5th June 2020

Dear Fighter Pilot, Partners and Friends,

After close to 40 man-years of work, the new Channel Map for DCS is now available to download. The Terrains Development Team have delivered this beautiful multi-purpose map with a new level of object detail and geographic accuracy. From Dunkirk and the Battle of Britain until the end of the war, the thin stretch of water saw more aerial activity than anywhere else in Europe.

This week, a long-awaited addition to our Warbird line up is taking to the air. The P-47D Thunderbolt was a very successful and well-loved fighter. This remarkably rugged and dependable aircraft offers superb gameplay over our World War II battlefields, especially as it was also a highly effective ground attack fighter. Please note, if you are a WWII Backer of a suitable level, you can receive DCS: P-47D Thunderbolt for free from the Personal section, you can also gift the module, if you would like to do so, please contact Support via a support ticket.

Over the past year, we have been working on updating the characteristics of air-to-air weapon systems. Your demands and feedback help us to push the level of accuracy in this area of our simulation to a new level. Please take the time to read about our new physics model with the AIM-120 AMRAAM report.

We have been working hard on highly requested F/A-18C Hornet features. Check out the development roadmap and watch Matt Wagner’s videos. We hope these videos will help kick start your knowledge and smooth the learning curve.

Thank you for your passion and support.

Yours sincerely,

The Eagle Dynamics Team

The Channel Release

A DCS World Terrain

DCS: The Channel Map is now available in Early Access. Our map of the South East of England and North Eastern France encompasses historical airfields, urban areas, roads and railways, ports and other features that make it the perfect setting for the World War II air war in Europe between 1940 and 1945.

This highly detailed map also provides a wonderful opportunity to mass deploy ground assets and to re-enact epic air battles and enjoy ground operations not yet seen in DCS World.

Take advantage of Early Access 20% discount on The Channel Map.

P-47D Thunderbolt

Early Access Release

This week we Introduce the heavyweight Republic P-47D Thunderbolt, which first took to the skies in May, 1941. Nicknamed the Jug, it was a real workhorse of the Allied victory, weighing nearly twice as much as the British Spitfire. Fully loaded, it could deliver about half the payload of a B-17 Flying Fortress.

The P-47D was popular amongst pilots, with an astounding safety record, a roomy cockpit and an enhanced visibility bubble canopy. The Republic Aviation factories in New York, Indiana and Buffalo assembled 15,600 units between 1942 and 1945. The Pratt & Whitney R-2800-59 Double Wasp radial engine enabled the Juggernaut to keep up with the nimble and lightning-fast North American P-51D Mustang. Thunderbolts were sent to Britain, France and even the Soviet Union, where they largely served in interceptor roles.

The new DCS: P-47 Thunderbolt is designed to work on the latest DCS World 2.5.6 and is not compatible with previous versions. It takes advantage of our latest graphics and texture technology, enabling you to push the limits of your system, whilst maintaining good frame rates.

We hope you will enjoy this update to the World War II era product range and look forward to your constructive feedback, which helps us deliver better products.

Make sure you take advantage of the Early Access 20% discount.

AIM-120 AMRAAM

Development Report

As stated in previous news, we have spent a lot of time performing Computational Fluid Dynamics research. Almost 250 different calculations for every missile variant have been made. Our results have enabled us to simulate aerodynamic characteristics with a much higher level of accuracy.

In contrast to the old missile dynamics model, the new one includes stability and control characteristics. We have calculated missile mechanical properties such as center of gravity and moment of inertia before ignition and after burnout. More major updates include; revised data for rocket motor performance, ballistics and range. Development of a velocity-altitude adaptive autopilot. Frequency response with the addition of deflection acceleration feedback. The construction of the electromechanical fin actuator assembly and Step response reaction control system. Autopilot and lofted trajectory for long-range shots.

Please read the full air-to-air missile development report.

F/A-18C Hornet

SLAM, AG Radar

We would like to thank everyone who participated in the F/A-18C Hornet roadmap poll. It has helped us plan the next list of deliverables for 2020. Read the full list of features here.

This week we introduce the first iteration of the air-to-ground radar for the F/A-18C Hornet. This first version models MAP mode and allows you to search for and designate target locations. Later, we will be adding other modes like the EXPAND levels, Ground Moving Target, SEA, and Terrain.

In the next update, we have both air-to-ground and air-to-air updates for the Hornet targeting pod. This includes more realistic AG tracking modes and FLIR tracking of aerial targets in cooperation with the radar.

In this week's update, we explore the inclusion of the IN ZONE LAUNCH ACCEPTABLE REGION (IZLAR) for the JDAM. This provides additional delivery information and will be tied to the later inclusion of pre-planned IZLARs and multiple attack points. Watch the video here.

We hope that these videos help you learn the new features of the F/A-18C and look forward to your feedback.

Thank you for your passion and support and as always, fly safe.

The Eagle Dynamics Team