A Distinctive Way of Unlocking Aircraft Variety of aircraft is often a core element of flight games. The larger the catalog of aircraft the more appealing a title is. Whether it is a dozen decent representations of fighter jets or a small selection of almost perfectly modeled wide body airliners, the big question is always: how does someone get access to all those aircraft? Is it expansive tech trees like in War Thunder or using in-game credits to purchase aircraft after they're unlocked during campaign progress like in Project Wingman? No matter the quantity or quality of the aircraft, if the method of gaining access to them is not done well, unlocking them all may be a short-term headache but a long-lasting detraction against the game's identity (looking at you, Ace Combat 5). Having put in a lot of time with these types of games, the aircraft unlock system in the demo for Blue Sky Aces  by Curious Dog games continues to stand out in my mind. I enjoy the concept behind it and wanted to go into detail. Though, I had a bit of difficulty trying to double check some things as I had already cleared the demo long ago and wiping save data to start over again is a bit of a complicated process. So instead, I reached out to developer Brent with Curious Dog games to double check the details. Blue Sky Aces uses a mix of point-based progression and time-based progression to unlock aircraft. Each aircraft from The Great War uses the historical date they entered service as the date they become available in game. This technological limit is in place for all countries the players can fly with: Austria-Hungary, Britain, France, Germany and Russia. The score for each mission is calculated at the end of the mission. Victories in a mission give more points, but losses still contribute points towards moving time forward as well. As the in-game date moves forward aircraft are unlocked as they became available during the actual war. The developer mentioned that in the full game there are ideas on how to adjust this progression system for the single player experience: "I can see the campaign and career game modes working a bit like this too, which would allow you to reset back to the beginning of the war, or start from whatever date and time you wanted to. I think the thing about a single player game is that people are going to play it for different reasons, and that's okay as they're not impacting other players. If someone wants to fly a Fokker DVII against a Airco DH2 then we should let them, but we should also cater for those that want a more authentic experience." -Brent, Curious Dog Games, February 3rd, 2026 In the demo the starting year is 1915. There are a handful of game modes that players fly short missions in. The time progression system is accelerated for the sake of demonstrating the game's concepts, but it still sets the framework for scenarios where the player can find themselves at a technological advantage or disadvantage for certain periods of time. The same way the real pilots of World War I had to fly and fight no matter how advanced or aged their aircraft were. While this can be experienced in the demo, the prospect of it being shown in a full campaign potentially for each country is rather appealing. While not ideal in a real war, perhaps frequently flying less capable aircraft against more capable enemies would be a refreshing type of challenge. An early war dogfight between Airco DH2s, Morane Saulnier Bullets and Fokker EIII. In the demo each aircraft does have a limited set of upgrades that can be unlocked with frequent use of an aircraft. Like engine upgrades or machine gun upgrades. While helpful in extending the usefulness of an aircraft, it does not replace the value of getting an all-around better built aircraft. Extending how long it takes for a new aircraft to be unlocked also makes obtaining new, more capable aircraft much more impactful. A stark contrast to the common patterns in flight action games where something like unlocking a F-15C in one mission then unlocking a Eurofighter Typhoon just one mission later happens frequently. Normally in flight action games like these the aircraft and weapon capabilities of players and their computer enemies and allies are somewhat balanced. Except for any big story driven battles, of course. Normally it is in flight simulators where the impact of technology is more tangible. Having this experience in a game like Blue Sky Aces is somewhat refreshing. My thanks to Brent with Curious Dog games for answering my quick question and for continuing work on the game. Connect with 'Blue Sky Aces' Discord Steam YouTube About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza   Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [ Read Profile ]

Appreciating the message of a returning developer Can you believe it has been three years since Flashpoint Studios published a substantial update for Aggressor ? After years of public facing inactivity in development, across social media and other places I eventually left the Discord sever as well. I never uninstalled Aggressor, but it certainly slipped from my mind over time. So, from my point of view, seeing a Steam update and a new post on January 9th, 2026, felt like having a lightning bolt strike somewhere near my house. Memories Back in 2021 and 2022, Skyward Flight Media provided coverage  about Aggressor and had an interview with the lead developer. Aggressor was not a project that entered early access so early it made you question if it was a half working alpha test. Before development halted, Aggressor was a working game. The game had tutorials, faction specific campaign missions, a credit system to purchase aircraft and weaponry and a few instant action game modes. Some of these game modes being so robust players could partake in 60 vs 60 aircraft battles with ease (depending on PC specs, of course). Something even in the year 2026 I struggle to think of similar flight games being capable of. My last vivid memory of it was during the one-year anniversary in 2022. I was having a great time with the game back then. So, the sudden stop in development was rather confusing. During the 1-year anniversary air-to-air missiles carried firework warheads. Explanation of Ambition Upon the return in 2026, Aggressor has new content and even a bit of an updated look. That is something I will be more than happy to get into now that Aggressor is back up and soaring again. However, I feel like what should be highlighted first is the explanation as to why things happened the way they did. In 2023 work on a new game mode in private began. To be known as 'Frontlines' it would be a game mode that emulated a full-scale, theatre wide war. Players would even be able to construct and manage their own air bases as the conflict unfolded. The locations this war would take place in would be dynamic using procedural generation for the world's terrain. Hearing this makes the massive battles in real time strategy games come to mind. The developer expresses that completing 'Frontlines' was the driving force for development at the time. However, the motivation to develop and the hurdles of development are a constant see-saw. Where progress was being made in certain areas more complex concepts did not have as much-expected progress. The airport construction and management game mechanic is mentioned specifically. Full time development of Aggressor while running into difficult roadblocks eventually caused the developer to take a step back and realize that inspiration had left them. A new project was started to clear their head, Aggressor was reevaluated, the game was shelved and life moved on. In March 2025 the developer regained momentum by "shifting gears" in development after they had a realization about Aggressor as a whole. Value in Transparency I believe there is real value in the message Flashpoint Studios has given. On its face it is a direct and somewhat vulnerable explanation to supporters that purchased Aggressor years ago and have been waiting for news about it. But in my opinion, there is a genuine value in the message to any established or aspiring indie developer. My biggest takeaway from the statement is that the ambition to make the identity of Aggressor something definitively unique amongst its peers ultimately led to the developer overextending beyond the game's original scope. This then led to severe burn out that halted all development of future content and in turn halted support of the game in the short-term. "Feature creep" may come to mind, but I believe this is a bit different. This wasn't a case of a developer spending months adding a dozen small features while ignoring the core of the product. This seems to be a case of a developer seeing success within their original focus but pushing far beyond the original scope, maintaining focus on the new initiative despite the seemingly insurmountable technical hurdles they came up against despite the effort harming the most valuable assets of any developer: determination and interest. Let's quote an important part of the statement from the developer: "If I could do it all again, I would not have strayed so far from the game's original vision. The initial plan for it was to just be a fun quick-action air combat experience. No mission builder, no procedural airports, no first person view even. Perhaps the game would be in a better place now had these original guidelines been respected. Unfortunately, what's done is done and all the time lost serves as a stark reminder of the consequences. This is not the only reason Aggressor has taken so long, but it has been the key issue. This ends now. I believe the right thing to do at this point is to move on and ensure the mistakes that were made are not repeated." - Flashpoint Studios Developer Statement, January 9th, 2026. Ultimately any project is a "passion" project. This is especially true for indie developers who challenge themselves to learn new skill sets to create the flight games all of us enjoy. They do this alongside their day jobs and daily lives more often than not. The motivation to use personal free time to pursue their projects is a quite a choice. When a developer loses the drive to work on even something they were initially passionate about, it is no wonder that so many projects suddenly halt or gradually taper off over time. I hope other developers out there - no matter if they are already hard at work or beginning to draft their first ideas - take note of this story. I would like to send a firm welcome back to Flashpoint Studios and their work on Aggressor . Next time I talk about this game it will be about what is new, how it plays and experience with the newer, complicated bits. Connect with 'Aggressor' Discord Steam X.com YouTube About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza   Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info , the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [ Read Profile ]

New SAM Behavior Means Renewed TALD Tactics The release of DCS 2.9.6 on July 12th, 2024 was exciting for many reasons. The release of the southwestern area of the Afghanistan Map, a new feature for DCS Supercarrier, Flaming Cliffs 2024, a proper app launcher for the simulator, and a toilet paper roll sized list of changes in the changelog. Nestled away in the updates is, in my opinion, one of the most important out-of-the-box improvements to AI unit behavior in the simulator. Under the DCS Key Updates was listed: "SAM units are smarter now, and based on their skill level, can turn off their radars and reposition if they detect an incoming anti-radiation missile." The Old Way For now I will set aside the inevitable new DCS World Mission Editor Series article I will be writing about this. In the mean time, I have to say that the new behavior of surface-to-air missiles (SAM) units without the need of intense .lua code running in the background of a mission is a fantastic upgrade. This new ability of SAM units to cycle search and track radars on and off as a skill level based reaction immediately breathes new life into all existing single player and multiplayer missions since it is turned on by default. Gone are the "easy" days of suppression of enemy air defense and destruction of enemy air defense in Digital Combat Simulator. The days where just getting into range with the right launch parameters for an anti-radiation missile (ARM) are almost guaranteed radar kill shots; unless another weapon system capable of point defense is nearby. Back in April 2022, I wrote an article about the utility of the ADM-141 TALD (Tactical Air Launched Decoy) against the then default representations of surface-to-air missile sites in DCS World. Previously, dumping many of these unpowered, gliding decoys from a Heatblur Simulations F-14A/B Tomcat or a Eagle Dynamics F/A-18C Hornet in the direction of a SAM site was enough for them to be effective. An active SAM unit with enough range to intercept a TALD would immediately launch as many missiles at them as possible. A pair of TALDs was enough to spur on the launch of at least four or more missiles from SAM sites laying in wait. Introduction to New Behavior Since July 2024, SAM sites in DCS not only take defensive measures against ARMs like the AGM-88 HARM, AS-17 Krypton or Laiden LD-10, but also ADM-141 TALDs. Depending on the skill level of the surface-to-air missile site and the type of unit they are. I first noticed this change in behavior while testing a mission which uses locations of historic strategic surface-to-air missiles sites in the Syrian integrated air defense system (IADS). SA-2 (green), SA-3 (yellow), SA-5 (red), SA-6 (blue). I had aircraft deploy decoys to test the reaction of static SA-2 Guideline, SA-3 Goa, and SA-5 Gammon SAM sites backed up by mobile units like SA-6 Gainful and SA-8 Gecko. It was notable that the more TALDs were in the air space the more the behavior of the SAMs changed. The amount of missiles launched to intercept the TALDs changed. When a large amount of decoys were in the airspace something truly unexpected happened. This led to an entire experiment with release altitudes, quantities and distances that made me re-examine just how these decoys could be used against new AI reactions. In my opinion, this has resulted in a change of effective TALD deployment tactics. F-14A beginning TALD deployment. Long-Range SAM Exhaustion Aircraft deploying the ADM-141 TALD are best used to force long-range SAMs to expend their missiles at near their maximum engagement ranges. Neutralizing their signature deterrent ability and opening them up to counterattack. For example, the standard SA-5 Gammon site includes six missile launcher rails with an on paper launch range of 150 to 300 kilometers. As impressive as this seems, once the SA-5 launches these missiles it is unable to defend itself or deter the ingress of enemy aircraft as it will need to take a long time to reload its missile launchers. The same is true for units like the Patriot Battery and SA-10 Grumble. One aircraft maintaining high altitude, at a safe distance, deploying one or two TALDs in intervals of two to five minutes, can force a SAM site to waste its missiles. But it is a process of patiently waiting for the decoys to be engaged, monitoring sensors to confirm their destruction, then sending the next wave of decoys in. Eventually, when the SAM site begins its reloading process, other friendly aircraft can begin their attacks. This extended time on station for the TALD aircraft does expose it to mobile enemies like combat aircraft to try scrambling to intercept it, so maintaining good situational awareness throughout the process is recommended. Point Defense Isolation Units capable of Point Defense can intercept anti-radiation missiles, glide weapons and air launched cruise missiles while simultaneously attacking incoming aircraft. They are high level obstacles. Even when not attempting to attack them directly, so long as any aircraft or weapon passes in their engagement range, they will launch their interceptors to defend their allies. For example, when directly targeting an SA-15 Tor, intermixing TALDs with other conventional weapons to attack it is highly recommended. Launching two to four TALDs at medium altitude to ensure the Tor can fire upon them will force it to begin launching its missiles in rapid succession. However, unlike a large, highly visible surface-to-air missile site that requires many types of support units around it and is unable to move, an SA-15 is a single, mobile unit capable of shutting down its radar while reloading its missiles - it is much harder to find on the battlefield in comparison. The best time to strike a point defense system is while it is actively defending against an incoming attack as it will be detected on radar warning receivers and electronic warfare sensors while being visually identifiable by missile contrails leaving the ground. While the TALDs are being destroyed, the point defense system should be attacked. F/A-18C Hornet with full "TALD Truck" loadout. Mass Attack Suppression The newest, most unexpected use of the decoys relies on the appearance of a saturation attack. In the real world, the TALD is designed to enhance its own radar signature to appear as larger aircraft or other potential threats when observed on radar. This is what makes SAM radar operators have to decide whether or not they should attack the decoys. In DCS World, SAM sites like the SA-2, SA-3 and SA-5 shut their radars off when eight or more ADM-141 TALDs are airborne and flying towards them. Even when a swarm of decoys flies directly over some of the SAM sites, their radars remain off. In the face of what seems to be a massive attack, the larger SAMs remain powered down while short and medium range SAMs are left to engage the TALDS. Hornet completing full TALD saturation attack. On its face this seems to be an ideal situation. With all long-ranged SAMs shut down, they are not firing their missiles at approaching friendly aircraft. But once the decoys either impact the land or ocean or are shot down by other air defenses, the long-ranged SAMs will be back online with their lethal missiles still available. The TALD swarm opens a window of opportunity to attack but once that window closes, any friendly aircraft in the SAM engagement range will immediately come under attack. While the large SAMs are powered down, friendly aircraft will need to either strike their pre-planned targets, then begin leaving the area or they will need to rush to attack the dormant SAM sites. Swarm of ADM-141 en route. Future Tactics There are many other surface-to-air systems on land and at sea that need to be tested to analyze their new behavior against the ADM-141 TALD. Expect this article to be updated sometime in the future. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. Read Staff Profile .

Considerable updates that have refined this non-traditional flight simulator Exosky by Elevons LLC has greatly improved since its release on March 7th, 2025. This flight simulator takes players across 8 almost phantasmagoric levels with a majority of its aircraft roster being fictional designs with intriguing backstories of their own. Despite the highly unconventional visuals, this simulator prides itself on its flight model more than interstellar combat or cinematic cutscenes. There have been a few important major updates to Exosky, though one stands out more than most, let's give them all a "flyby". Flying a P-51D through a haunted house inside of an ATX power supply. Heavily Updated Flight Model Just a few months after launch, Exosky was one of very few indie flight games that had a presence at Flight Sim Expo 2025 . Between managing a booth and an onstage presentation on the FS Elite stage, developer Jordan Elevons received a lot of feedback from the show floor about its flight model. This resulted in a considerable update on July 8th, 2025. The update better utilized the custom calculated inertia tensor. An overhaul of the collision system from a simple mesh collider to a system that voxelizes aircraft geometry and creates multiple box colliders to match the aircraft; this improves collision detection and the tensor calculations. Control surfaces not immediately ceasing rotation which in turn made precision flying in a game based on daring aerobatic a touch harder to fly more precisely. To clarify, at no point has Exosky had a bad flight model so janky it was hard to play. Players were able to complete flight challenges before this overhaul. With the updated flight model more precise maneuvers are easier to consistently perform, especially at low speeds. Something especially helpful in the type of aerobatics Exosky asks its players to partake in. From my own experience replaying Exosky in its current form, there have been many times where being able to fly on the razor's edge of the flight envelope has let me avoid collisions or rack up points faster than ever. In the past those were situations where I would not commit to those situations or know that if I did it was nearly certain danger. Taking direct, in-person feedback to heart then improving upon the flight model is a testament to the developer continuing to prioritize the experience and maintaining the quality of the sim they offer to the public. Extended Peripheral Support Since its public demo, this simulator has supported various types of USB flight controllers. Players can use any old keyboard and mouse, gamepad or many combinations of flight peripherals. Whether it is an entry level Thrustmaster T Flight, the easier going Yawman Arrow or a full-on Winwing HOTAS with more switches than even the sci-fi drones of Exosky seem to have. For a simulator that focuses on aerobatics and precision flying in close proximity, the only somewhat must- have missing peripheral was head tracking. As of September 13th, 2025, Exosky secured official Track IR support . There was even an official bundle of Exosky and Track IR. With the visuals of the game being what they are, maintaining a point of reference while flying can sometimes be a battle of its own. It can get disorienting when spinning through tumbling mirror polished shards of glass in a desert. Being able to physically look towards where you may fly next before committing to it is immensely useful in... let's call them... "non-traditional environments". It significantly decreases the amount of crashing, that is for sure. CFIT Rewind Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) is described as an airworthy aircraft under complete control of a pilot inadvertently flown into terrain or an obstacle resulting in the aircraft being damaged or destroyed. In the real world and traditional flight simulators, flying into a mountain or into a body of water does happen for a variety of reasons. In Exosky, CFIT looks more like running into a swinging chandelier in a haunted house or misjudging wing clearance while flying down a PCIe slot. Crashing is an inherent part of the aerobatic focus of Exosky which requires players to take big risks for the sake of gaining points or fulfilling level specific challenges. A part of that risk taking is further amplified by the consequence of crashing. Whether it was within a few seconds or after a few minutes of solid, skilled flying, a crash can undo all progress. No points saved, no challenges saved - only a fresh restart from the beginning of the level. While this is not a deal breaker that makes the game unapproachable, I admit there have been a few times a crash or two has been enough for me to wrap up a short flight session early. Fortunately, the developer "has the technology" and provided an alternative to starting over from the beginning and mid-level checkpoints. With the Rewind function from the moment of explosion players can reverse their actions to restart from shortly before the crash. No progress is lost upon restart, and players can potentially correct their errors. Of course, if somehow the players ends up in a situation that is so FUBAR not even a rewind can save them that might be more of a "skill issue" than anything else. Solid Flying Experience Putting time into Exosky again, it does feel like the developer significantly improved this simulator without compromising its identity or rebuilding it from the ground up. Its main point of friction was easily the instant loss of progress upon crashing, but with that addressed and the other aforementioned improvements, it is all around an even better experience. Exosky maintains its position as one of the most visually exotic flight games with a respectable flight model even the most hardcore simmer could enjoy. Connect with Exosky by Elevons Press Kit Steam Website About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza   Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [ Read Profile ]

While we were playing some of the VTOL VR sessions with our friends, I suddenly got reminded that there is another game by the same developer (Boundless Dynamics), Virtual Fighter Maneuvers aside. This older title is one we covered at launch, and one that I quite enjoyed despite its setbacks. It was a great experience with no true parallels in modern gaming, a racing-focused flight sim experience tailored to VR and desktop users alike. So, years after its release, what happened? The game has not received any real updates since 2021, and most people have forgotten about it, to the point that some of my friends thought that this was a new game when I started streaming it to them to get their opinions. VTOL VR, MULTIPLAYER AND TESTBEDS Before the development of Jetborne Racing, BahamutoD's VTOLVR was purely a single-player experience. This was, in fact, the only downside that game had at the time, and a feature a lot of people yearned for. That is where Jetborne Racing comes into play. Jetborne Racing was designed from the ground up to be not only multiplayer capable, but also to have a great emphasis on multiplayer air racing sessions. It is also a game that was made in the same engine as VTOL VR, which meant that the tools made for this game would be extremely easy to implement on it. Shortly after the release of Jetborne Racing, VTOL got its multiplayer mode added. And that is around when updates just stopped for Jetborne, no more content drops or any real post-launch support. To be honest, it felt like an expensive opt-in beta for the VTOL VR multiplayer. WASTED POTENTIAL Personally, I quite loved fighting for positions on the leaderboard and the races. It was quite exciting and very different from what is out there in the market, both back then and even now 5 years after release. The game could have certainly used a content drop, some new courses, or even some other aircraft to play with. Everything just stayed as-is since launch, with the only patches we got being stability and bug fixing updates. The ability to be able to use TrackIR and a full desktop HOTAS is nice, but since there is basically no content that hasn't been untouched, there is little to no reason to get on the game nowadays. I wish I could play Jetborne and not get bored in 30 minutes. I want to play it with my friends and not have them feel guilty for buying what effectively is a dead game. On the other hand, I will still play VTOL VR and its great mods, that is what keeps that game alive. About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy

The electromagnetic maestro of virtual reality combat While Electronic Warfare (EW) in VTOL VR may not be Technical White Paper accurate with a mountain of declassified documentation to back it, you have to find the balance between a 1:1 battlefield tested and sourced representation of EW and no representation at all. That being said, I feel like the portrayal of EW in VTOL VR may be one of the best attempted in flight games. While many aircraft in this simulator have externally mounted self-protection jammer pods or AESA radar based electronic countermeasures, the electromagnetic maestro of this flight sim is the EF-24G Mischief . Official trailer for the EF-24G. After this aircraft's introduction as downloadable content on December 21st, 2023, the virtual reality battlefields of VTOL VR now have to contend with a high speed, swing-wing, two seat electronic warfare aircraft. Its capabilities allow it to survive in environments even this game's fifth generation stealth fighter would have difficulties operating in while enabling all aircraft in the area of operations to be even more effective and better defended from certain types of threats. The Mischief redefines how VTOL VR can be played. The "Tomcat" They Warned You About? The moment anyone sees something shaped like the legendary F-14 with radar cross section reduction design cues and touchscreen displays, it is hard not to think about the old Grumman proposals for advanced variants of the F-14. While nostalgia makes the vibes around these potential upgrades seem like it would essentially be a navalized F-22 Raptor, even the proposals for a future Tomcat placed them more as an advanced multirole fighter. I believe that the developer of VTOL VR built off these proposals while benefitting from the reality of how fixed-wing combat aircraft have evolved technologically in the past decade. Gruman proposal for Advanced F-14 Family. For air-to-air combat the EF-24G maintains the interceptor like speed of the F-14 Super Tomcat with its known weapons like the semi-active AIM-7 and active radar homing AIM-54C. However, it can also carry more technologically advanced air-to-air missiles like thrust vectoring, high off boresight short-ranged infrared missiles and more advanced AIM-120D AMRAAMs. In anti-surface capacity, the EF-24G carries weapons familiar to the F-14B "Bombcat" and F-14D Super Tomcat: unguided bombs, laser guided bombs and GPS guided bombs. Its ability to use targeting pods to visually find it owns targets is beneficial to itself, but thanks to its modernized avionics that allow it to datalink to all friendlies in combat, the EF-24G can perform stand-off attacks on identified targets with anti-ship cruise missiles, land attack cruise missiles and small diameter bombs. The only thing it is lacking in is shorter ranged optically guided, IR guided or laser guided missiles that would make it effective against engaging small, potentially mobile ground targets. The Mischief is a highly effective suppression of enemy air defense platform. In a missile heavy configuration, it can carry up to 10 anti-radiation missiles (ARM). It can carry four different types of ARMs including the short range Sidearm and longer range variants of the AGM-88 HARM. It is important to highlight compatibility with the AGM-188 MARM. This missile can not only attack emitting radars with a top-down attack profile to increase its effectiveness, but the EF-24G can launch these missiles with home on jam functionality. This makes the AGM-188 able to seek out and destroy radar decoys with little input from the aircrew and gives the missile a limited air to air capability as it will also track onto ECM being emitted from aircraft. EF-24G with heavy ARM loadout and ECM pods. You can make a quick comparison of the EF-24G as the highspeed parallel of the entire F/A-18 Super Hornet family. Though it has more of the DNA of the EA-18G Growler than may be expected when looking from the outside in. Immense Electronic Warfare The "E" in the aircraft's designation denotes electronic warfare capability; the capstone of the aircraft. Electronic Warfare has been a difficult subject for many combat flight simulators. It is often simplified in lieu of the deeply complex facet of the wide spectrum battlefield it truly is. Simulators that pride themselves on being as accurate as possible dare not get too deep into the understandably touchy subject. Developers simplifying complex systems while hyper fixating on the accuracy of what players see as less important systems is the type of juxtaposition that only seasoned flight simmers could truly delineate. But let's be real, if the general public ever gets an absolutely accurate portrayal of EW it means various intelligence agencies have failed to do their jobs and said developers may have a knock at their door sooner than later. That being said, the VTOL VR representation of EW is detailed enough for me to genuinely suggest reading some of the community created manuals  for concepts related to it. Specifically pages 40 through 50 of the EF-24G Mischief NATOPS  to completely wrap your head around EW and start to understand its finer details. The electronic attack and detection capability of the internally carried AN/ASQ-289 Combined Electronic Warfare Suite coupled with AN/ALQ-245 electronic warfare pods allows the EF-24G multiple methods of EW attack and identification. As with real world electronic warfare the focus is on the radio spectrum composed of a wide frequency range from 3hz to 3,000 GHz that are organized into 'bands' or general ranges of frequencies. In VTOL VR the core of the EW system is the three frequency bands: Low Band (30hz-2GHz), Mid Band (2GHz-8GHz) and High Band (8GHz-27GHz). These methods across these bands include Noise Jamming  that degrades emitters by bombarding them with continuous pulses of energy, Signature Augmentation  that makes the emitting aircraft appear as a different aircraft to deceive hostiles and Digital Radio Frequency Memory  to create false radar contacts to complicate the identification and targeting process of the effected emitter. It is possible to go much deeper into effective jamming over distances, burn through ranges, power output levels, etc. Effective EW can disrupt search and track radars, degrade missile approach warning systems, make GPS systems drift - in player vs player matches it can even block radio communications. EF-24G with F-45A stealth fighters. The Mischief can also easily find and fix radar emitters passing their coordinates onto other friendly units via datalink. Both the identification and electronic warfare capabilities of the EF-24G can be further extended by with deployment of datalink equipped ADM-160J MALD jet powered decoys. We go into more detail about them in a separate article . All of this combines to let a single EF-24G Mischief to become the central point of disrupting the opposing forces' radar, navigation and communication capabilities. Its jamming capabilities can both help protect singular aircraft or create entire corridors of electronic warfare interference to enable strike packages to operate within an intergraded air defense system. Fast SEAD / DEAD The considerable ARM magazine of the aircraft combined with its EW capabilities can make the EF-24G an monster of an opponent for air defenses. In the Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses or Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses role the EF-24G can handle the bulk of radar detection, ECM suppression and kinetic attack on its own. A core system in this is the FRAZ (Frequency/Azimuth) display. The FRAZ works in concert with the Tactical Situation Display (TSD). Whereas the TSD is used to monitor and attack all detected enemies via datalink, the FRAZ is more akin to the HARM Targeting System in the F-16 Fighting Falcon or the HARM Display of the Legacy F/A-18 specifically in Target Of Opportunity mode. Example of FRAZ display (Source: SpitefulCartographer) The FRAZ visualizes detected radar emitters on a screen separating their frequency strengths between low, mid and high bands of radar energy. This makes it easier to keep track of different radar types, their states of alert and offers a fast way to lock sensors or weapons onto high priority emitters that switch from search to targeting. Rather than trying to manually sort through radars on the TSD, a crew member can use the FRAZ to quickly highlight a radar of interest and illuminate it with any type of available electronic countermeasure in just two or three button or trigger presses. In situations where interceptors are attempting to target the EF-24G or a far-off surface-to-air missile site switches on to attack friendlies, FRAZ enables the Mischief to reach out and interfere within seconds. Single Seat or Multicrew With great capability comes great flight crew workload. Managing every offensive, defensive, navigational and electronic warfare related system is a lot to handle. Even more so when you are being shot at or trying to keep track of dozens of friendly and hostile contacts. Getting a "helmet fire" in the EF-24G is a very real side affect of combat in the aircraft. The Mischief relies on cockpit modernizations on par with the Saab JAS-39E Wide Area Display or the Boeing F-15EX Eagle Large Area Display. Large touch screens able to configure and resize multiple system displays with a few finger presses. The ease of switching screens and prioritizing certain data is a vital tool for the common high threat environments in VTOL VR. The simulator's ability to save up to four specific screen configurations - referred to as L1, L2, L3 and L4 - can also simplify switching the aircraft into specific roles. Rather than rebuilding the layouts every time the aircraft is cold started, perhaps the player could set L1 to be focused on navigation with L4 focused on electronic warfare. Front seat cockpit during SEAD attack. This may be a less-than-popular opinion but one of the highest hurdles to clear with multicrew aircraft is needing to have a second person that is guaranteed to fly with you every time you feel like it. Civilian and combat flight simulators usually automate the position of a co-pilot or weapon system officer to allow a single player to fly aircraft that are required to have two or more crew members. VTOL VR went the route of the F-15EX in this case with the pilot able to use all systems without the need of a dedicated electronic warfare officer (EWO) in the backseat. However, the experience of having a human EWO is night and day. Within a handful of sorties together, crew coordination makes the EF-24G even more effective. Traditionally the EWO would be managing electronic warfare systems and coordinating with allies with the pilot focused on aviating and weapon deployment. However, with all systems being the same in the front and back seat, the pilot can also take up other tasks depending on the situation. While the EWO is passing GPS coordinates to other allies and creating new coordinates for ADM-160J decoys to follow, the pilot can take over electronic warfare duties. Or, in a close-range dogfight, the EWO can even take over thrust vectored IR missiles with their helmet mounted display while the pilot maneuvers against hostile aircraft relying on the 20mm internal gun. After flying the aircraft solo and with various back seaters over the course of a few months, the aircraft has proven itself to be one of the most complex but rewarding aircraft to fly in VTOL VR. Being an absolute missile truck in the F/A-26B Wasp is one thing and sneaking around stealthily in the F-45A Ghost is another thing, but there is something irreplaceable about the role the EF-24G Mischief plays. I am hard pressed to think of a different aircraft in a different simulator that provides the same experience. Again, when looking through the perspective of how EW aircraft and their capabilities are shown in flight arcade games and flight simulators, it truly stands out when you take into consideration the finer details of its capabilities. This leads me into an entirely different thought on how VTOL VR provides an idea of how present day peer vs peer combat plays out, but that is a discussion for another day. EF-24G coming in to land. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info , the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. Read Staff Profile .

VRChat has been home to some of the best and most fun VR flight experiences for a some years now, but it is clear that most worlds do tend to feel very same-y. Cookie cutter modern military aircraft, some terrain and wide skies. That has been the winning formula so far. But on the Japanese side of the VRChat Aviation community, there are creators that want to push a different style and experience to the scene. You keep the military aircraft, add a bit of magic, wonder and some spells, all encapsulated in a stereotypical JRPG aesthetic. That is what Symphony, a well known Japanese creator, accomplished in Fantasy Vehicle World. AN UNEXPECTED SETTING When you join an aviation world in VRChat, you are usually greeted by a runway in front of you, a flight line full of aircraft and not much else. It tends to be very simple and to the point, since the focus of the world is the aircraft and not the world itself. That is where Fantasy Vehicle World sets itself apart from the very beginning. The spawn area is more reminiscent of an MMO or a JRPG town, a place where I would be expected to pick up quests and turn in missions. You can even see some very basic NPCs that have a single line of dialogue in text, all of them in Japanese, of course. The entire town is explorable, but don't expect to find much aside from some chests that have hidden objects inside. It is certainly a big town, but it is still very much the backdrop for what the world is really about: flying. You can access one of the two available aircraft spawn areas through walk-through portals located to the right of the initial respawn position. In these areas you can find three types of aircraft, all of them fictional versions of the following: Su-33, UH-60L and CH-47D. NO COMBAT, ALL FUN Just because these are all military aircraft doesn't mean that this is a combat-focused world, it's actually quite the opposite. The focus of this world is to peacefully fly around the walled city and enjoy the fantasy-filled views from the skies. That is why this is such a good place for the two helicopters that we found ourselves using the most. The Blackhawk feels nimble and agile, while the Chinook feels heavy and planted. Both of them are adorned in a gray livery, with small but deliberate white accents all over. This look is one I found myself growing fond off, since they reminded me of some of the designs I used to do back in the day for aircraft in IL-2 1946 or even DCS. The mixture of that modern cockpit with the fantasy medieval views that are straight out of any popular JRPG is quite the contrast, and one that I just hadn't seen done properly in VRChat or anywhere else. I was so used to the typical boring airbases and aircraft carriers that this world just struck a cord with me. Some of the most fun that we had while we were flying was actually using the Chinook to airlift a Blackhawk while one of our friends, Psyrenkun, was inside it. It took us a couple of tries to properly line up the Chinook and the help of Hueman as a ground spotter, but we had the UH-60L hooked and flying, not under its own power. Have I done this with aircraft in other worlds? Yes. Have I done this in a fantasy world with modern helicopters and placed a Blackhawk on top of a tower like an Amazon Delivery drone? No, I have not. Therefore, this world has delivered a completely new experience. GIVE THIS WORLD A TRY! This world is, at the very least, a very optimized fantasy flight experience that I would recommend to anyone. If what you want is to just relax with your friends, fly around some helicopters or some Sukhois, this world is a decent option for you. Symphony did a fantastic job with the world, and the vibes are so on point that I will surely find myself coming back here just to fly around the city again. And so should you. About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy

An Upcoming Flight Game Gets Us Soliloquizing Skyward Flight Media has a lot of love for seaplanes. Whether they are real world wonders that can land in hard-to-reach locations or fictional designs like our SW-201 Dragonfly that intrigues virtual reality players, aircraft that can fly through the sky and land on the water may be one of the freest forms of aviation there is. Lakehopper  by Photon Games  seems to be on its way to be the next notable seaplane focused flight game. Though I have been watching this indie developer work since November 2025, at a glance work on Lakehopper has been happening for at least nine months now. With a 360,000 square km (140,000 square mi) map using realistic terrain based on real world landscapes, the Steam page describes the setting of this game: "Fly between isolated communities in a flooded, rugged landscape that only seaplanes can serve. Deliver cargo and help connect towns separated by huge distances of nothing but mountains and open stretches of water. Use your skills as a pilot, and the navigational tools at your disposal, to hop between far-flung destinations. Keep your deliveries safe in unforgiving terrain and treacherous waters." The description goes on to talk about how this massive world is persistent; as in, once something has happened it cannot be taken back. A bit more like the real world. As players use their aircraft to fly across the region with the game's physics-based flight model, the aircraft gradually receives wear and tear that comes with this type of backcountry flying. With the mention of airframe and component fatigue in a persistent world my mind flew to an idea I have discussed with other flight simulation enthusiasts. My latest willing victim being fellow Skyward staff member Caio aka "Hueman". Thanks to him I was able to better express my thoughts. Flying vs Operating In my opinion there is a difference between flying an aircraft and operating an aircraft in flight simulation. In Microsoft Flight Simulator, Digital Combat Simulator World, X-Plane and similar flight simulators I believe that you fly aircraft . Everything revolves around the startup, duration of flight, landing and aircraft shutdown. The universal standard is that each aircraft is essentially brand new from the factory or in a near peak flying condition at the beginning of each flight. There are exceptions to this rule, but generally once you are done flying the aircraft it is out of sight and out of mind. Just grab a new aircraft every new session or sortie, you know? Even Digital Combat Simulator aircraft that are heavily damaged then limped back to a friendly airbase can be either be replaced with a new one within a few minutes or repaired on an airfield in about 10 minutes or so. The aircraft returned to a state of near perfection after using the Radio Menu to request repair from ground crews. That or the next time you load up the simulator and grab your go-to aircraft, it is highly likely it will not be the same one you used yesterday. Flying into the sun towards adventure. Lakehopper seems to be going for the experience of what I would consider operating an aircraft . Things do not end with a flight from point A to point B. With airframe and component wear and tear occurring even if the flight goes as planned with the softest of landings, players are not just flying the aircraft and leaving it behind. Now maintaining the aircraft is also the player's responsibility. From the fuel to the airframe to the flight control surfaces to its flight systems. That and gaining the money to support aircraft maintenance while turning a profit. With it being equal parts aviating and maintaining, the aircraft truly would "belong" to the player. Assumingly even the quality and consistency of the player's flight skills would be a factor. More easy coordinated turns over frequent high-G maneuvers. Preference towards flights that avoid dangerous terrain and weather to opt for more easily accessible routes that demand less of the aircraft. A notable feature the developer mentions is that players are able to leave the flight deck while the aircraft is in flight to do other tasks. Walking through the aircraft to reconfigure systems and do in-flight repairs are mentioned. If aircraft components are not maintained properly suddenly having to address an in-flight emergency is a very real possibility. There are not a lot of high-fidelity flight simulators or highly experimental indie flight games that let players do this. Depending on how developer Photon Games implements this, it could be a defining feature for this title. Refueling an aircraft at a dock. Customizing Aircraft With the developer also mentioning over 100 parts to be made available, even aircraft design or upgrades to sub-systems would be a factor. Imagine the tangible relief of purchasing and installing trim tabs for ailerons, elevators or rudders after flying without them for a time. That being something on the level of aircraft builder games like Flyout or Aviassembly or maybe even a bit more like X-Plane's Plane Maker. Looking at early screenshots of the flight deck, you can envision gradually adding new, more advanced instruments or even doing minor upgrades of the basic six pack would be great. It is easy to take for granted the advancements in aviation design and technology it is handed to you, but is something different when you have to work to gain the Glass Cockpits we are so familiar with. Keeping Up with Development Utilizing a VTuber model that represents a laser warning sign come to life named Lux, they frequently livestream development of this game on their Twitch channel . The developer engages with the audience and talks through their progress both on stream and Discord server. Watching a developer livestream their work on a project is always a great way to see how your favorite games are actually made and even ask a few questions. Example of game developing on livestream. Truly customizing the aircraft and then being responsible for if it is operating efficiently or lands in one piece sounds like it could be a rather eye-opening experience. Because of this I somewhat frequently check in to see how things are going. You should too! Connect with Lakehopper by Photon Games Bluesky Discord Steam Twitch About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info , the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. [ Read Staff Profile ]

Using Digital Combat Simulator and War Thunder to present historical air combat from around the world. Depending on which country you were born and raised in, the view of what real-world air combat looked like may vary considerably for a combat flight simulator enthusiast. As an American enamored with military aircraft, I grew up on books about World War II bomber streams, verbally recited stories of aerial ambushes in Vietnam, and documentaries of coalition air power over the skies of Iraq. Growing up with a somewhat preshaped view on the subject, expanding my knowledge by studying the international history of air combat via different forms of media has been one of my favorite pass times. This is why Showtime112 has had my attention for roughly two years. Where a majority of Digital Combat Simulator-focused creators prioritize the nuts and bolts of air operations or playthroughs of fictional scenarios, his content for well over a year now focuses on recreating historical events from conflicts I knew little about or had never heard of. One of the best ways to learn tips and tricks is to listen to how other people may approach a process you're already familiar with. A change in point of view or an additional minor detail they prioritize can yield some useful information. My introduction to Showtime112 came during a session of looking for tutorials from smaller video channels. I stumbled into a set of videos in Croatian. As I don't speak the language, I had planned to click away, but a recommendation for Syrian air force operations against the Islamic State of Iraq and Levant popped up. This led me to watch videos from this channel in the English language about other Syrian and Russian operations at that time. Using a flight simulator as a medium to tell history aviation history is a great way to repurpose an existing product. With aircraft in flight on screen, many camera angles you won't find in documentaries, and complete control over the environment, Showtime 112's recreations can be solid representations of historical events. Each of his videos have sleek introductions using text on the screen to introduce the video's setting before transitioning into the start of the narration. In my opinion, the most important aspects of his presentation are the tone of the narration and the willingness to stick to facts. The long-term quality of his videos is ensured by not using sensationalism to heighten the tension of events or giving into bias to represent one side more than the other. Even when facts from various parties and individuals conflict with one another, the different iterations of the event are explained to the audience. Sources for the content of his videos are provided in the video description for viewers to double check his work if they so choose. So far, the bulk of content he has produced ranges between the 1950s and the early 2000s. Specific events from well-known conflicts like the Korean War, Vietnam War, Iran-Iraq War, and the Gulf War are covered, but I find myself most interested in the lesser-discussed conflicts. Indo-Pakistani conflicts, missions over Bosnia during Operation Allied Force, and especially conflicts throughout the African continent. It is also notable that more recent conflicts that are still ongoing or have impacted current world events have been covered. These include the Russo-Georgian War (2008), the ongoing Syrian Civil War, and the Russo-Ukranian War. These are sensitive topics, to be sure, but even they are handled in the same fact-based style as every other video on his channel. It's a respectable venture. Digital Combat Simulator World has been the primary simulator Showtime 112 has used, but recently War Thunder has also been utilized. War Thunder has primarily been used for videos set in World War II or conflicts after the year 1945 that utilized aircraft produced during World War II. Recently, viewers of his channel have also assisted with video creation, both as extra pilots or with details like the proper pronunciation of the pilots' names and locations. Besides the YouTube channel , Showtime 112's community includes a Discord server where people can hang out with the creator with supplemental Facebook and Instagram accounts. An official Patreon account has been more of a focus lately, with exclusive content hitting there first before it reaches YouTube. With the time and effort it takes to produce this content 'full-time,' the creator has emphasized that its possible production will stop since the effort put into the venture isn't sustainable with the volatile returns provided by things like Google Ads and occasional sponsors alone. An all too common problem for video-focused creators these days. Showtime112 has been a reliable source of consistent and informative historical air combat content. I sincerely hope that his work continues well into the future, with more attention brought to what he has been doing for quite a while now. About the Writer Aaron "Ribbon-Blue" Mendoza Co-founder of Skyward Flight Media. After founding Electrosphere.info, the first English Ace Combat database, he has been involved in creating flight game-related websites, communities, and events since 2005. He explores past and present flight games and simulators with his extensive collection of game consoles and computers. Read Staff Profile .

War Thunder can bring out the best and the worst in people, all at once. It is a glass bowl full of folded papers with emotions written on them, from which you draw a couple of strips every match to determine how you will feel during and after that match. Sometimes it can be happiness and delight, sometimes it can be surprise and disappointment. It will all depend on what you play and with whom you play it with, as to say, that it is nothing but random chance if you will have a good time. That being said, there is a place many long-term players dread: top-tier matches. If you feel like subjecting yourself to the dread that can be induced by playing Air Realistic Battles, then now you can pay a pretty penny to get there without the multi-year grind by getting the Venezuelan Su-30MK2 for the Soviet/Russian tech-tree. This might not be the first time a top-tier premium jet is available for sale, but it is one of the first times that one can actually carry these many missiles. TOP TIER: WHAT'S THE PROBLEM? There are so many little issues with top tier gameplay that going one by one would take as much space as a short movie script. So let's keep it short. Matches feel like a missile jousting simulator, and are usually just determined by who can get their missiles out first. A typical match, whenever you don't get uptiered, is composed of a mix of every nation's top tiers with a prevalence of US and Soviet jets. The US and Western aircraft have a clear advantage thanks to their AIM-120s and equal missiles having superior range to Soviet-made R-77s, leaving you with longer range but semi-active R-27R and R-27T. This leads to you getting shot down before you even have the chance to launch your missiles into any sort of effective range, which ends in one of two ways: You either avoid the oncoming barrage of enemy light poles and start terrain masking and play a different game until you inevitably get shot down Or pray to the Snail that you will somehow avoid detection by terrain masking from the beginning, avoiding getting spotted and taking the enemy by surprise. The latter is the most effective on this Su-30MK2, but barely. THE SU-30MK2, A CAPABLE PREMIUM SURROUNDED BY FEARFUL PEERS Almost every single aircraft around you, premium or not, will be as capable or more capable than you. This Flanker is not the most agile, since it doesn't have thrust vectoring or canards, but it does have the classic Flanker swiftness that we all know and, some, love. While it can carry some interesting air-to-air and air-to-ground weaponry, it does seem to have a worse sensor suite than the ones present in other Flankers such as the Su-30SM or even the J-11B. Do not come in expecting this to be the best Flanker in the game, because it is most definitely not. When facing enemies at BVR, you will have to rely on your radar's TWS HDN mode to guide the very mediocre R-77s home. In the hands of a competent pilot, the Su-30MK2's radar can be made to work, it is no AESA, but it can still detect targets at around 60 to 70Km away. Does that mean that you will be able to engage at those ranges? No, forget about it. The longest range I would recommend you launch your R-77s would be inside 25Kms, since you would be lowering your hit chance by quite a bit were you to launch earlier than that. You can try lobbing the missiles to extend range by some kilometers, but forget about 70 to 80Km shots with these missiles. They do not guide reliably enough at such ranges. Example of such a trade. The Mirage 2000 (background) got downed by my R-77, but now I am about to meet their missile and my maker (foreground) Even when I get a shot off that I know will hit, I usually end up trading or getting wrecked by some random guy that will call me names on the in-game chat for using the Venezuelan Premium plane. Something that I find quite amusing, considering that I am Venezuelan. SO, IS THIS FLANKER WORTH IT? Short answer, no. Long answer, it will depend on how desperately you want to get to experience what top tier is like in War Thunder, or how hard you want to speed up your grind through the Soviet tech tree. As a premium, it is excellent. It will help you unlock a lot of extremely fun aircraft that you will, most likely, enjoy even more than the Flanker. Even early jets can be extremely fun, ones such as the MiG-15 or even the early MiG-21s, a BR where missiles are still trash. The core of what can be considered fun in War Thunder is directly proportional with how advanced they are on the tech tree. I have a blast with low-tier tanks and aircraft, so if what you want is a way to get to that fun the fastest, then this premium aircraft is for you. You will be able to unlock the entirety of the Soviet aircraft tech tree in no time, as long as you get consistent kills with the Su-30MK2. Whether getting to those vehicles as fast as possible is worth 80 of your hard-earned dollars and selling your soul to the Snail? Well, that I cannot tell you; but remember that you also get 30 days of premium with this purchase, for as much as that is worth, anyway. About the Author Santiago "Cubeboy" Cuberos Longtime aviation fanatic with particular preference towards military aviation and its history. Said interests date back to the early 2000s, leading into his livelong dive into civil and combat flight simulators. He has been involved in a few communities, but only started being active around the mid 2010s. Joined as a Spanish to English translator in 2017, he has been active as a writer and the co-founder of Skyward ever since. Twitter  | Discord : Cubeboy