Firefly

I've just logged in to ED forums to find that I'd been permanently banned. After the initial shock and disbelief I Googled it and found out that there's been a major server issue on ED's part. All you need to do to fix this is log out and back in again. https://forums.eagle.ru/forum/english/customer-support/forum-and-site-issues/7142217-re-login-for-fix-you-have-been-permanently-banned#post7142296

Every day is a good day to post a MiG-29 video.

Perfect timing, I was about to sit down with a pint and enjoy the rest of the evening.

This is great! Feels so weird to see to many MiGs on American soil...

Evil hobbitses's...

True, they seem to have their priorities right.

Note that they omitted question 10 - "After the success of the 21, is M3 looking into doing another Redfor module, like the MiG-25, 29 or Su-17?". Cap then said in the comments they had to drop it for legal reasons... Undisclosed new Redfor modules coming?

Fascinating stuff! I'll forward this to a Serbian friend of mine, who happens to be a bit of a Fishbed fan.

As someone who corrects other people's writing for a living - thank you.

Oh boy... The movie is an absolute classic in Polish aviation circles. I'd love to do some roadbase operations myself. Finding the right stretch of road is the hard part, especially on Caucasus. Not surprised they chose the Persian Gulf, though they should've found a road with no trees or lampposts next to it. I would never attempt this without working rudder pedals. Shame they didn't use proper Polish skins. EDIT: Hey boss, look what I found... https://forums.eagle.ru/forum/english/licensed-third-party-projects/heatblur-simulations/dcs-ajs37-viggen/219721-any-good-suggestions-for-a-road-base-in-the-caucasus-map?p=5873223#post5873223 Not that I'm trying to suggest anything, but... You might have the perfect map to try some of these out.

My new personal anthem.

Short and sweet.

Glorious!

Yup, the replacement process has been going on since about 2010. Most of the Zulu Cobras in Marine service today are converted Whiskeys, but about a quarter of all the airframes are newly built. Not sure if the USMC order is finished or still in progress. In other news, the state-run Polish Armaments Group recently signed a memorandum with Bell about potential collaboration in the Viper/Venom programme if the AH-1Z is selected as the replacement for our Mi-24Vs. I really hope we get a Cobra in DCS, the prospect of a full-on Iran-Iraq war reenactment is just too enticing.

Today is a sad day in aviation - the classic "whomp, whomp, whomp" of two-bladed Cobras is no more, the Marine Corps retired the AH-1W today. https://news.bellflight.com/en-US/192399-united-states-marines-retire-bell-ah-1w-after-34-years-of-service

Holy moly!

Such an incredibly modern gun for its time. IIRC she's still in service with the Brazilian police!

Exactly. Its major advantage as a DCS prospect is that most of its major weapon systems are already in the game in one form or another. Whoever makes it won't have to start from scratch.

I don't believe I featured these before, so here we go. Standard disclaimer for Polish videos applies - the editing and soundtrack are... questionable, to put it charitably. Still, the footage is great. Some of the scenes were filmed on board older, unupgraded series 30 (or later) Su-22M4s with the IT-23M television screen (used for aiming the Kh-29T) left in place. Pay close attention to part 2, the pilot was kind enough to stick the camera right behind the ASP-17BC reflector gunsight, very similar to what was used in the Su-25. Also note the presence of a gun camera in a few shots, apparently some of these segments were filmed during live fire exercises.

The Swedish Dragon in all its afterburning, rollerskating glory. I'd love that plane to be in DCS.

Exactly. Bonus points to the PAF for keeping those Cold War warriors alive.

Glorious. Mesmerising. Breathtaking. Best watched in a completely dark room with headphones on.

The future is now.

That's an apt metaphor, with computer-driven design becoming de rigeur we will be seeing new designs coming out in no time at all. I wonder if the future of air combat will involve automated factories pumping out drone after drone, with incremental changes taking place on the production line rather than generational leaps being made.