer
  
• M10 Tank Destroyer
  
• Mk VIII Centaur IV Tank
  
• Elefant self-propelled artillery
  
• Mk IV Churchill VII Tank
  
• Torpedoes for aircraft and sea vessels

This past week saw the release of a highly anticipated next chapter in a franchise we all enjoy, that’s right! Sting TV released the next chapter in their series, check it out here:
DCS WORLD - DANGER IN DUBAI 2020
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5OvGGyNMho

From all of us at Eagle Dynamics, we hope you have a safe and joyous holiday season and thank you for your continued passion and support!

Happy New Year!
The Eagle Dynamics Team