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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 Pilots! Today’s Developer Diary is a continuation of last weeks with more pictures of the upcoming ME 410 release, this time of the very cool looking cockpit along with more images of airfields on the Normandy map. The ME 410 is the last of the player flyable aircraft from the Normandy plane-set to be released and the cockpit proved to be a challenge to create, especially with its unique defensive armament arrangement and complicated gunner controls. However, our modeling and engineering teams have once again created an amazing combat experience for IL-2 pilots. The ME 410 will enter beta testing very soon and testers can put it through its paces. We’re almost there Hornisse fans! A fun fact about the Normandy map is that there are 100 airfields total when you combine the airfields in southern England and Normandy regions. These pics are just a few. Work on the Normandy map, Normandy Career and remaining vehicles and ships continue full throttle as we march to release in the coming weeks. And just a reminder that BON still has it’s Early Access discount, but time is getting short. If you have not already purchased it, now is a great time to pull the trigger. Enjoy! The Sturmovik Team

Dear Pilots, Today’s DD brings us images of the ME 410 A-1 in the engine finally, showing off some of its paint-schemes and beautiful lines. This beautiful bird has been in development for a long time, but the wait has been worth it. The cockpit was an especially challenging piece of work and we’ll have pics of it in the next Developer Diary, but today feast your eyes on its external beauty. Our 410 an A-1 model, but with various modifications that are included it can also become a B-2 variant. We think you will really enjoy the ME 410 A-1 ‘Hornisse’ as it was known. It’s another triumph for the Sturmovik modeling and engineering teams! The ME 410 will enter Beta in about a week’s time. We also have several images of airfields that will be present on the Normandy map. It’s nearing completion and will enter Beta soon as well. It should be noted that the images below are still WIP and some textures may not final. As we have highlighted in previous diaries, different fields have different surfaces. These images definitely demonstrate a variety of different types. Just like our previous maps there will be numerous airfields to launch missions from and of course attack! There is just a huge variety of different airfield types to choose from. Enjoy! The Sturmovik Team

Update 4.706 Dear Pilots! Battle of Normandy is getting closer and closer to that special moment - its release! Testing of the map and game modes will begin soon. New mission types are being created for the Normandy Career. Work is nearing completion on the last aircraft on the project list – the Me 410. All this is happening right now and the work is in full swing. However, at the same time, we try to release those elements of the project that are already ready without delay. So, today, we are producing two aircraft created as part of BON. The first one is the Arado AR 234 B-2. This jet powered single-seat twin-engine reconnaissance bomber is designed to be controlled by the player and has a number of new interesting systems we developed for it. It has a dive-bombing sight, reusable boosters, a drag chute, an automatic aircraft control system ("built-in" autopilot) and many other smaller features that should give you many hours of fun learning about the features of this aircraft. The second plane is the B-26B-55 Marauder AI twin-engine bomber. Although the B-26 is implemented as an AI piloted plane, the quality of this bird is just as good as all the other flyable ones. We made unique crew animations for it and created a new airborne gunner model (which will later be applied to the B-25, A-20 and C-47). We also, implemented a number of design features of this aircraft. In general, accompanying him, or attacking him, should be quite interesting for you. In addition to the two aircraft, some of the last AI objects planned for the Battle of Normandy are included in this update: a Bedford QL truck and tanker variant and several landing craft - LCA, LCM and LCT. Work on missions where these ships will play their main role has already begun. In addition, several other changes were made to improve the project, the list of which can be found below: 1. The German twin-engine single-seat jet reconnaissance bomber Arado AR 234 B-2 is now available for control by all players who pre-ordered the Battle of Normandy project; 2. AI controlled bomber B-26B-55 Marauder, created as part of the Battle of Normandy project, has been added to the project; 3. The Bedford QLD AI truck and its version of the Bedford QLC tanker, created as part of the Battle of Normandy project, have been added to the project; 4. Landing craft LCA, LCT, LCM, created as part of the Battle of Normandy project, have been added to the project; 5. Improved impact of small arms recoil on aircraft; 6. Improved physics of aircraft collision with static objects; 7. Restored the work of AI priorities set by the Force Complete command; 8. Improved animation of rocket launcher ammo in aircraft cockpits; 9. Mosquito FB Mk.VI series.2 - an artifact has been removed from the windshield next to the wiper; 10. Mosquito FB Mk.VI series.2 - the appearance of the pad on the standard red dot sight has been fixed: the pad from the Mk.III sight displayed on top of it has been removed; 11. Pilot career Battle of the Rhine, for the new aircraft Ar-234B-2, two squadrons available to the player - II./KG 76 and III./KG 76, and one AI squadron Sonderkommando Sperling / 1.(F)/ 123; 12. Pilot career Battle of the Rhine, AI aircraft B-26B-55 added, as well as the following AI squadrons that the player can meet in the career: 453rd BS, 454th BS, 455th BS, 456th BS, 556th BS, 557th BS, 558th BS, 559th BS, 584th BS, 585th BS, 586th BS, 587th BS, 596th BS, 597th BS, 598th BS, 599th BS (BS = Bomber Squadron); 13. Fixed a problem with shooting missiles by AI planes when taking off from the runway; 14. When flying in formation at night, aircraft will use formation lights (RESIN lights on Mosquito FB Mk.VI series.2, formation lights on A-20 and B-26); 15. Achtung Spitfire! Scripted Campaign has been updated to fix an issue with images. Have fun :)

Dear Pilots, Today’s DD takes a look at our cliff models for the Normandy Map. Making realistic looking cliff faces in a flight-simulator is always tough. Whenever you make a map with the English Channel this becomes necessary. Many other development teams have had to craft them over the years and we are no exception. We had our first crack at them when we made our Channel Map for Rise of Flight about 10 years ago. We’ve gotten better at making them and below you can see some work-in-progress images of how they currently look in IL-2 Great Battles. Work on the Normandy map continues and it is really starting to take shape. The map will be released later this summer. However, the next update is already in Beta and it will include the Arado AR-234 jet bomber. What an interesting and challenging aircraft to model. She’s pretty complex. And the AI B-26 will also be I the next update. Enjoy! The Sturmovik Team

Dear Pilots! In today’s DD we have three new things to show you. First, we have some screenshots of our Normandy Map which is coming together nicely. It’s looking very scenic! Second, we have developed the technology to launch a V-1 “Buzz Bomb” from fixed installations. They will make great targets for mission designers. And finally, we have been working on the technology necessary to portray amphibious landings which is necessary for Normandy. Normandy Landscape Below are screens from the new map. As you can see there are some rather large cities and towns as well as a variety of different airfield types. The landscape is also very beautiful. Together it will make a very interesting and fun map to fly over. V-1 Installations The dreaded V-1 is operational in our project for the first time. V-1 sites were prized targets by Allied pilots and needed to be silenced. The V-1s raining down on the UK in the summer of 1944 were a real problem and caused so much destruction and casualties. Attacking these sites will make for some excellent missions. Amphibious Landings And finally, we can’t have an invasion without landing craft bringing troops and vehicles to the beaches. In the images below we see some testing on one of our non-Normandy maps. We have found a clever way to make infantry objects that appear pretty convincing. These soldiers can advance and shoot at the enemy and of course they can perish. Just don’t ask these little pixel soldiers to make you a sandwich or tea, they aren’t that smart. Enjoy! The Sturmovik Team

Dear Friends, The cold November is here already and we continue working on our projects. An important milestone for the Battle of Normandy is getting near - its map will be ready to a degree that will allow us to begin the development of Pilot's Career for this theater (meaning that settlements, airfields, roads, rivers and forests will be there). It will be too early to share the screenshots of the map itself at this point since the work on its visual part - texturing and finalizing landscape features, coast and additional detail - happens at the last stage of development according to our workflow. Nevertheless, this stage is not very far away either, since the map overall progresses according to the plan. Speaking of the map, we can say that creation of map objects is finished, including the new city blocks characteristic for Britain, coastal defenses, radar stations, farmsteads for rural areas and, of course, unique landmarks. For creating believable airfields, certain additional airfield objects were created which are characteristic of this theater of war. The work on various naval and ground units for BoN continues - there are several ship types that participated in the landing, including landing craft and radar-equipped ones, and several vehicles like this British armored car Humber Mk.IV, which is ready for deployment. The German heavy fighter Ju 88 C-6 and the legendary US fighter P-51B-5 are getting close to release. Progress on the P-51B has been frustratingly slow with several technical delays due to research and software issues. Anyway, it's Flight Model 99% done and only Malcolm Hood visual is on the finish line of production. Please be patient the early Pony will get here we promise! Arado 234, Mosquito FB MK.VI and Me 410 are at earlier stages of development, but they are progressing according to the general plan. In the meantime, the work on the new fuel system is nearly finished and it will make its debut on Bf 109 fighters. As soon as it is ready we'll apply it to all the aircraft of the sim. This new tech will make the fuel system modeling more realistic, damageable in more detail and pilot interfacing with it will be recreated with more fine details. With this new technology up and running, we plan to switch to the development of the launch, guidance and warhead functioning of the V-1 vengeance weapon - its FM and 3D model, including the launch site, are already ready. There is good progress in Flying Circus Vol. II project is well. The German two-seater recon/strike airplane DFW C.V is the closest one for the release - at the moment its 3D model is nearly finished while its FM is in the works - and we plan to have it in the next update already. Sopwith Triplane should be also released before the end of the year as well as the British heavy bomber Handley Page O/400. Early next year we'll have to finish German bomber Gotha G.V, Western Front map, and two Collector Planes, late WWI fighters. In addition, there is a lot of WWI-era ground vehicles incoming - for instance, in the next update, we plan to release Jeffery Quad, Benz LKW 1912 and Daimler DR4 in several modifications and tanks - Mark V female, Reno FT and Schneider CA 1. WWI aviators will find their life slightly more complicated due to the addition of the German 37mm automatic AA gun Maxim Flak M14. All the things listed above are just a fraction of what we and our partners are working on at the moment, so please stay tuned - we'll be able to tell you more about the other development streams in our next Dev Diaries.

Dear friends, Despite the wonderful weather behind the window that would direct anyone's thoughts towards a vacation, the IL-2 team continues to work at the fastest rate possible in all planned directions. For the most massive one of them, the Battle of Normandy, a number of significant results were achieved during the last few weeks. For instance, the work on the Normandy map objects, including the ones needed for temporary ports in the beachhead area, German fortifications, unique city buildings, and stationary radars are nearly complete. We can already show you some of them in the sim: In addition, we started the final production stage of P-51B we're creating for the Battle of Normandy. We want to deliver this famous and long-awaited plane to all BoN customers as soon as possible. There are good news about Flying Circus Vol. II as well -the Western Front map is progressing well and we plan to show it in our Dev Blog soon, while today we can show you two coming airplanes at once: early SPAD 7.C1 with 150 HP engine and two-seater bomber Airco D.H.4: And finally, Sd.Kfz.10/5 with 20mm Flak 38, the second player controllable mobile AA gun, is nearly complete as well. Here are its screenshots in the sim: You can discuss the news in this thread

Dear Friends! Today’s DD is pretty straightforward, we’d simply like to show you some shots of content that we have in the works for both Battle of Normandy and Flying Circus: Volume II. First, we have multiple renders of new objects, vehicles and ships that are being created by a development partner of ours. They are coming along nicely as you can see. They will be fully integrated into the engine very soon. Next, we have the first shots of the Fokker D.VIII which is development by our friends at Ugra Media. This awesome high-winged monoplane will grace your installs next month assuming everything goes to plan. We plan to release it along with the Typhoon Mk.Ib (which we showed in a DD269) in our next update, which should happen by mid-June. Again, assuming final preparations go well. Also, our great friend Luke 'Requiem' Campbell has created a very helpful video on how to operate the GAZ-MM 72-K and improve your accuracy when shooting at planes and vehicles. Check it out! Thank you to Requiem for making another great training video! GAZ-MM 72-K Steam Release! Additionally, we have added the GAZ-MM 72-K to our Steam store today where it along with the official webstore will have it on discount for another week. You can pick it up HERE. All other work continues and our efforts to expand the team a bit so we can finish Normandy as planned continues. Stay tuned to our DDs all spring and summer long as we continue to build out BON and FC2! See you in the skies! The Sturmovik Team

Hello Everyone! Time does not stand still, just as work on the Battle for Normandy project does not stand still. Work is underway on various technologies as well as development of ground equipment, maps, aircraft and ships. As you know, the Battle of Normandy is an event most closely associated with the navy. And in order to reproduce some of these events, new types of ships and watercrafts will be introduced into the project. Along those lines, today we will show you a screenshot of development progress of the landing craft LCI (L) (Landing Craft Infantry, Large). This is a specialized vessel designed to land infantry units directly ashore, for which it is equipped with two gangways, on both sides of the bow. And because Battle for Normandy is a project about combat aircraft, you are waiting patiently for news about the progress of aircraft in development. So here we have something new to show you today! It is the cockpit of the Hawker Typhoon Mk.Ib fighter-bomber. These screenshots were taken in the game world. Work on this aircraft is entering the final stage, and we plan to give it to everyone who pre-ordered the project at the very beginning of the summer.

Dear friends, Today we can show you a teaser, the first screenshot of the Normandy map showing one of its characteristic features - a coastal port city. Le Havre, in the Seine estuary, is one of the biggest in France. Our map development team always tries to find new ways to improve the landscape elements, and now, working on the Normandy map, they are researching new techniques of terrain texturing, coastline composition, keeping in mind the differences in the architecture and city layout between the two sides of the Channel, attempting to recreate more detailed railway junctions and many other things. Speaking of the railway junctions, some of you have pointed out that they are too simplified on the Rhineland map. They were made simple because the development was focused on many detailed airfields and time was not available, but we're always trying to improve the existing content and other things whenever we have time and resources to do so. This year we plan to gradually add more detailed railway junctions to this map. This is the Antwerp railyard being improved:

Dear friends, There will be a lot of Battle of Normandy news in 2021. Relatively soon we'll be able to show you the first landscape shots, while today we have some of the ground vehicles that are already done. Please note that the quality level for the new trucks, armored cars and other objects for Normandy has increased. Of course, the new objects will benefit from all the previously developed physics and AI improvements. Dodge WC-54 - while working on the Battle of Normandy we have decided to add the ambulance vehicle for the US Army that was missing in 'Bodenplatte'. This 3-ton all-wheel-drive vehicle was designed specifically for the US Army medical service. Austin K2/Y - you can tell the country of origin of this 3-ton military ambulance vehicle after a first glance. Of course, it is British. Ordnance QF 17-pounder - the famous British gun which was very effective in the anti-tank role in spite of its relatively small caliber. This gun, either in an AT gun form or installed on a tank gave good chances against German panzer beasts. Sd.Kfz.222 - this German all-wheel-drive 5-ton armored car with 3 men crew had a powerful weapon for its class, 20mm automatic gun KwK-20, and sloped armor. AMES Type 15 was a British made radar. SCR-584 was a US radar. Also on this screenshot are the British AA searchlight and its accompanying electric generator.

Hello! Today there will be a very small issue of diaries for the reason that we are preparing a release candidate for version 4.008, which we told you about before, we are doing the final tests so there is a lot of work and little time. However, even if this DD is short, it’s still significant - because for the first time we will show you screenshots of one of the English planes that will be in Battle of Normandy – the Supermarine Spitfire Mk.XIVc. In fact, this aircraft will have an additional modification with heavy machine guns, the Spitfire Mk.XIVe, but we will show you that version a bit later. This plane is quite different from the MK. IX Spitfire, which was previously included in BOBP. The main thing that catches your eye is the massive 5-rotor Rotol propeller, driven by the Rolls-Royce Griffon engine. To provide a much more powerful engine with sufficient cooling, radiators of a larger area are installed on the aircraft. Also, the tail area had to be increased for added stability. The aircraft will be presented with two types of weapon configurations - modification "c" with two 20mm guns and 4 x 7.69 machine guns, and modification "e" with two 20mm guns and 2 x 12.7mm machine guns. A 150-octane fuel option will also be available causing the already powerful engine to develop up to 2,200 horsepower. Work on this legendary aircraft is at a rather early stage, but much has already been done as you can clearly see in a small selection of screenshots: