Leaderboard

So......what was happening back in 2011 I wonder? Well there were rumours of a new version of Falcon 4 which was later released by Benchmark Sims (BMS), and in February of that year DCS: A-10C Warthog was released. The Strike Fighters community was eagerly awaiting the release of Strike Fighters 2: North Atlantic - and it was also the year that Combat Ace member Sophocles bit the bullet and decided to get into 3D modelling. Now many years later, he has now released what certainly looks like the best modelled aircraft ever to grace Strike Fighters 2, and that includes all of Thirdwires efforts. Many modder projects start and look promising and then wither and die (especially after so many years) so we decided to ask Sophocles some questions about this project. The F-5A thread starts around 2012 - what year did you start the F-5 model exactly? I started the model in December of 2011. I'd never done any 3d modelling, but I was determined to learn, having done a lot of free-ware/payware texturing work for CFS2 and FS9. What 3D programs do you use to create 3D models? 3dsMax.. It is unusual for someone to stay on a single project after all this time - what has kept you going all these years to continue the project? Well, I spent about a year finishing the external model (learning all the basics as I went along, ie. modelling, mapping, animating) and then another year doing the cockpit.. I'd planned for a release in 2014 but by that time my world caved in together with the Greek economy..) lost my business, house, went through divorce and even lost the dog!! As you can imagine, the last thing on my mind was the F-5A model!!! I tried over the years at times to re-invest in the project, but real life just kept getting in the way... Many Combat Ace members were involved in the project, some actively helping along and contributing in one form or another (will thank and present their contributions in their entirety when the project is complete), others offering encouragement and emotional support (this is the best thing about the Combat Ace community!) but the one individual who for the most part inspired the level of detail in the model; and who subsequently worked the hardest getting the project moving again was Volker (ravenclaw).. without whom the project would not have been revived (post-2017). I really need to get the F-5A out to the community because their support (and patience, LOL!) has been incredible. After this do you think you will continue to do other 3D models on this level? Sure, with all the knowledge and experience I've accumulated over the years, any new projects (and there are a few..) will take a fraction of the time .. given the world doesn't implode...again!!!!! With special thanks to Sophocles you can download Hellenic Air Force F-5A Volume 1 here and looks like there will be more high quality volumes to follow:

Testing the new AngelP SAMS, HQ-9, first shoot at 21 miles, got me at 14 miles.

Photo #1 Escorting B-25J to a bombing run over El Palomar AFB. Photo #2 Who said prop planes are obsolete?? Photo #3 The End

after many tests of different models I was able to achieve this effect at the expense of many polygons

news: new base texture for the wing guns door in the 190, functional damper in TA-152 that will be passed on to the rest of the family, new closed petals in TA-152 and some detail in the engine and radio cable

I like this new F-5A !

Some wip nose art

For some reason I’ve got a sudden desire to fly some 1980’s RAF missions from Cyprus over Lebanon and Syria. Do any of the modded IsraelME or any other maps have working airbases (presumably R.A.F. Akrotiri) on Cyprus?

Congratulations on finishing this project! I am sorry that Sophocles had to go through so much upheaval at home, both personally and economically. But despite the heartbreak, stress, and resulting long delays, this F-5A has turned out to be a top-notch add-on. Certainly among the top 5 aircraft you can get, and arguably the best available at this time. I would have enjoyed a lot more back in 2012 when SF2 was still my primary sim of interest. At this point, I primarily play DCS World, but I still download and try out SF2 mods that interest me. This one most certainly interested me. Are there going to be follow on F-5A addons based on this release to cover other users/variants, which aside from texturing and minor FM/model edits shouldn't be too hard or time consuming compared to the previous effort)? I would love to see an SF2 F-5E completed to this level, but that is substantially different and would pretty much be the same as building a new aircraft from scratch apart from being able to reuse a lot of the cockpit and most of the flight model.

I think your interest come from DCS Syrian map announcement. The campaign your proposing sounds fun as well as the USN bombing of Syria as well. You can fly from Akortiri in ISRAEL 2 FULL SCALE map.

What an outstanding addition! The cockpit alone is amazing! Job well done.........Bravo! 👍

Fck Corona.

^ Hasegawa P-47D Razorback ************************************************************************************************** Skull-king around

aha...we are on our way to work now... leaving Tonopah en route to McCarron..

View File Hellenic Air Force F-5A Volume I July 2020 =============== Hellenic Air Force F-5A Freedom Fighter Volume I VERSION 1.0 ------------------------------------------------------------ F-5A variants included in the Package: HAF F-5A standard version (1965 - 1974) HAF F-5A with Martin Baker IRQ-7a ejection seat (1975 - 1999) HAF Rf-5A reconnaissance variant with 4 K-92a cameras We are proud to present the F-5A HAF Volume I, the first of many to come, focusing on one of the most enduring American military aircraft designs ever produced during the Cold War period. This first Volume depicts the following Hellenic Air Force variants; the HAF F-5A standard, the HAF F-5A with the Martin Baker IRQ-7a ejection seat, and the HAF RF-5A reconnaissance variant. It has been our goal to provide to the simmer a highly detailed model and texture base which preserve the beautiful lines of this aircraft; and to engineer flight files and a cockpit/gauge file-set that are authentic and add to the immersion of the flying experience within the Strike Fighters 2 series. INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS: -------------------------- 1. Copy the contents of the "To Mods Folder(S)" to your SF2 Mod directory. Allow directory merging and overwrites, provided the overwrites pertain to "fake pilot" entries, as well as weapons made by ravenclaw_007, which are included in this and many other releases. 2. Add the entries of "ADD_TO_SOUNDLIST.txt" to your SOUNDLIST.INI (located in the "user\Saved Games\ThirdWire\StrikeFighters2\Flight" folder).If one does not exist, then you will need to extract it using the 3rdWire CAT extract utility. You are simply required to substitute the "XXX"s with the next sequential number in the sound file section of the file. NOTE 1: ------------ Both Regular and Higher resolution cockpit textures are included in their own distinct folders in the package. The user may alternate between the two by "commenting out" the relevant line in the F-5A_STANDARD_COCKPIT.ini [CockpitData] //Directory=cockpit Directory=cockpit_Lo-Fi <---This is the default In order to "activate" the higher resolution textures you would decomment the previous line and comment out the next line, thus: [CockpitData] Directory=cockpit <---This is now Hi-Res //Directory=cockpit_Lo-Fi NOTE 2: ------------ Another frame-rate friendly option for those with older hardware is to use the Next level of Detail Model as the primary external model. This simply involves changing the first line in the F-5A_HAF.ini from this.. [LOD001] Filename=F-5A_STANDARD.LOD to this.. [LOD001] Filename=F-5A_STANDARD_002.LOD Much effort was made to provide those with lower end systems an alternative lower poly-model to be able to enjoy the F-5a, so please take advantage of this _002.LOD model should you experience frame-rate issues. While not as "rounded" as the Higher poly version, it is nonetheless just as detailed and extensive. NOTE 3: ------------ For those who may find loading times excessive, the .jpg files in the texture folders can be reduced to 50% of their size without sacrificing too much surface detail. Keys: ------- SHIFT+0 -> canopy open CREDITS: sophocles - 3D Model, Cockpit, textures ravenclaw_007 - 3D Modeling, Animations, Weapons,textures baffmeister - Flight model, testing crusader - Avionics and data tweaks, Beta testing Guuruu - Sounds and Afterburner effects, Beta testing Guest contributors: Alfa2 - Loadouts and a wealth of info on the HAF variants. gkabs - pilot figure Special Thanks to the staff and members of Combatace.com whose passion and efforts have enabled this game to endure, and to provide so much fun and excitement! Additionally, many thanks to the following Combat-Ace Modders, who either actively contributed to the project over the years, or who invested their time either providing much needed hints and help, or researching various aspects of the model. Brain-32 - Modeling advice, initial cockpit.cfg + more NeverEnough - Initial work on the Flight model Russouk2004 - Always answering questions when I needed help..Cheers!! Dag - RoNAF textures and research (to be included in a dedicated future RoNAF F-5a module) Derk - Many, many references!!! Blade - Excellent mini-tutorial on damage textures Finally, thanks to TK and Thirdwire for creating such a fantastic game. **************************************************************** FEATURES: * Three model set including the HAF F-5A standard version (1965 - 1974), the HAF F-5A with Martin Baker IRQ-7a ejection seat (1975 - 1999), and the HAF RF-5A reconnaissance variant with 4 K-92a cameras; each with their own custom loadouts. * Three, highly detailed external 3d models, including the RF-5A, whose nose was graciously modeled by ravenclaw_007. * Specular color and Normal (bump) maps on all models * Seven Level of Detail models (LODs) for each model, providing an almost seamless transition from distance to distance; and perhaps more importantly, ensuring that the frame-rate "impact" of the aircraft is as low as possible. * Two sets of highly detailed external Fuel Tanks by ravenclaw_007; both the Factory variety and the Sargent Fletcher variants. * Fine-tuned flight parameters in three distinct aircraft data configuration files for all 3-D models, emphasizing the F-5A's agile and highly maneuverable characteristics - courtesy of Baffmeister. * 8 high resolution texture sets; thoroughly researched historic depictions of the Aircraft fielded by many HAF Wings and Squadrons. * Quality sound-set included. Base sounds, by Guuruu, were sourced from existing recordings of various aircraft at air-shows and were modified to match the prominent characteristics of the F-5A General Electric turbojets, the "buzz" of the M39 Pontiac 20mm machinegun, and the flap/Air-brake, undercarriage deployment and retraction sequences of the Freedom Fighter. * Super detailed 'Virtual Cockpit' with animated throttle control, rudder pedals, control stick, landing gear lever, canopy, canopy lever, drag-chute lever, weapons selectors and weapon station arming flick switches. *Accurate and functional representation of the Norair F-5A gun sight, with animated Mils selector and accompanying animated combining glass. (Mechanics by Crusader) * A full complement of highly (or should I say "insanely" detailed HAF weapons carried by the HAF F-5A, all by ravenclaw_007. * Complex animation of canopy opening mechanism, and animated Turbine blades; both thanks to ravenclaw_007 * GKAB's superb highly detailed crew figure with authentically modeled oxygen mask and flight helmet. * All new afterburner, emitter, and engine smoke effects by Guuruu. ****************************************************** PILOT NOTES ----------- F-5A Limit and Reference Speeds. [Indicated Airspeeds] FLAPS: 300kts for both leading and trailing edge. NOTE: The F-5A uses full flaps for take off but due to a game bug you must manually select full flaps for take off when player flown. The AI will use full flaps although you can hear the flap sound cycling between flap 1 and flap 2. LANDING GEAR: 240kts DRAG CHUTE: 165kts CANOPY: 50kts NOSE WHEEL STEERING: 65kts MAXIMUM INDICATED AIRSPEED: 710kts [redline] MAXIMUM MACH: 1.72 Mach design limit but thrust/drag limited to about mach 1.50 in a 60deg dive from 50,000ft. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- TAKE OFF ROTATION SPEEDS 13500lbs: 155kts [full internal fuel and two sidewinders] 20500lbs: 195kts [about the maximum weight possible with included stores] NOTE: Use full flaps for take off! Adding 6kts for every 1000lbs above 13500lbs should give good aft stick/rotation speeds. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLIMB SPEEDS Military Power 13500lbs: 375kts with a transition to mach 0.89 20500lbs: 310kts with a transition to mach 0.74 Maximum Power 13500lbs: 595kts with a transition to mach 0.93 20500lbs: 480kts with a transition to mach 0.85 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- FINAL APPROACH SPEEDS With 500lbs fuel remaining and some empty racks use 160kts. Add 5kts for every additional 500lbs of fuel. NOTE: Target touch down speed is 20kts less than final approach speed. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************************* THIS AIRCRAFT MOD OR ANY PART OF IT ARE TO BE EXCLUSIVELY HOSTED BY COMBATACE.COM AND MUST NOT BE HOSTED OR POSTED FOR DOWNLOAD ON ANY OTHER WEB SITE. THIS PACKAGE AND ANY PARTS HEREIN MAY NOT BE UPLOADED AS PART OF ANOTHER MOD NOR MUST THEY BE SOLD OR OFFERED FOR SALE EITHER IN PART OR AS A WHOLE WITHOUT MY EXPRESS PERMISSION. ************************************************************* Sophocles July 2020 Submitter sophocles Submitted 07/16/2020 Category F-5  

Thanks brother! it`s done!

its a Camel...A ship of the desert lol

Hello Streakeagle, many of your questions are answered in this thead.. https://combatace.com/forums/topic/72287-f-5a/?page=21 Though your comment regarding "the texturing and minor FM/model edits" not being hard or time-consuming as the previous effort are definitely true for some versions of the F-5A, the NF-5A, for example, has enough differences to the standard "A" variant to almost warrant a different designation! Besides, the real challenge is to include the differing cockpit configurations for these versions - which is no easy task! The "E" is a different animal entirely. Though I'm not excluding the possibility of modelling one, the planned variants to follow are the NF-5a, the F-5C "skoshi Tiger" ,the Norwegian F-5a and ofcourse the 2-seater F-5B.

AWESOME WORK, THANK YOU Sophocles...

RAF Andover

Dry dock...

There was a rumor that ship had wheels..... just don't bend over the railing to try to see them

I've heard rumors that carriers are a lot slower on ground.

Still a 15/10 babe compared to the Blackburn Skua though. Christ, that thing fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down!

Screenshot of canberra and pit wips...NOTE..this isnt a guaranteed release yet as Im using textures from a model that Im currently in discussion with owner\creators in a license to release...so please no I want when etc etc... please be patient as I have to be...if no agreement is reached I have to creat textures from free sources. cheers.

Thanks Russ; it really was a group effort - If it hadn't been for the guys, the project would have died years ago!

A dedicated USAF A AND C are planned (much of the model has already been done for the F-5C), but they'll come after the European releases; GodWilling! As for the Taiwan aircraft; If someone would like to do a couple of skins or so, then I'm here to help.

1st skin is almost done...

Gentlemen, it's been a labour of love! Just uploaded.. Hellenic Air Force F-5A Freedom Fighter Volume I It may be a while till it's ready for download so here's the "user manual" included in the pack, and a nice GIF file showing off the gunsight functionality. My sincerest gratitude to all involved (full credits in the manual). F-5a_HAF_Manual.pdf

you know me. If time will allow I will do Bronco anthology.

nueva piel del prototipo TA 152C y agregando una placa muy sutil al efecto del apoyo rápido

profiles seen with the lod viewer

new TA-152C, new trains with wider mast and shock absorber animation, new skin TA-152H

and finally the Mk.7(IRQ-7a) in game..with GKABS excellent pilot!

you asked for some changes so wait for them, meanwhile a new historical skin

hanks for the offer but the pilot is already cooked

Super-Echos of the VF-126