Leaderboard

Vulcans at parking positions, while Lightnings performing a squadron take off.

As I am doing this with no specific order... MiG-21F and F-13 Cannon will be added later New gear doors Small diameter wheels and wheel bays And yes, I am working on the other versions too, completing the skins...

Sooo cool to see that some of you are still playing the SF2 series :p

Argentinian Carrier ops

you call that heavy? even SAC only calls them "medium"

I will be uploading two new updates to the A-6A models with a lot of improvements thanks to yakarov79 for his work and assistance in springing this update.

Those are nice................... Greek Fire, circa 1989 in Anatolia. Okay, 1st things 1st. I did not drop this weapon; my wingman did. The fact that I armed his a/c with it is not germane to the situation. (Besides, the Luftwaffe wasn't even in the area)

Here in the U.S., it is the day after Memorial Day. Still fresh in my mind is remembering and reflecting on the ultimate sacrifices made. And another reminder of how important it is to set aside our differences, and unify our thoughts and prayers around a common purpose. And then each year as Summer heats up, it gets me re-energized around Vietnam as the August Gulf of Tonkin anniversary comes around that escalated everything. And all that got me thinking… The old glory days of widespread Vietnam interest have faded away, and today a much smaller and fragmented approach remains. In my humble opinion, while individual projects and personal initiatives arise that are commendable, it no longer makes sense to continue to stand-up siloed projects. We have eBurger’s legendary SF2V Air & Ground War, YAP and Revamped YAP, When Thunder Rolled, Capun’s Vietnam creations, individual project efforts and more. Every one of these projects for various reasons have decided to “go at it alone” with a select group of participants and insiders. And yet every one of them is re-creating the same things over and over again; offering different flavors/versions like the terrain, aircraft, ground objects, etc. Can we consider a new and perhaps better approach this year? I would like to propose joining forces and the unification of all these projects. Bringing together, where it makes sense and is mutually agreeable, all available Vietnam project components, assets and team talents for those willing. And we set a new quality and ethical baseline, a fresh start, collaborating to ensure we use only purified assets - those that have received proper permission and credit. This ethical approach not only honors the original creators but also upholds the integrity of the new unified vision. One initial plan and consideration could be to deliver the project in phases. Starting with the most important aspects of the war, obviously for me that is Operation Rolling Thunder. And then expand to cover additional campaigns/strategies such as the Tet Offensive, Lam Son 719, and more. Along the way we expand and cover what is needed – such as supporting/major helo operations (LZ X-Ray a must), Search and Rescues including BAT 21 Bravo, Recon aircraft such as Bird Dogs over the A Shau Valley and more. We compare assets, we leverage what is best available from across the projects and where appropriate create a trusted sharing arrangement. And it’s done in a controlled and manageable “piece by piece” approach broadening out the scope covering more and more aspects of the war. I don't have all the answers on the nitty gritty how and what about this, or what about that - I'm just trying to first assess the possibility and potential interest. Let me also say, that I have been blessed and trusted by many modders with literally countless source files, permissible contributions and assets related to Vietnam. Being a Vietnam fanatic, I have meaningful relationships in some capacity with every one of these separate Vietnam-era projects underway, including all project leaders. I am already reaching out to them to further explore this idea and others as well. In full transparency, having access to and being a major contributor to the When Thunder Rolled project opens up incredible new options and considerations no longer exclusively payware and many more options for freeware and donation-based approaches. For example, instead of creating yet another terrain foundation, perhaps the WTR terrain that already included the ground-breaking original/enhanced version with rail lines, Ho Chi Minh trails, NVA camps and countless other details could simply be leveraged - and then simply enhanced for accuracy and "updated" vs. having to “do it all over again.” Obviously just one example, but when scaled to the entire scope of possible assets becomes a major accelerator to enhancing Vietnam-era assets with better options available today. I am wondering if we could set aside and work through our past and differences, and look towards a different future. By coming together and unifying our efforts, we can combine the best of our resources, talents, and ideas. This unity not only becomes a rallying point, but also fosters a sense of community and love for a shared purpose among all participants. We can create a cohesive and powerful tribute that far surpasses anything we could achieve alone. Could this be a possibility; what are your thoughts?

random sighting while doin other stuff no 92387412

Fans of ThirdWire's Strike Fighters, I'm happy to announce an upcoming re-release of Operation Desert Storm: 30th Anniversary Edition, due between this December and next January (yet to be defined). Since the last public release in January 2022, the development team has worked in spare time for more than a year in overhauling the mod with brand new creations, tons of improvements and bug fixes, additional content and much more. Here below some sneak peeks at what's to come. With the intent of delivering the most complete Gulf War experience, players will now be able to fly with the three unique F-4G aircraft that were deployed to the conflict with Euro I camo (namely serial numbers 69-0269, 69-7566, 69-7234) and the only Grey colored F-111E (serial number 68-0050) deployed alongside the more common camouflaged F-111Es. F-4G aircraft 3d model and skins courtesy of @ravenclaw_007. To complement the already huge list of flyable aircraft offered by the mod, new aircraft have been added! Say hi to the wonderful, brand new Mirage F1EQ-5, Mirage F1EQ-6 and Mirage F1CR by @ludo.m54 and his Mirage F1 Team. Moreover, let's welcome a couple of two-seaters; the F-16D-40 Fighting Falcon by @ravenclaw_007 in its Bahraini livery (skins and decals by @Viper63a) and the F-5F available in Royal Saudi Air Force camo and Grey Bahraini livery (skins and decals by @paulopanz). I decided to allow players to choose from experimental camos devised before the Gulf War for some of the most known aircraft of the war. The A-10As are getting the experimental Flipper and Peanut camouflages (both were meant for the Gulf War, respectively for night time and day time missions) and the F-16C Block 25, serial number 84-1212, gets the unique desert camo it sported during Desert Shield, before it was later decided to remove it. These three new skins have been made by yours truly. The original Lizard camo for the F-16C Block 25 is from the Viper Team, it has been upscaled and detailed a bit more by yours truly, as a bonus. On the fun side of things, additional skins have been added to important aircraft of the war; these include prototype paint schemes for the F-117 and the F-15E, Iranian liveries for the F-5E, MiG-29, F-14A and F-4E, and the VX-4 black livery for the F-14A. These skins exist only for player use and won't be seen in normal gameplay during the campaign and single missions, so rest assured the mod won't be breaking any reality check by default. The F-117 skins are brand new and made by yours truly. Okay, so we get to see more variety and beauty in third-person view, but what about cockpits? Numerous cockpits have received a face-lift in the way of brand new textures, mapping fixes, recolouring, better calibrated and standardized HUD colors, corrected view-points and much more. The Mirage Factory's F-14A cockpit now takes the place of the stock one by ThirdWire which looked inappropriate for early 1990s Tomcats, alongside small texture improvements by yours truly. Cockpits for the F-15C, F-15E, RF-4C and for F-7s were revised by yours truly, given hi-res textures and/or proper recoloring for consistency's sake. The S-3 Viking is now flyable, with Foxmonter's original cockpit getting a fresh hi-res repaint by @Viper63a. MiG and Su cockpits received similar treatment by yours truly, and thanks to the works of @OlWilly and @michaelk. If you've had enough of the sky, do know that our master 3d modelers have been busy producing dozens of brand new 3d models for land and sea warfare. One huge, major update regards the Iraqi ground forces; @yakarov79 produced a vast number of brand new vehicles never seen in a flight simulator before; from exclusive Iraqi versions of known Soviet tanks to not-so common howitzers, proper Iraqi command vehicles, artillery units, APCs and more. The Iraqi ground forces have never been reproduced so accurately before, so you can be sure they are a real treat of the mod. Coalition units also got a high-definition treatment with brand new objects by fellow @guuruu, including the M270 MLRS, M102 and M110 howitzers; he also worked on brand new ship 3d models, from generic boats and bulk carriers and cargo ships, to the Iraqi Zhuk-class patrol boat. Moreover, he reworked all data and sound design of guns used by most ground objects; guns now feature unified warhead weight based on caliber and standardized light range and tracer size. Ground battles feel much more intense and gun-only dogfights now feel incredibly realistic, as you or the AI can survive multiple hits (whereas in stock Strike Fighters it's usually an unrealistic one-shot one-kill). The terrain has received noticeable improvements. All terrain objects have been given DetailLevel statements in order for them to be scalable depending on Ground Object graphics settings; this means that less important terrain objects will appear only at Medium, High or Unlimited settings as required. More importantly, Iraq got brand new airbase 3d models by @Jimbib accurately portraying the layouts of the time, alongside a proper Kuwait Int'l airport and Iran's Kharg island airport. Be on the look-out for easter eggs, especially at Iraq's Tallil Airbase. You'll be able to see @Jimbib's recreation of the Ziggurat of Ur, and you might find a bird by @guuruu inside one of the hangars, seemingly out of context. This actually is an historically correct easter egg; history aviation enthusiasts should know about it. There's also a not-so secret single mission available for you to experience. It's not Gulf War related, apart from the fact you'll be flying an F/A-18A of the VMFA-314 Black Knights. Mission date? July 4 1996. Hmm, what could it be? You can tell the amount of effort and passion that went into the mod by reading the complete changelog below. Changelog: Remade installer to allow users to install the mod folder to a path of their choice. Major overhaul of effects with great help by guuruu; improved Stary's Unified Effects package and fixed various issues. Modified DTV filter data for all avionics files to use a different BlendOp for better visibility at night. Resized various cockpit and aircraft .TGA textures to improve performance and reduce memory load. Cleaned up Pilots folder of unnecessary files, fixed few occurrences of missing textures. Optimized Decals folder, resized void and/or plain color decals to 1px, removed unnecessary decals. Standardized control keys for all kinds of animations on all aircraft. Standardized HUD color values, gunsight textures and night lighting for all cockpits. Added DetailLevel statements to all terrain objects in order for them to be scalable depending on Ground Object graphics settings. Added new runway models for major Iraqi airports (as well as Kharg Island and Kuwait Int'l airports) recreated very accurately by Jimbib. Added proper 3d model of the Ziggurat of Ur in the vicinity of Tallil air base, by Jimbib. Added realistic Easter Egg to Tallil air base, 3d model by guuruu; history aviation enthusiasts should look for an aircraft. Added four missing Saudi Arabian airports: Buraydah, Al-Artawiyah, Jubail and Al-Khafji. Added Veltro2k's C-2A(R) aircraft released by Wrench and properly reworked for the ODS environment. Added FastCargo's F-5F with brand new RSAF and BAAF skins made by paulopanz. Added brand new Mirage F1CR by the Mirage F1 Team, with specific tweaks for the ODS mod. Added brand new Mirage F1EQ-5 and Mirage F1EQ-6 aircraft by the Mirage F1 Team, with specific tweaks for the ODS mod. Added latest versions of the Mirage F1EQ-2, F1EQ-4 and F1EDA aircraft released by the Mirage F1 Team. Added proper Saudi Arabian E-3A (E-3A with CFM engines) 3d model made by Sundowner, with brand new skin and decals done by PeacePuma. Added huge ground objects update by yakarov79 with brand new 3d models for tanks, radars, SAMs, howitzers, anti-air guns, vehicles for the Iraqi faction. Added dozens of nicely detailed 3d models standing in as destroyed models for ground objects, by yakarov79. Added new, nicely detailed 3d models; M270 MLRS, RORO ship, Zhuk-class patrol boat, Bulk Carrier ship, M102 and M110 howitzers by guuruu. Added revised weapon data for all AIM missiles including additional sub-variants, all by Crusader, and revised loadouts for aircraft. Added missing CBU-78 and updated 3d models for some other CBUs, all made by ravenclaw_007. Added airburst version of the 1000-lb GP Bomb Mk.13 and more realistic SEAD loadouts for the Tornado GR.1, by dtmdragon. Added smokeless rocket effects by simonmiller416 for the AIM-120A and for all AGM-88s and all AGM-65s. Added specific Kuwait skin to the BMP-2 ground object by yakarov79, for use in the Invasion of Kuwait campaign. Added experimental desert camo skin applied on one F-16C Block 25 aircraft before Desert Storm began. Added experimental Peanut and Flipper A-10A paint schemes conceived for the Gulf War (scrapped before Desert Shield). Added prototype Lizard camo to the F-15E Strike Eagle as a fun bonus, with its correct serial number. Added prototype paint schemes to the F-117A Nighthawk as a fun bonus, with proper serial numbers. Added overhauled skins and decals for all Mirage 2000 aircraft, as well as new hi-res textures for fuel tanks, by ludo.m54. Added period correct Euro I camo and Shark Mouth skins to the F-4G aircraft with correct ODS serials and decals, by ravenclaw_007. Added overall grey skin for the F-111E representing the unique 68-0050 serial number that took part in Desert Storm. Added Improved Countermeasure Effect mod by simonmiller416, increasing realism and improving looks of flares. Added BQM-34 Firebee by yakarov79 as a target drone eventually for training missions for the Coalition aircraft. Added KDS-155 dispenser by Coupi to the MiG-25PD, with specific tweaks for use by the AI in the ODS mod. Added much better detailed AGM-62 Walleye bombs made by ravenclaw_007 in place of old ones. Added F-16D Block 40 aircraft made by ravenclaw_007, with Bahraini skin and decals previously made for ODS by Viper63a. Added new hi-res skins and decals for the KC-135s by daddyairplanes with templates produced by yakarov79. Added Lizard camo skin based on the F/A-16C proposal to the F-16C Block 25 aircraft as a fun bonus, with correct serial numbers. Added Iranian camo skin to the F-5E aircraft by Crusader as a fun bonus. Added Iranian camo skin to the MiG-29A aircraft by The Mirage Factory a fun bonus. Added Iranian camo skins made by ravenclaw_007 to the F-4E aircraft as a fun bonus. Added Iranian camo skins and VX-4 black livery skin to the F-14A aircraft as a fun bonus. Added improved sight textures by michaelk for Stary's Su-7 cockpit. Added M992A2 and proper V-150 APC, 3d models created by GKABS. Added MovementX and MovementZ data to all cockpits to allow XY slewing for TrackIR users. Added The Mirage Factory's F-14A cockpit in place of the stock one by ThirdWire, alongside reworked textures and data. Added Foxmonter's original S-3 Viking cockpit to make the aircraft flyable, with a hi-res repaint by Viper63a. Added working canopy animation to both aircraft and cockpit 3d models for all MiG-21s/F-7s. Added shells ejection update for the MiG-29s and reduced MiG-29UB's gun rounds to 50, as suggested by Crusader. Added KS-3 and KS-4 ejection seats created by 76.IAP-Blackbird and Flogger23 to all Iraqi Fitter aircraft. Added correct list of serial numbers to the Iraqi skin of the Su-24MK aircraft. Added reworked, higher resolution strobe light texture for aircraft and runways, for improved in-game looks. Added numerous real Gulf War pilots to the campaign data and correct ranks for the Iraqi air force. Added bonus Unknown Contact mission as a fun Easter Egg, inspired by a rare demo video of F22 Total Air War. Added more RWR sounds specific to certain aircraft in order to increase variety. Fixed many inaccurate hitboxes for most of the more 170 ground objects included in the mod. Fixed inaccurate hitboxes and/or collision points still present on few aircraft. Fixed weapon stations data for the F-117A so that now it carries LGBs only, including GBU-10s. Fixed weapon stations data for the UAE Mirage 2000s, the RAD variant now carries the Harold recon pod. Fixed weapon stations data for the F-15E in order to avoid weapon 3d models clipping between each other. Fixed data for the F-15E so that the AVQ-14 pod does not appear on loadouts with dumb bombs, by dtmdragon. Fixed wrong gun ammo count for the MiG-21F and the F-7s; the MiG-21F-13 carries 1x60 rounds, the F-7s 2x30 rounds. Fixed exaggerated BaseRCSModifier value for the F-117A, now it can be targeted by other aircraft. Fixed exaggerated jammer strength value for the MiG-25PD, now it can be properly locked on by other aircraft. Fixed AimAngles values for the internal gun on all F-15s, so that the HUD gunsight is properly aligned. Fixed Hawk's cockpit so that it features correct viewpoint, working HSI, lighter reflections and proper gunsight data. Fixed some cockpit data for all MiG-21/F-7 cockpits, as found in a topic written by Crusader. Fixed misplaced RWR screen on the Jaguar GR.1A's cockpit 3d model. Fixed misplaced wingtip vortex effects on all F-111s, all Su-20/22s, the MiG-23UB and the Su-24MK. Fixed missing exhaust emitters on the A-10A and OA-10A aircraft. Fixed exhaust emitters on the AV-8B so that they appear not just on thrust vectoring controls. Fixed nose landing gear being textured improperly on the S-3 aircraft. Fixed pilot's head stuck looking in the same direction on the AV-8B aircraft. Fixed excessive fuel flow values and sluggish flight model on all F-16C aircraft. Fixed wrong, outdated flight models and data for all F-15 aircraft. Fixed few loadout.ini files referencing the AGM-84A instead of the more period correct AGM-84D. Fixed few gun sounds not playing in-game due to their filenames containing a dot character. Fixed overlapping parking spot reported by Viper63a on Ali Al-Salem and Ahmed Al-Jaber airfields by Jimbib. Improved terrain target areas and objects, removed unused and duplicate terrain objects. Improved AI altitude and strafe, rocket and bomb attack values to reduce weird flight behavior at low altitudes. Improved ViewList.ini file, now you can take better screenshots of your preferred aircraft and gameplay instant. Improved and optimized all files of the Sounds folder, now being less than half the original size for faster loading, by guuruu. Improved guns data, now featuring unified warhead weight based on caliber, standardized light range and tracer size, by guuruu. Improved visibility of ground objects at night through the DTV camera by increasing MaxVisibleDistance, by guuruu. Improved aircraft data for all Mirage F1s for proper AI use of ECM and countermeasures, by pvince. Improved all MiG-21 cockpits with reworked gunsight and cockpit textures, removed gunsights embedded into the 3d models. Improved F-7B and F-7M cockpit textures by using the hi-res repaints of MiG-21 cockpits by comrad. Improved MiG-25 cockpit and avionics with tweaks done by OlWilly. Improved MiG-23 cockpits between variants with OlWilly's improvements and with different gunsight textures. Improved Su-7 cockpit with fixed typos and additional tweaks, by OlWilly. Improved A-6E cockpit by reworking few textures and by making the bombing gunsight reasonably sized. Improved RF-4C cockpit by using and tweaking hi-res cockpit textures by streakeagle made for the F-4 cockpits of SF1. Improved F-15C and F-15E cockpits, repainted HUD glass and needles, moved misaligned 3d model parts through .ini tricks. Improved F-16A cockpit with more accurate position of indicator light boxes. Improved little skin texture details on the MiG-23UB, added cockpit files to make it flyable by the player. Improved small texture details on the F-7B, F-7M and Hawk aircraft. Improved F-5E with flight model and cockpit tweaks by baffmeister. Improved exhaust emitter effect size on most aircraft, by guuruu. Improved viewing angles in all F-16C cockpits to feel more natural, as suggested by TaktischesGenie. Improved SpeechText subtitles, now on par with the Speech Enhancement mod by yours truly. Improved data and drag values of chaff and flare to be more realistic, by orsin. Improved FlightEngine.ini values to provide better texture quality on lower settings and to reduce out of memory events. Improved realSKY mod with modified cloud shaders, purple-ish twilight transitions and reworked lens flare textures. Improved SoundList.ini data for better doppler effects, extended sound range for engines and explosions, guuruu. Removed the Maverick EO aiming symbol from the A-10A's HUD, to reflect Gulf War avionics, as suggested by dtmdragon. Removed GBU-15 from being selectable for the F-15E, as no data confirms it was used by F-15Es during ODS. Removed double versions (EOGR and ASM) of AGM anti-ship missiles, now only ASM ones are selectable. Removed SA-13 9S80 radar as it is historically inaccurate for Iraq in 1990-1991. Removed anachronistic AIM-7 and AIM-9 missile variants from the Weapons folder. Removed RWR from the F-117A since it never had one in reality, as pointed out by dtmdragon. Removed ECM from the MiG-25PD aircraft as it did not have any in reality. Removed R-73 missile from the mod and corrected loadout of the MiG-29UB to use R-60s instead. Removed JATO from C-130s and from Tu-22s as they are not needed and not proper for the Gulf War scenario. Removed tracer texture from specific guns where tracers rounds were not used operationally, as suggested by dtmdragon.

Where are they ? Wanna see how good they are

You missed an uncountable number of new helo models

But its good to see you again kreelin !

Almost 15 years now but still Miss you Oli.. Miss these days and nights talking about TMF planes Flight models. I will never forget the day I spoke to your mother on the phone because you hadn't given any news after your last message... The voice of your mother telling me that you were no longer with us...

Recently I've had the desire of working on a project like ODS 30AE again, but based on the Vietnam War. I'm all in for this, we have many talented modders in here who are still active, most of them I had the pleasure to work with for ODS 30AE. Next year it'll be the 60th anniversary of Rolling Thunder, so how about ORT 60AE? If I'm on it, I can guarantee my best to make it happen with care and passion, just like we managed with ODS 30AE.

A-4C Skyhawk of VA-93....

Argentinian carrier ops

SAAF Mirage IIIRZ modified to carry AS-30 en route to attack a radar station on southern Angola One of the attackers was hit by SA-7 and soon FAPA MiG-21bis were scrambled to intercept them. On the background you can see the Fishbed while looping

F-4N

They are coming along nicely, what do you say?