Patch Post #1 for the 2017/2018 Campaign
Well to start especially with the first Brazilian jets below in particular and others, those items go back about five years or more by time this gets posted. Why? First tracking the development of the item or lead time if you will until operational. Priorities associated with the game like armor and
major OOB related mostly. Personal and related issues-life in general. So this is more about my philosophy of…
One
World
One OOB at a Time (
OWOOT…well that was interesting!?!) which is why I’m starting here with this thread. Unfortunately I’ve lost within the last few days I’ve somehow lost over a
100 files relating specifically to my Jets and Planes folder. So sorry for the delay these issues were in my head as I said for many years and in my last couple of years of submitting my Patch Posts I indicated how far behind I was letting these things go. I’ll do my best, because my goal here among others is to try to generate some interest outside of the ordinarily/or usual suspects played out here. You will note a more streamlined format (On the UNIT info page as you look at it go
TOP to
BOTTOM and
LEFT to
RIGHT is how I’ll try to present the data. I’m maintaining the past practice of not including
END DATES for new and existing units if they meet or exceed the current games one. A note on the
CHANGE items, mentally think of it as
CHANGE too, this shortens things where I entered the data fields etc. with “
vice” in between them. Finally I’m using a different font (
Calibri 11 see I remembered!) to hopefully make things easier for Don, Andy and myself. Also I’ll be submitting new country pictures for these items below as needed and via follow up posts to this. As you go along you’ll understand why.
Since it’s been awhile and we have many new folks out here (WHICH IS GREAT!!) over the last couple of years, I would again ask your patience and understanding in that these submissions are for your viewing only while under this thread. This is to expedite any issues between us concerning equipment getting into the game. As always I migrate these back to their “home” threads after all issues have been addressed, and Don is satisfied as is or the patch has been released, after which you can comment as you wish.
I will thank everyone for your support and encouragement over these last few years at the end of this submission it’s just a little special THANK YOU!?! So this is the first one about 4yrs. and if Don’s ready, let’s get started…
JETS PLANES BUT NO UAVS HERE.
ADD:
A1. Brazil/SEP 2016/DEC 2025/Embraer A-1M AMX/EW 6/TI-GSR 40/2x DEFA 540 30mm/LGB capable/Ref. UNIT 148 as weapons option/FC 16/RF-Does have Range Finder value at your discretion//. Though work started in 2008 however, the world market situation slowed the cash flow in this program. The prototypes were made fully operational and the
FAB did receive they’re first A-IM in SEP 2013 with 16 more at various stages of modernization but, I’m basing my
FOC+ as indicated above as that was a date a ref. pointed to as delivery of additional aircraft. The
A-1 cannot compete against the
A-1M as this was an extensive and very expensive upgrade for the number of planes involved (43). It should be noted that Israel’s ELBIT was the lead initially in the upgrade of the planes avionics and advanced electronic systems.
https://dialogo-americas.com/en/arti...l-flight-march
http://www.airforce-technology.com/p...ighter-bomber/
https://embraer.com/global/en/news#/...A1-modernizado
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...-Brazil-05151/
http://www.deagel.com/news/First-Upg...000011864.aspx
A2. Israel/JAN 2005/DEC 2015/A-4N SKYHAWK II AYIT (EAGLE)/EW 4/TI-GSR 30-35 (Possible 40.)/2x 20 mm COLT Mk 12/Normal Configuration – Drop Tanks/6 Mk 82 500lb bombs and 2 LAU-131 rocket pods/Optional Pkg. - 8 Mk 82 500lb bombs/2 Mk 80 250lb “Fire Cracker” bombs/FC+ (?)/RF-Does have Range Finder value at your discretion//. Before I make my case for this plane, I noticed that the pictures for
UNITS 308-311 are all
USN ones and ICO of
311 not an A-4N as that has The “
humpback” on it. I already have IDF pictures for 311 and this one if entered. Alright here we go…By
2005 the IAF realized the life span of their
A-4 was coming to an end. By
2008 the search was on for its replacement which included the possibility of using their
F-16A/B that I believe were coming out of service around that time. By
2014 that replacement was being integrated though initially they were purposely stripped down versions when bought (
See ref. 5).
These planes received the above noted improvements plus others to cover other avionic aspects in regard to the planes performance. This is in the realm of an advanced trainer that is designed (Like many others
T-50 ROK, L-15 China, YAK-130 Russia and M346 Italy etc.), that is fully combat ready. In looking into this matter, it can be interpreted that they might’ve been used for such purpose, after all once advanced training is completed it’s on to their final assignments. But we’ve been down this road before (
STRIX etc.) so my case is really above the fact that if “
push came to shove” Israel wouldn’t hesitate to use them or any other nation that operates a smaller AF similar to the geo-political environment they are in. I think this is something to consider.
The
4th ref. is was the best I could find on the IAF A-4 weapons configurations. The
5th ref. indicates combat missions into
Lebanon in 2006. The
6th ref a book on the combat history in chapter 7 is about operations in Syria and Lebanon. The chapters are in chronological order. The
7th ref is an IAF source on their aircraft. What I find unusual here is that the
AYIT is not listed under the trainer section (Click on decade time lime.) however its replacement is. The last two discusses the new trainer and the IDF upgrades including weaponing of them.
http://www.aviobook.com/military/4X_...HTERS.ENG.html
http://iaf.org.il/4428-45751-en/IAF.aspx
From para 4 “…as it took part in every Israeli campaign ever since it entered service…”
http://warbirdsnews.com/warbirds-new...s-service.html
http://www.moddb.com/mods/idf-fight-...e-israeli-ayit
http://a4skyhawk.info/article/israel...kyhawks-combat
https://ospreypublishing.com/israeli...nits-in-combat
http://iaf.org.il/9031-en/IAF.aspx
http://www.airforce-technology.com/n...craft-4202966/
http://www.iaf.org.il/4462-49374-en/IAF.aspx
Pic:
CHANGE:
C1. Brazil/UNIT 153/F-5EM/Start DATE SEP 2006 FOC+/EW 8 Rafael Litening III /TI-GSR 40+ (?)/Rafael Litening III/1x 20mm M39 1 cannon removed to accommodate additional air/ground radar + other sensors/FC 22+?//First I feel these planes from the start should’ve been around
40 TI-GSR as they stand w/o the pods. Also more of the pods had been received since the below ref first reported on them. By
Sep 2006 13 F-5EM and 1 F-5FM were operational (However, “An official ceremony on
21 September 2005 at Canoas marked the service entrance (
FOC) of the Embraer
F-5EM with the first operational unit: 1°/14 GAv "Pampa" at Canoas AB.” But they were designated to conduct
op evals. This goes to an earlier discussion concerning
FOC vs. FOC+. These are probably the most advanced versions of the type being flown now. Depending on how the
GRIPEN NG purchase goes (Tentative first delivery late
2019.), these planes might stay in service until
2030. Some refs do point to
2020, however it took a year to op eval these planes and they already flew the
F-5 prior. Now we know that’s not going to happen. Again Israel and also Italy played a key role in its development. The difference maker to some extent was the decision to buy the more capable Italian radar vs. their first choice.
My first ref does an excellent job of tying the rest in I’ve supplemented it with. But
I’m under a self-imposed time limit so…I end on the following question, do we want to
ADD the F-5FMtwo seater and should we not consider also an additional F-5EM in a different weapons configuration? And this can wait or after this is submitted and depending on your workload, I can fire off an addendum to this Patch Post if you want it for the next Patch.
http://www.the-northrop-f-5-enthusia...lUpgrades.html
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...Program-06837/
http://www.defense-aerospace.com/art...to-brazil.html
C2. Israel/UNITS 308-311/A-4E/F/H/N to include “AYIT” at end of name/See A1//.
C3. Israel/UNIT 311/A-4N SKYHAWK II AYIT/End DATE DEC 2008/2x 20 mm COLT Mk 12/Normal Configuration – Drop Tanks/6 Mk 82 500lb bombs and 2 LAU-131 rocket pods/Optional Pkg. - 8 Mk 82 500lb bombs/2 Mk 80 250lb “Fire Cracker” bombs//. I think it well worth to equip jets/planes as full as possible with ordnance in cases like this when other changes are needed and we have sources available to support the claim. And I’m not however suggesting we do a major check of aircraft in the game, as a user of them, most already are “fully” loaded. This again was a random opportunity that presented itself. The 4th ref is from a
1965 USMC orientation film. You’ll see one of the single mission load outs at the start of the video and you’ll need to pause it, it’s only 30s long. The last is for informational and entertainment value. It has some great combat footage.
Note: From A2, that refs 2 and 5-7 apply here as well.
http://a4skyhawk.info/article/israel...kyhawks-combat
http://www.military-today.com/aircraft/a4_skyhawk.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBAjBHJCM-k
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLMM_jf6Lwc
Pic:
C4. USA/UNIT 851/AC-130H SPECTRE/END DATE MAY 2015//
Keeping this simple, she’s flown off into the sunset. OK retired.
Note: Holding off on the new AC-130J GHOST RIDER. Could possibly become operational this year however, the USAF had to scrap one due to a “Training Mishap” I don’t intend to enter the AC-130W due primarily to slot issues, unless someone tells me otherwise. That being said the AC-130J GHOST RIDER is a much more capable platform which will be equipped with anti-tank missiles and PGB’s.
http://www.cannon.af.mil/News/Articl...ectre-gunship/
FYI: During the YOM KIPPER War the A4 suffered moderate/heavy losses, if you looked at the ref 5, you’d have noticed near the bottom a picture showing the jets nozzle almost blown off. You’ll notice on later pictures and the ones I submitted, they actually rebuilt and extended the nozzle which in turn greatly reduced its IR heat signature.
HELO News game related.
ADD:
A1. Thailand/JUN 2015/SUPER COUGAR H225M/COPY REVISED Brazil UNIT 129/UNDER “CHANGE” see C1 FOR FURTHER DATA//
CHANGE:
C1. France UNIT 520 UP ARMORED/Malaysia UNIT 664 UP ARMORED/Brazil UNIT129 also START DATE JUN 2011/Indonesia UNIT 129/TO SUPER COUGAR H225M/ADD PORT AND STARBRD FN MAG 60-30 MG w/ 250 or 1000RD DRUMS/LEAVE ALL OTHER STATS AS IS/EXCEPT AGAIN Brazils new start date above// What simply happened here is that Eurocopter was bought out by Airbus which caused the name change, trying to avoid any future confusion for this helo. I noted in the case of
France and
Malaysia (
Armor upgrade pkg.) the
HS value is
3 vice 2 for all the others. Is this a good number in your mind for those two countries? Or might
4 be better? I defer to you as I know you always back check these submissions. The below refs are the only live links from
HELO Thread Pg. 3/Post #26/A4 as originally submitted.
For Thailand getting it, Brazils new start date and helo name change per updated ref 1.
http://www.airforce-technology.com/projects/ec725/
You’ll be DIRECTLY taken to updated version w/H225M.
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...copters-04959/
Not updated since JAN 05, 2012.
https://www.defenseindustrydaily.com...copters-05690/
Pic: This is for France.
C2. Malaysia/UNIT 324/S-61A4 NURI/END DATE DEC 2025// These were to be replaced by the
SUPER COUGAR H225M. See
C1 above
ref 1. From the next ref you’ll see where I’m heading with this. Taken from this
ref 1 para 9/1st sentence “AgustaWestland also intends to bid for the replacement of the Malaysian air force’s
Sea King S-61A4 helicopters, offering the AW101 as an alternative to the
Eurocopter EC 725.” Much later…However after some confusion (Was there a base model and a later “
NURI” updated version?) and chasing a
ghost helo I have fixed the above and removed a copy request below no longer there. Alright the
S-61A4 NURI is receiving a modernization pkg. which appears to have just begun or is about to. This is why I requested the above date change. It will obviously at a later date require a new unit and possibly a later date change to mark the retirement of the current unit, should it occur before
2025. I haven’t found any newer refs on that upgrade status of this helo.
https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-n...ng-even-better
http://defense-studies.blogspot.com/...licopters.html
https://www.shephardmedia.com/news/d...raft-upgrades/
FYI: I need more time to put together the information I need to come up with a viable solution the export version of the AH-64E GUARDIAN. I’m looking at a hybrid version of both the USA AH-64D (Latest mod.) and the current AH-64E. I believe I know what the needs are but need to figure out which countries it would be applied to. I know for the “hybrid” applies to India which actually a couple of years ago lead me to this issue, but what about say Britain, Taiwan (They got them first and already have them.) and ROK. I need to resolve this. I’ll work on it, let you know when it’s ready and let you decide if it can be worked in or not for the next patch.
MBT’s
CHANGE:
C1. Ukraine/UNIT 064/OPLOT-M/TI-GSR 50// Several years back around the time I submitted the
AH-64E GUARDIAN and
ABRAMS SEP V2 I posted some questions regarding the whole
TI/GSR issue as these were getting more advanced and how to make them work within the game. At the time we set the upper limit at 60 which given our battle ground size currently is more than viable. I compiled a list of tanks based on further research of their FCSystems by memory (I believe the list included
10 or so tanks. All this was posted in the
MBT Thread. and with their updated numbers,
Japan TYPE 10/50, Britain CHALLENGER 2 TES/50, Latest German LEOPARD 2A6/60 (ATTICA), Russian ARMATA/60.
Then I had
3 that required a “
deeper” look the
French LeClerc, Ukraine OPLOT-M and Italian ARETE. The first two made it by
~200m and the
ARETE was “
on the money” at
40 (2 or 3 upgrade pkgs. were put together, but all fell through.). I guess I never brought the
OPLOT-M back into the spotlight?
Now the lights are on.
C2. Thailand/UNIT 019/OPLOT-T/TI-GSR 50//
Well blame the Russian incursion in the Ukraine. They did receive all the tanks ordered this past fall. But due to the Ukraine’s defense issues the orders had slowed down significantly. Once the initial concerns over the tank having an auto loader, they’ve since been very impressed with the tank and its reliability. The crisis came along and forced Thailand to look elsewhere to fulfill its
250 modern tank role. As Don has indicated you’ll see the Chinese
VT-4 in the next patch as the tank chosen to fill the gap. I still feel there will be a showdown between the two tanks. This situation was actually good for the Ukraine as they went from
10 OPLOT-M tanks to estimates now at around
150 -200 tanks in the field now and maybe an opportunity depending on the performance of the VT-4, to get back into Thailand to sell them more OPLOT’s or the improved version that we might see in the game.
http://defense-studies.blogspot.com/...s-oplot-t.html
https://asian-defence-news.blogspot....ivered-to.html
https://land.dfns.net/2017/12/12/roy...e-oplot-tanks/
Pics: Second is a
RTA VT-4.
All pics are of national origin.
4:15am and I am so dead!?! 
Regards,
Pat
