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Update 5.003 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.

Dear Friends, Today we'll tell you about the development progress on two other Collector Planes. The first one of them is the C-47A Skytrain. C-47A was a military modification of the civil passenger aircraft DC-3 that had the reinforced floor and large door on the left side for cargo and different radio equipment. The cargo/passenger cabin windows had gun ports for small arms firing. The Skytrain name was used in the US, British called it Dakota, while in USSR it was known as Douglas. Li-2 planes (a licensed modification of DC-3 with Soviet ASh-62 engines, Soviet cockpit instruments and armament) were also called 'Douglas'. The DC-3/C-47 family was the most popular transport aircraft of the war. The model we have in the sim can accommodate a general cargo, air-droppable cargo containers in the cabin, the same containers attached under the fuselage and paratroopers. Having the takeoff weight of up to 14 tons, the aircraft could carry up to 2,5 tons of cargo (more than 3 tons if overweight). The main disadvantage was its low speed, which adversely affected its usage in airborne operations. However, it was very easy to pilot and had good performance characteristics, which made it a real workhorse of the war. The long-awaited feature - make it player controllable - should be ready soon. Our engineers and artists from Yugra-Media are working to make it available to you as soon as possible. The second plane we'd like to tell you about today is the late WWI fighter with rotative engine, the epitome of the British aircraft design school - Sopwith Snipe single seater. This aircraft is being developed from scratch since we did not make it for Rise of Flight previously. This very maneuverable, fast enough aircraft that was armed with two synchronized Vickers machine guns could confront the best German aircraft of that time. The new 9-cylinder 230 HP rotative engine Bentley BR2 had 100 HP more than the Clerget 9B engine installed on the very successful Sopwith Camel - a huge increase. The upper wing was shifted lower to give the pilot a better view forward and up. The work on the 3D model of this bird by Yugra-media artists is nearly finished and the work of our engineers is underway - we hope to release it for customers this year, which means really soon in fact. Speaking of WWI we should mention that the Flying Circus Vol.II map had good progress. We should be able to start the beta-testing of this Spring 1918 map in the near future and it will be released soon after that. In Early Access the players will be able to use the new map in QMB and create single and multiplayer missions. After that we'll have to complete the work on the Flying Circus Career mode and update the map according to the customer feedback. We count on Yugra-media designers to use the new approaches that were adopted by our map designers during the work on the Normandy map to achieve the next level of the visual quality and fidelity compared to the old Rise of Flight map. And last but not the least - according to the player feedback we have revised the WWI airplanes damage from rifle caliber ammo - the evolution and the improvement of all the parts of IL-2 continues.

A video I thought I should share. Crossing the Atlantic Ocean in a 1930s Airliner. Encounter inflight icing, fuel problems, and weather as we head to remote northern Canada before crossing to Greenland, as we fly a Douglas DC-3 across the Atlantic to celebrate the 75th anniversary of D-Day.