Dear Friends,,

Today we have more news about the next update 5.101. Among other things, it will bring the Pilot Career mode for the Flying Circus Vol. II, which will mark its official release. We start the beta-testing of the Career today while our partners at Yugra Media plan to complete the fine-tuning and debugging of the map by the end of the month.



The Career mode is the last piece of the puzzle that the Flying Circus project was missing in order to fully reproduce the set of game features that were available in our old World War I project Rise of Flight. Simultaneously, we are also negotiating with Yugra Media about the continuation of the Flying Circus series. Our goal is to fully reproduce the aircraft set and the Rise of Flight map in the modern engine. We are hoping for a positive outcome and your support, since the player interest primarily affects our decisions.



Flying Circus not only reproduces Rise of Flight in the Great Battles game world, but also brings many innovations that we have developed over the past decade. In addition to the obvious things like better visual model quality, there are a number of additions such as possibility to bail out, oxygen equipment, machine gun jamming when overheated, custom tactical numbers and other nice additions that make flying a World War I airplane much more believable and impressive. The Western Front map presented in Flying Circus Vol.II reproduces the features of the landscape in more detail and contains a number of infrastructure and military facilities that were missing in Rise of Flight. The work is at the final stage and should be completed by the beginning of March.




Now let’s look at the details of the new mode. WWI Career will contain two phases:

1. From April 1st till September 30th, 1917.
2. From April 1st till November 11th, 1918.

In contrast to the Rise of Flight, there is no winter of 1917-1918 because Vol.II has only one season so far (it will be made continuous in Vol. III if it is created).



In the two main areas completed on the Vol. II stage map, the career mode will use 105 airfields for the player's flights. In comparison to the Rise of Flight, the airfields in these squares were significantly refined. The player will be able to join 9 French, 15 British, 6 American and 12 German squadrons (total 42). Among them, of course, there will be the famous La Fayette, No. 56 Squadron, 94th Aero Squadron, Jasta Boelcke and Jasta 11.



At the moment, World War I career mode has 17 types of missions and it takes advantage of all the improvements which have been developed by us over the past ten years after Rise of Flight. Starting next week, the work will begin on missions unique to the Great War, such as Balloon Hunt, Photo Recon, Artillery Fire Adjustment and Visual Recon, which we plan to complete by the project release.








To summarize, Flying Circus Vol. II is in the final stages of development and its release should happen really soon. Stay tuned!

IL-2 Sturmovik Team

Dear Friends,

Since the release of Battle of Kuban we are striving to release the free historical campaigns that augment the single missions and Career mode in our modules whenever time and resources allow.

Today we want to tell you about the campaign ‘Wings over Caen’ - it will be released in the near future and will be free for all Battle of Normandy owners. This historical campaign is dedicated to the operations of the No. 245 Squadron RAF which has been using Typhoon Mk.Ib fighter/bombers.



Historical Background

One of the primary objectives of the 3rd British Infantry Division, which was part of I Corps and landed at Sword Beach on D-Day, was to capture the city of Caen. However, they did not succeed in this either on June 6 nor the following days. Gradually, the German command turned Caen into the cornerstone of its entire defense in Normandy, where the majority of reinforcements were thrown in. The battle for the city dragged on for more than a month and a half, seriously slowing down the advance of the Allied forces in the British sector.

The central role in close air support for British and Canadian forces was to be played by the four Typhoon armed wings of the 2ndTactical Air Force: Nos. 123, 124, 143 and 121. The latter included the 245th squadron which was engaged at the very tip of the advance.





No. 245 (Northern Rhodesia) Squadron, Royal Air Force

The squadron was originally formed in August 1918 and re-formed in October 1939. Using Hurricanes, it participated in the Dunkirk evacuation, served as an AA defence unit and provided air cover for sea convoys. Since September 1941 it operated in the skies of the northern France.

In January 1943 the squadron received Typhoons and in June has been assigned to the 2ndTactical Air Force. During the invasion preparations it continued the airstrikes against the enemy communications in northern France, rejecting the bombs in favor of the unguided rockets.

After two weeks of the Normandy landings the squadron has been ordered to move to the continent, but then all kinds of things went wrong. Our campaign starts right at this point and covers the most fierce fighting for Caen since June 27th to July 27th,1944.

Story

All the missions of the campaign were created using the real operation records of the 245th, the other squadrons of the 121st wing and other units, allowing you to experience the sufficiently authentic of the events.

No. 121 Wing Typhoons have been assigned four main tasks during this timeframe:

. Suppression of the AA, AT and other artillery batteries;

. Destruction of enemy transport and armored vehicles both in road columns and on the battlefield;

. Airstrikes against the enemy strongpoints;

. Free hunt against the enemy road and railroad traffic not far behind the frontline.

During the campaign you’ll have the chance to try your hand in all of them, providing support for the main operations of the British High Command near Caen. The sorties will have different weather conditions, time of day and battlefield smoke, recreating the real difficulties the Typhoon pilots had to overcome in addition to the fire from the ground and rare enemy fighters.





With this work we would like to pay respects to all RAF and U.S. Air Force veterans who were fighting in the Normandy skies and to Squadron Leader John Russell Collins in particular.

He commanded the unit skillfully, made it a force to be reckoned with and personally led it into combat on numerous especially dangerous occasions. Unfortunately, on August 11th, 1944, during the last mission in the operative cycle before the planned rest, his Typhoon was hit by enemy AAA and he was killed.

In the campaign you’ll be acting under his command and see his Typhoon designated MR+? in several missions.





P.S. We would like to thank Luke =LukeFF= Wallace for valuable input and help with research and all our beta-testers and translators who make the regular and timely campaign releases possible.





IL-2 Sturmovik Team

Operation Overlord is larger than any other amphibious operation in history. Tremendous action, coordinated work of an incredible number of people. A genuine act of valor in terms of logistics and planning.

Only on the first day of the landing, June 6, more than 132 thousand soldiers were transferred from the British Isles to the mainland by sea and 24 thousand by air. Nearly 7,000 ships were involved in delivering the forces to the shore. Fire support from the sea was provided by an entire armada of warships, which included five battleships, twelve cruisers, sixty-five destroyers, and two monitors.




Usually, when the Overlord is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind is infantry breaking through the hell of machine-gun fire on Omaha Beach, or paratroopers wandering in bocages in the darkness of the night. This image was formed thanks to movies and video games. However, the landing in Normandy is also an air operation of colossal proportions. More than ten thousand aircraft were involved in it: transports, reconnaissance aircraft, bombers, fighters, communications aircraft, and others. On the first day of operation Overlord alone (D-Day as it is known in popular culture), Allied forces flew 14,674 sorties.

It will be possible to take part in these historical events and look at burning Normandy from the aircraft cockpit in the new add-on for the Il-2: Sturmovik game.


At the player’s disposal is a map measuring 346 by 311 kilometers (the area, therefore, is almost 108 thousand square kilometers), on which there are about a hundred unique airfields. The British coast, a significant piece of Normandy, and the strait between them are completely accessible for flights. Chronologically, the career mode covers the period from April 15 to August 22, 1944. That is, it will be possible to take part in preparations for the landing, and in D-Day itself, and in subsequent battles until the actual completion of the Normandy operation, and the assault of allied troops deep into the continent. The situation at the front and the appearance of the terrain will change as the game time moves in accordance with how real historical events developed. For example, flying over the beaches after landing, you will notice how temporary wharves are being built on them to help the transfer of the bulk of the troops. The weather also, where possible, repeats the real one, according to archival data. In other words, the game offers the maximum historically reliable immersion in the era, achievable with the currently existing technologies.


You can play as an American, British, or German pilot and choose from a large number of real-life squadrons that took part in the Normandy operation. You can choose an ordinary pilot who is responsible only for himself and his crew, or become a flight commander and get virtual subordinates at your disposal. In addition to the already familiar types of objectives, such as intercepting enemy aircraft, escorting your own, and bombing targets, there will be new ones that have never been seen in Sturmovik before.

Eight new aircraft (plus two premium ones) will be available for piloting. It might seem to be not much, but it should be borne in mind that in the modern Sturmovik some modifications of the aircraft are considered variants of the same model and are switched in the vehicle settings, right in the hangar. In other words, in some other flight simulators, and even in the classic Sturmovik of the 2000s, this set would be considered two or even three dozen aircraft.

If you’ve read this far, it means you’re interested. And, probably, the only question that remains: “Will I be able to try all this splendor if I am a beginner?” The doubts are understandable: realistic flight simulators are complex entertainment, and according to some, even elitist one. But this is not about Sturmovik. The first game, released back in 2000, allowed a person with any degree of training to enjoy the game in full. The modern version completely inherited this part and even expanded it a little. Are you afraid to get tangled in the trimmers, set the wrong propeller pitch, or forget to open the radiator shutters? Or maybe you don’t even know what it is? In the difficulty settings, there are virtual assistants who will take care of this and much more on their own. No joystick and throttle lever? Not a problem at all! There is a control mode for the mouse and keyboard. And those who are complete beginners and do not want any difficulties, or just want to shoot beautifully at airplanes, can even turn on “legal cheats” like endless ammunition, endless fuel, and even complete invulnerability of the aircraft. Everyone can customize the game for themselves and change these settings at any time if they want something simpler or vice versa, closer to reality.

If you already play Il-2 Sturmovik, then Battle of Normandy is a great acquisition that will expand the game with both a new career and a new map for other modes. If you are just going to try, then this add-on can be an excellent entry point. After all, combat aircraft over the expanses of Northern France look amazingly beautiful.

Dear Friends,

Year 2022 is ending and, as we’re accustomed to, it’s time to sum up its results and discuss the future. 2022 was a year of big changes for IL-2 - our team has increased in size and is determined to achieve even more. We have completed nearly everything planned for this year: Battle of Normandy was the most massive release since 2012 and the finishing of Flying Circus Vol.II is in sight. We continue to develop the Great Battles world by releasing hundreds of improvements - some of them are very significant. Before moving to the next year plans, let’s reflect on the Great Battles stats for this year.

We have released 9 updates that brought 365 listed changes and improvements including:

• Battle of Normandy release.

6 fundamental visual improvements:

• New physically based sky dome tech;
  
• Realistic visualization of formation lights for all aircraft;

• Tactical numbers for all aircraft and player controllable tanks;
  
• New visualization of propellers for all aircraft;

• Dynamic Visual Damage (DVD) system applied for all aircraft and player controllable tanks;
  
• Numerous revamped graphical effects;

Two new huge maps:

• Northern France and Southern England (in two variations, with Quick Mission Builder, Advanced Quick Mission Generator and Career modes support);

• Western Front, Spring 1918 (with Quick Mission Builder mode support, the other two modes are in development);

New scenario campaign His Majesty’s Griffons;:

• “His Majesty’s Griffons”

10 new released aircraft (9 are player-controllable):

• Ju 88 C-6 “Zerstörer”

• Mosquito F.B. Mk.VI series.2

• Arado AR 234 B-2 “Blitz”

• Me 410 A-1 “Hornisse”

• Douglas C-47A “Skytrain”

• B-26B-55 “Marauder" (AI)

• Handley Page O/400

• Gotha G.V

• Sopwith Triplane

• Sopwith Snipe

Two new player controllable combat vehicles:

• Churchill IV

• StuG III Ausf.G

9 new AI controllable combat vehicles:

• Bedford QLD (AI)
  
• Bedford QLC (AI)
  
• Universal Carrier Mk.II (AI)

• Pz.Kpfw. IV Ausf.H (AI)
  
• Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf.G "Panther" (AI)

• Morris C9B with Bofors 40/L60 (AI)
  
• Flakpanzer IV "Möbelwagen" (AI)

• M8 "Greyhound" (AI)
  
• Sd.Kfz. 234/2 "Puma" (AI)

7 new ships:

• Landing Craft Assault (LCA)
  
• Landing Craft Mechanized (LCM)

• Landing Craft Tank (LCT)
  
• Bayfield-class military transport
  
• Liberty military transport
  
• Design 1013 cargo ship

• Gleaves-class destroyer

In addition, today we’re releasing 5.004b hotfix so your playing experience on the holidays will be even better.

Despite all the grim news of 2022, we were able to find a way not only to continue working, but to expand, probably in the most spectacular way since 2012 - the team size has increased by nearly a quarter. We are joined by two new programmers, two FM engineers, two 3D artists and two community managers. And this is only a beginning since we plan to continue the expansion.
All the not-so-easy changes that happened to IL-2 in 2022 allowed to get rid of the old thinking that held back our development. The need for changes in the technological base is long overdue. However, the former focus on producing primarily new content did not allow the team to fully unlock its potential associated with the full-fledged development of technology and improving the quality of the sim. The new strategy, adopted by the middle of the year, gave us freedom to choose the direction of development, as well as the opportunity to attract new resources.

There are ambitious goals ahead, and the team is gathering strength and resources to reach them. Here’s what we have planned for the next year:

1. Bring the production of the new large-scale project to full speed;
   
2. Complete the development of a number of new base technologies for the new project, which we started working on last year already;
   
3. Develop new approaches to the user experience in the next project, taking into account all the previous experience (both our own and that of our competitors);
   
4. Continue releasing new content for the Great Battles world;
   
5. Add new employees to the team, increasing the number of team members by 1.5 times in total;
   
6. Establish partnerships with teams and enthusiasts who will help us in the development of the Great Battles world, as well as in the creation of content for the new project.

It's been a long, eventful year, which we've managed to go through almost in full accordance with the previously planned plans, even building up potential along the way. Interesting and vast tasks lie ahead of us and we’re not doubting the eventual success. The work schedule is ready, the strategy is approved, the team is full of enthusiasm.

Clear prop! And Happy New Year!

2022 was an exciting year for our team with the release of the Battle of Normandy, additional collector aircraft like the C-47 and Sopwith Snipe for IL-2, along with the collector vehicles Churchill IV and StuG IIIG for Tank Crew.
A heartfelt Thank You goes out to all of you for your continued support over the years.
We are even more excited for 2023, and have some great things planned for the future.

Until then, here is your chance to add to your collection:

Battle of Normandy – 25% OFF
Battle of Kuban – 85% OFF
Includes Sea Dragons single-player campaign
Flying Circus Volume I – 70% OFF
Includes two single-player campaigns
Tank Crew Premium Edition – 66% OFF
Tank Crew Deluxe Edition on Steam – 66% OFF
Includes two single-player campaigns, 14 (!) player controllable combat vehicles and Battle of Stalingrad
Battle of Bodenplatte – 70% OFF
Battle of Stalingrad – 75% OFF
Battle of Moscow – 75% OFF
All Rise of Flight Content – 75% OFF
Collector Planes and Vehicles
Sopwith Snipe – 20% OFF
C-47A Skytrain – 25% OFF
Arado Ar 234 B-2 Jet Recon/Bomber– 25% OFF
Spitfire Mk.XIV– 25% OFF
Spitfire Mk.VB– 85% OFF
Yak-9 – 70% OFF
Yak-9T – 70% OFF
Hs 129 – 85% OFF
P-38J-25 – 70% OFF
A free campaign is available for owners of this aircraft and Bodenplatte!
Fw 190 D-9 – 70% OFF
Hurricane MK.II – 66% OFF
P-40 – 75% OFF
MC.202 – 75% OFF
Yak-1b – 75% OFF
With a female pilot option!
U-2VS – 75% OFF
With female crew option!

Bf 109 G-6 – 75% OFF
Ju 52 – 66% OFF
La-5FN – 70% OFF
Churchill IV – 25% OFF
StuG III Ausf. G Assault Gun – 25% OFF
GAZ-MM 72-K (25mm) Mobile AA Gun– 60% OFF
Sd.Kfz. 10/5 Flak 38 (20mm) Mobile AA Gun – 60% OFF

Campaigns
Steel Birds Scripted Campaign – 50% OFF
Updated and is now available on Steam!
All other campaigns – 75% OFF
NOTE: having at least the base game (Stalingrad) on Steam means you can launch it from Steam without entering a login and password and access your IL-2 content purchased elsewhere if you link the accounts.

Dear Friends,

The year 2022 is drawing to a close and we did our best to bring you a new update on Christmas Eve. It bears the number 5.004 and adds the Great War Collector Plane Sopwith Snipe to our series. It is a late war aircraft equipped with the most powerful Bentley BR2 rotary engine, producing up to 234 horsepower. By comparison, the Sopwith Camel fighter's Clerget 9B engine produced 130 hp. At the same time, however, the Snipe is 200 kilograms heavier than its predecessor (more than a quarter). Overall, the new fighter is more stable in flight and has better speed and climb characteristics. Everyone who has purchased an airplane now has the opportunity to master it and use it in combat.









In addition to the new vehicle, in update 5.004 we are releasing two AI armored vehicles for the Normandy and Bodenplatte projects - the M8 Greyhound and the SdKfz 234/2 Puma. You'll find new scenario missions for Churchill and StuG III in this update, they were created by community enthusiast super-truite and his friends. More than 80 improvements were made to the "Western Front, Spring 1918" map, which is in the early access phase and is currently being finalized. There are a number of other improvements and fixes to player controllable aircraft, tanks and artificial intelligence. A complete list of changes in the version 5.004 follows:

5.004.

1. The Sopwith Snipe, a Royal Air Force collector aircraft from the final phase of the Great War, is now available to its owners;2. Battle of Normandy AI armored vehicle M8 Greyhound added;3. Battle of Normandy AI armored vehicle SdKfz 234/2 Puma added;4. Scenarios for collectible vehicles Churchill and StuG III added (super-truite);5. Mk.37 rig model for the 5'/38-gun Mk.12 on the Bayfield and Liberty ships updated;6. Fixed a bug in the aircraft AI leading to incorrect maneuver choices and incorrect aircraft behavior in aerial combat, which was especially noticeable on WWI airplanes;7. AI pilots correctly climb while maintaining formation;8. AI pilots controlling high speed capable aircraft are less likely to use risky high-altitude maneuvers at lower altitudes (previously these could led to a collision with the ground);9. AI pilots should better avoid collisions in some maneuvers, especially in a frontal attack;10. The tail section damage texture has been fixed on all Bf-109s; 11. The placards were corrected along with other minor improvements on Bf-109 E7, He 111 H6/H16, Ju-87 D3, Spitfire Mk.Vb/IXe/XIV (Oyster_KAI);12. Incorrect operation of GUI information bar in player controllable tanks has been fixed;13. C-47A: a number of visual inaccuracies and technical problems with the aircraft model has been fixed, including the shape of upper air intakes on engine nacelles;14. C-47A: phosphorescent cockpit instrument illumination restored;15. C-47A: fixed a bug with a broken window when the landing door is opened for bailing out;16. C-47A: fixed a bug in the bail out animation that caused crew members to visually appear outside the cockpit for a moment;17. C-47A: added a feature to align engine flaps with the flow;18. C-47A: a fixed bug with radio compass working on powered off aircraft; 19. Me 262A: fixed reflections in cockpit instruments;20. Stug III Ausf. G gun now takes more time to reload if the loader is unbuttoned;21. Crew gestures have been added for the Churchill IV and the Stug III;22. Stug III Ausf. G - fixed an incorrect position of the machine gun after loader's death, if it was in anti-aircraft position;23. Stug III Ausf.G. - corrected wrong animation of the side correction input control;24. Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G - main gun reloading sound aligned with the visual animation;25. Mission editor: skins which consist of several textures are correctly displayed in the skin list;26. It is possible to shoot off the trunk behind the turret on Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M, Pz.Kpfw.IV Ausf.G, Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.H and Churchill IV;27. It is possible to shoot off the commander cupola on the Tiger;28. Range of smoke grenade launchers corrected for all player controllable vehicles;29. Improved sorting of visual effect particles;30. Western Front map, Spring 1918: Treizennes airfield added;31. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Clairmarais airfield moved;32. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Ferme airfield is renamed Filescamp Farm;33. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Droogland Airfield moved to square 0205-8;34. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: removed second Epehy;35. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: added bridge to the fortress in square 0408-9;36. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Hoog Huys manor added;37. Map of Western Front, Spring 1918: added Ferme manor;38. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Removed flooded railroad track;39. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: corrected railroad tracks in square 1202;40. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Hoog Huys Airfield moved;41. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: Filescamp Farm airfield moved;42. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: added homestead near Droogland airfield;43. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: corrected wrong track crossing in quadrant 0305-8;44. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: improved appearance of Thionville Steelworks East and Thionville Steelworks;45. Western Front Map, Spring 1918: the village of Crochte has been renamed Merckeghem;46. Western Front map, Spring 1918: Hondschoote village renamed Esquelbecq;47. Western Front map, Spring 1918: Droogland village moved to square 0205-8 and renamed Winnezeele;48. Western Front map, Spring 1918: Kemmelberg village moved to square 0207-5 and renamed Kemmel;49. Map of the Western Front, Spring 1918: Aire is renamed Aire-sur-la-Lys;50. Map of Western Front, Spring 1918: 25 obstructions on road network removed;51. Map of the Western Front, Spring 1918: 15 wrong dead ends on the road network were removed;52. Western Front map, Spring 1918: corrected 18 problematic entrances to railroad bridges.

Dear Friends,


As we have mentioned during one of the video streams earlier, there are additional Collector Planes in development which are modifications of the existing ones in our sim. Today we can tell you a bit about one of them: the Messerschmitt Bf-109 G6/AS.


This model of the Bf-109 G6 has been designed as a high-altitude interceptor and appeared in the Western Europe skies during late Spring 1944, so it fits in the Battle of Normandy and Bodenplatte Career timeframes. 686 aircraft were built, 226 from the scratch and 460 upgraded from G-6 modification aircraft during the repairs. The engine, DB605AS was a modification of the DB605A . The installation of the bigger supercharger from the DB603 engine has increased the critical altitude and flight characteristics at high altitudes. The engine cowling became bigger, but it had a more aerodynamic form compared to a standard G6 cowling.



The base model of this aircraft in Great Battles will have the DB605AS engine working on B4 fuel (87 octane) with 1.42 ATA and 1435 HP takeoff power (1 minute limit). There will be the following modifications available:
- DB605ASM engine using С3 fuel (100 octane) allowing 1.7 ATA and 1800 HP takeoff power (around 3 minute limit);
- DB605ASM engine using С3 fuel (100 octane) with MW50 water-methanol injection system, allowing 1.7 ATA and 1800 HP takeoff power (up to 10 minutes time limit while there is water-methanol mixture left). In this modification the engine can take the takeoff power longer, but the downside is that the aircraft becomes around 100 kg heavier (MW50 weight).



Bf-109 G6/AS had a bigger tail fin, Erla Haube canopy and fixed loop radio compass. Additional weapon modifications will include:
- MK-108 engine cannon (replacing the MG151/20);
- Two underwing MG151/20 guns;
- Two 210mm WGr 21 rockets;
- 250 kg underfuselage bomb.



Previously we have seen a number of player requests to have this 109 model in Great Battles and we always strive to meet the player requests whenever we have the opportunity. At the moment the 3D model of the aircraft is nearly done and the work on its FM and systems is ongoing.

Dear Friends,

As 2022 draws to a close, we are completing our work on bringing the AI objects to the Normandy project that we previously promised. The first one is the Fighter Direction Tender. FDT are radar surveillance and control ships. They were actively used during the Normandy Landing in 1944 to coordinate the actions of Allied aviation and provide radar cover for the landing zones. We created three ships, FDT-13, FDT-216, FDT-217, based on the LST class dock landing ships, which bore the same hull numbers before modernization. Their modernization was carried out on the shipyards of the west coast of Scotland, away from the active enemy forces. During the modernization, various radio communication, electronic interception, and radar antenna equipment were installed on the upper decks of the ships, including two powerful Type 15 GCI and Type 11 radars. These ships played a prominent role in the events of D-Day.



The second AI object is a German eight-wheeled armored car Sd.Kfz. 234/2 Puma. This “slash-two” modification was the second by numbers among all the Pumas produced during the war: 101 out of 478 vehicles. This modification took part in the events of 1944, which the Battle for Normandy project tells about. It is a variant armed with the 50mm KwK-39 cannon (similar to the one used on later modifications of the Pz.Kpfw. III tanks), located, unlike later modifications with a 75mm cannon, in a fully enclosed and armored rotating turret. The car is notable for quite good frontal armor of the hull and turret (up to 30mm), as well as its unique chassis, which is worth mentioning by itself. The chassis is built based on an independent levered suspension of all 8 wheels and their coupled wheel springing. All the wheels of the Puma are driving and steerable. All this together, as well as a 12-cylinder V-shaped diesel engine Tatra 103 with a 210 horsepower capacity, provided very good cross-country ability, maneuverability, and speed.




The third is a lighter American armored car, M8 Greyhound. This three-axle all-wheel drive vehicle, unlike the Puma, had a classic chassis design with 3 leading solid beams and a front steering axle, less body armor (up to 19mm in the front), and lighter armament, the 37mm M6 cannon placed in an open-top turret. An important quality of the vehicle for infantry units was the additional heavy .50 cal Browning machine gun mounted on the rear of the turret. Possessing more modest characteristics and a less revolutionary design, however, the Greyhound was a third lighter than the Puma and obviously easier to manufacture. In the conditions of the Second World War, this was largely a determining factor. Moreover, the Greyhound turned out to be a rather successful armored car that was used in various conflicts for a great many years after the 1945.

Dear Friends,


Today we'll tell you about one of the Collector Planes in development - IAR-80/81. Both kinds of this Romanian aircraft will be available in our sim: the 'short' model with short fuselage and wings and the 'long' one (that's right - with long fuselage and wings). At the moment, the work on the first model has progressed well and the second one will be developed relatively fast after finishing the first. This fighter/bomber was designed under the lead of Ion Grosu and took off for the first time in 1939. In 1940 the aircraft went into mass production and later was updated many times, resulting in many modifications. Most of them will be available in Great Battles:




"Short version"
I.A.R.80-A serie 106-150 : fighter armed with six 7.92mm FN Browning MGs firing German rounds (base model).
I.A.R.80-B series 181-200 : fighter armed with four 7.92mm and two 13.2mm FN Browning MGs firing 13.2mm Hotchkiss rounds.
I.A.R.80-M : fighter armed with two 7.92mm FN Browning MGs and two 20mm MG-151/20 German guns.
I.A.R.81 series 151-175 : fighter/bomber armed with six 7.92mm FN Browning MGs and capable to deliver up to three bombs with up to 400 kg total weight. The underbelly bomb mount had a special parallelogram mechanism for dive bombing that prevented a released bomb from hitting the propeller. In addition, the flaps on this dive bomber modification had larger angle range, serving as ad-hoc air brakes.


"Long version"
I.A.R.80-B series 212-230 : fighter armed with four 7.92mm and two 13.2mm FN Browning MGs firing 13.2mm Hotchkiss rounds (base model).
I.A.R.80-C series 251-290 : fighter armed with four 7.92mm FN Browning MGs and two 20mm MG-FF Ikaria guns.
I.A.R.81-C series 301-450 : fighter/bomber armed two 7.92mm FN Browning MGs and two 20mm MG-151/20 German guns and capable to deliver up to three bombs.




All the IAR-80 modifications that will be modeled in our sim were powered by twin-row radial 14-cylinder air cooled engine I.A.R.-14K, which was the licensed version of the French Gnome-Rhone 14K. In takeoff mode it could reach 1000 HP. The similar, albeit less uprated engines were installed on the German ground attack aircraft Hs-129B-2 most Great Battles players are familar with already.




This first Romanian mass-produced fighter was all metal except the stabilizer and flaps skin. The flaps and landing gear had hydraulic actuators. All in all, it possessed flight characteristics similar to Soviet Yak-1, but late IAR modifications had much more powerful weapons and bombs.




The visual 3D model of IAR-80/81 is being developed by two famous enthusiasts - Ivan Shirshov (3D model) and Martin =ICDP= Catney (exterior textures). We hope they'll finish their part of the work in the coming months and we'll be able to start the work on its FM and systems. We'd like to repeat once again - if you're interested in creating new content for our series, we're always open for collaboration. Just contact us.

Dear Friends,


Our team has finished the development of the new update 5.003, and it is released. This time we will launch three new pieces of new content at once.


The first object is the C-47 "Skytrain" we have talked about in Dev Blog #331. This big guy has been developed together with Yugra Media company which created the 3D model of the cockpit and updated the external model of this aircraft. It wasn't easy, but this plane is interesting to become familiar with. This most popular military transport plane of WWII is now available in Pilot's Career mode during the Normandy and Rhineland timeframes. You'll be assigned missions like Cargo Delivery, Special Forces Paradrop and Cargo Paradrop (the second and third mission types can occur both during daytime and nighttime in Normandy career). We're hoping you'll enjoy flying it.







The second one is the Western Front 1918 map created for Flying Circus Vol. 2. At this time the flyable zone corresponds to the Rise of Flight map while the buildings and objects are placed in the two most important zones as it was planned for FC Vol.2: Amiens - Lille - Saint Quentin (North-West) and Thionville - Saint Dizier - Nancy (South-East). Both WWI maps, Arras and the new Western Front one are available to owners of either Flying Circus Vol.1 and Vol.2 as we have promised during the project announcement. We hope to continue WWI development in the future and complete the scene along the frontline. For now, the map is WIP even for FC Vol.2 and the development of Career and Advanced Quick Mission modes for it are ongoing. The Quick Mission mode for it is already available, while Yugra-Media continues improving the map itself.







The third new arrival is StuG III Ausf.G - we have talked about this steel German beast in Dev Blog #333. The modeled assault gun was created by MIAG factory using the Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M chassis produced by MAN factory. This combat vehicle is the popular Ausführung G version. The most mass produced modification, numbered around 7800 units. They were armed with the 75mm StuK 40 L/48 gun with artillery periscope and equipped with Schurzen side armor sheets, smoke grenade launchers and an infantry MG34 stowed in the fighting compartment which was operated by an unlucky loader who had to expose himself to fire it.







The completion of StuG III allows us to present new Tank Crew editions: Premium and Deluxe. Tank Crew Premium Edition offers the complete Tank Crew - Clash at Prokhorovka experience by adding 4 Collector Vehicles to the already impressive list of 10 legendary combat vehicles. A detailed Prokhorovka map and two campaigns of the original Tank Crew. This Premium Edition is available on our website. The Deluxe Edition is available on Steam and includes Battle of Stalingrad in addition to all this. Either edition offers huge savings compared to purchasing its contents independently.


Of course, this is not all. For instance, Steel Birds campaign has been updated to accommodate the new tactical numbers system and is now available on Steam. There are dozens of other additions and fixes and the work on improving Great Battles continues. The full changelist follows:

Main Features
1. The "Western Front, Spring 1918" map is available in Early Access to all customers who pre-ordered Flying Circus Vol. 2 and to all owners of Flying Circus Vol. 1 as we promised at the time of the announcement. Quick Mission mode works already, the work on finalizing the map and implementing the Pilot's Career and Advanced Quick Mission modes for it continues;
2. The C-47 "Skytrain" transport plane is now available to all who have pre-ordered it. In addition to QMB and AQMG modes, this aircraft can be selected in Normandy and Rhineland Career mode timeframes;
3. The German StuG III Ausf.G assault gun is now available to all who have pre-ordered it;
4. AI-controlled tank Pz.Kpfw. V Ausf.G Panther added;
5. AI-controlled Morris C9B self-propelled anti-aircraft gun with Bofors 40/L60 cannon added;
6. AI-controlled Universal Carrier Mk.II added;
7. The variety and historical consistency of aircraft and tank tactical numbers in Quick Mission, Advanced Quick Mission, and Pilot's Career modes increased;
8. Added the ability to remove external fuel tanks on player-controllable T-34 and SU-122;
9. Smoke grenade launcher functionality added on player-controllable Pz.Kpfw.III Ausf.M, Pz.Kpfw.V Ausf.D, and Pz.Kpfw.VI Ausf.H1;
10. Improved structure damage modeling of WWI airframes under load (their G-limit drop from rifle caliber bullet hits is not as drastic as before).


Other Changes
11. The target distribution in AI aircraft groups has been adjusted. Priority targets like anti-aircraft guns are engaged by one to four planes in the group depending on the leader's AI level, other wingmen will choose other targets;
12. Steel Birds historical campaign has been updated. All flights are assigned tactical numbers according to the time period and specific unit, many other fixes and improvements were made;.
13. The animation of guns in turrets when switching positions has been corrected.
14. Turrets return to default positions when the crew leaves the plane.
15. The cocking animation when reloading the magazine has been restored.
16. Dynamic damage hit marks correctly appear on auxiliary armor panels on Fw 190 A-8, Fw 190 A-6, B-26B55 and others.
17. IL-2 mod. 1943: formation lights won't visually double at a distance.
18. USS Gleaves: torpedo launcher effects are aligned with its position.
19. USS Gleaves: torpedoes in the water are visible at a distance correctly.
20. Custom paint schemes won't have tactical numbers automatically assigned.
21. Normandy videos now have subtitles in Russian, Chinese, German, Spanish and French.;
22. Career ground attack aircraft escort missions won't be randomly generated in a corner of the map.
23. AI-controlled Ordnance QF 17-pounder gun now aims correctly.
24. Churchill IV gunfire sound replaced by a more suitable one.
25. PzKpfw IV Ausf.H is correctly visible at a distance.
26. PzKpfw IV Ausf.H model updated in many ways.
27. The PTK commander's panorama on SU-152 works correctly again.
28. Churchill speed indicators corrected.
29. Ferdinand gunner station now has a mirror for the bubble level indicator.
30. Ferdinand station notes (in-game help) updated.
31. Previews for T-34 mod. 1943 skins restored.
32. Fixed an error in submarines' torpedo launching algorithm, which sometimes caused the torpedoes to explode prematurely.
33. Radiator leakage effect excessive brightness has been reduced.
34. AI pilots won't sometimes taxi after landing in the wrong order.
35. AI pilots whose aircraft are unable to land will now be put at the end of the landing queue.
36. Tank fuel tanks can catch fire even if the engine is knocked out (previously this was blocked to prevent effects doubling).
37. In a case of MG misfire in a player controlled tank the cocking sound can be heard.
38. The disappearance of techno chat messages in Dogfight that could occur in a next flight after bailing out has been fixed.
39. Parachutes appear in multiplayer correctly when there is a wind.
40. The death animation of the A-20 top gunner has been corrected.
41. Yak-9 and Yak-9T: corrected the appearance of extended landing gear warning lights.
42. The rear landing gear of Flying Circus airplanes leaves a correct sized trail on the ground.
43. GUI: the operation of the armament panel in the HUD when there are multiple switchable positions has been corrected.
44. GUI: fixed HUD elements "blinking" at commander's seat.
45. Airco DH4 wreckage appearance has been corrected.
46. Damaged Gotha G.V. airplanes look correct at a distance;
47. Mission Editor: Entente and Central Powers units are displayed in blue and red respectively.
48. Mission Editor: Entente and Central Powers countries are correctly displayed in the Order/Opposition lists in the object properties of the Location type.
49. Mission Editor: the Move Camera to Object command for objects in the mission tree now has a keyboard shortcut Shift+RClick. The right mouse button click with Shift on an object in the mission tree will move the camera to this object.
50. Mission Editor: the Set on Ground command now works recursively for objects in groups and for groups within other groups.
51. U-2VS: a missing rocket on the left wing was added to ammo variants #20 and #29.
52. Tactical number colors were corrected in scenario campaigns.
53. Bomb and rocket aiming helpers won't jitter when enabled.

Enjoy!

The Sturmovik Team