| Friday, October 8, 1999 |
New Articles @ COMBATSIM.COMUSAF Mini Review- USAF Central has posted a mini review of the USAF demo complete with screen shots. You can view the article here: USAF Demo
Aussies Mix it up with Militia- Two Australian SAS troopers wounded in an ambush involving pro-Jakarta militia were evacuated to Darwin yesterday. Both soldiers were conscious through out the ordeal and managed to return fire. Two militia were killed in the exchange which took place near the boarder town of Suai on Wednesday afternoon. It was the first exchange of hostile fire between international peace keepers and militia.
Thanks to JWP for the clip
Aces High Beta Patch- HiTech Creations is proud to announce the next generation of online combat flight sims with Aces High. Aces High represents the culmination of many years of experience in playing and producing online flight sims with the latest cutting-edge technology. Click here to download the full demo version. Click here to download the patch from 3DFiles.com.
Mercenary Sniper 1.05 - There is a new game coming from Finland that is a free download. It is called Mercenary Sniper and it puts you in the role of sniper earning money for your work. You can view the webpage here: MS1.05
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| Thursday, October 7 1999 |
New Articles @ COMBATSIM.COMCodename Eagle Demo 3DFiles.com has posted a demo of Codename Eagle. Building on the success of classics such as the Tomb Raider series and the N64's GoldenEye, Codename: Eagle promises to bring the next level of 3D-action adventure gaming to the PC. With its balanced blend of pure action, strategy and adventuring, the game should appeal to a wide-ranging audience and together with some truly unique features, Codename: Eagle hopes to set a new standard in this highly competitive genre. You can download the demo here: Codename Eagle New Creative Labs RivaDrivers- These drivers are for all Creative Labs TNT/TNT2/TNT2Ultra based products. They are based on reference drivers version 2.08. For NT, you can download them here: Riva NT. For Win9x download them here: CL Riva Update
Navy SEALs Resurfaces - Rogue Spear Retreat is report that Navy SEALs, a military sim based on the Unreal engine which was canned by Sierra last year, has resurfaced under a new publisher. Codemaster's has purchased the rights to two ex-Sierra games and are putting them back in development.
Rage Software acquires D.I.D- Incoming developer Rage Software has acquired the talents of D.I.D. from Infogrames. All of Digital Image Design's assets and staff now belong to Rage, and in return Infogrames will receive the British Sterling equivalent of more than $9 million in the form of nearly 18 million Rage shares. Under the agreement, Infogrames will still publish the developer's upcoming next generation Euro-Fighter simulation, Typhoon, in Europe.
"We believe that welcoming the highly regarded D.I.D. team into the Rage camp will be of a major benefit to Rage, immediately establishing us at the very forefront of the flight sim market," said Rage CEO Paul Finnegan. "D.I.D. has an impressive record of producing hit titles and also bring oneof the most sophisticated driving engines in the industry, based upon its fantastic 3Dream engine.
Fighter AceII Hits Beta- Microsoft has announced that their on-line pay-for-play combat flight simulator has hit beta. There are no other details avaiable at the moment but keep watching for updates
Jane's Defence Weekly for 6 October 1999- USA forms joint force command to defeat threats
The US Atlantic Command (ACOM) this week is being converted into the US Joint Forces Command (JCOM) with the specific goal of preparing a joint force capable of defeating a wide range of future threats.
- RAAF standoff weapon project is launched
The Australian Department of Defence has issued a Request for Proposals (RfP) for a family of follow-on standoff weapons (FOSOW) for the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), a requirement likely to exceed A$200 million ($130 million).
- US weapons shortages risked success in Kosovo
An after-action report on US logistical support for the NATO air campaign against Yugoslavia earlier this year indicates that weapons shortages were greater than previously revealed and posed asignificant threat to the overall success of the operation.
- Navy and marines to merge support
The US Navy and US Marine Corps will soon start streamlining administrative services and conducting personnel exchanges in an effort to improve their warfighting capabilities, according to Secretary of the Navy Richard Danzig.
- Bids in for French combat vehicle
The two French bidders for the French Army's future VCI (Véhicule de Combat d'Infanterie) 8 x 8 wheeled infantry combat vehicle requirement have submitted their combined development and production bids to the French defence procurement agency, the Délégation Générale pour l'Armement.
- Frigate could be a victim of budget cuts
The Turkish Naval Forces Command (TNFC) requirement for a new generation air defence and command frigate could fall victim to defence budget pressures, according to defence officials in Ankara.
- ADF recruits extra troops for East Timor rotation
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has begun an urgent recruitment drive to sustain Australia's continuing commitment to Operation 'Stabilise' in East Timor.
- S Korea tops up defence budget
The South Korean government has proposed to its National Assembly a 5% increase to Swon14.439 trillion ($12 billion) in defence spending for next year.
- US admiral boosts links with Algeria
The commander of the US 6th Fleet, Vice Adm Daniel Murphy, held talks with Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika on 28 September on expanding military links.
- Russia ill-prepared for war
Russia is unwittingly drifting towards another full-scale war in Chechnya a war for which the country is not prepared, militarily or politically.
Jane's International Defense Review for October 1999- The last line of defense
Attacks by terrorists `across the wire' can cause as much damage to a military base as an air strike. Ground surveillance radars, unattended sensors and thermal imagers can provide the vital last line of defense against such threats.
- Defeating the maritime mugger
The Close-In Gun System Working Group has been established by the US Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard to identify an effective and affordable counter to surprise attacks in either littoral waters or confined areas, such as harbors, where ships are much more vulnerable.
- Putting the fight into crew stations
Armored Fighting Vehicle manufacturers are grappling with the latest issues, including digitization, to affect the designs of crew compartments, which are largely determined by the size of the crews whilst others focus on reduced-crew operating.
- C² for the air warrior
The United States Air Force predicts that future air Command and Control (C²) operations are likely to revolve around a Global InfoSphere; a consortium due to be set up by combining government andindustry and led by a steering committee. It is hoped this will create a rapid-planning cycle and enable the speedy prosecution of time critical targets.
- US military selects its `Super' shotgun
IDR puts the new Benelli/Heckler & Koch M4 Super 90 shotgun through its paces. The weapon has been selected across the US Armed Forces.
Jane's Defence Upgrades for 1-15 October- BAeA advocates 'stretched' Anzac upgrade
British Aerospace Australia has disclosed details of its radical 'cut-and-plug' solution proposed for the Royal Australian Navy's Anzac frigate Warfighting Improvement Programme. If accepted, the 3,600-ton Anzac frigates will be split amidships and fitted with an additional hull module to provide additional volume for new equipment and recover stability lost by the increase in topweight.
- Romanian radars upgrades
The Romanian Navy has just completed modernising the radar installation on their sole warship described as "a destroyer", the Marasesti. There are currently no contracts for further installations as the long-term future of the upgrade programme depends on funding.
- New sniper rifles for old
Accuracy International has introduced a sniper rifle upgrade - known as the AICS (Accuracy International Chassis System) kit. This allows owners of older weapons that use the Remington 700 short bolt action and barrel to update their weapons at a cost below that of the new weapon. Kits for other rifles are in the pipeline.
- B-1B upgrades setback despite Kosovo success
The Block E and Block F components of the Conventional Munitions Upgrade Program for the US Air Force fleet of Boeing B-1B Lancer bombers, may be delayed by funding and schedule pressures. This isdespite the Block D upgrade, which enabled six B-1B bombers to participate in the recent air campaign against Yugoslavia.
- SHOW REPORT: Defence Systems Evaluation International (DSEi)
Held at the UK's Defence Evaluation and Research establishment (DERA) at Chertsey in September, this report includes items covering the three upgrades of the Scorpion series of light armoured vehicles; the first production deliveries of the LINAPS (Laser INertial Artillery Pointing System) for the British Army; the Royal Navy's selection of Type 1207(3) VHF/UHF transceivers from Park Air Electronics; and the announcement by Racal Defence Electronics contract award to enhance the Sea King AEW helicopter Full Mission Trainer.
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| Wednesday, October 6 |
COMBATSIM.COM EXCLUSIVE! - Guillemot to Support Thrustmaster F22 Pro and TQS Owners- Our sources at Guillemot (the recent purchaser of Thrustmaster) tell us that rumours of the FLCS and F22 Pro joysticks and the TQS throttle's demise are somewhat premature. The facility in Oregon---where these joysticks and throttles were all assembled by hand---has indeed been shut down, but Guillemot is still undecided as to whether to discontinue these products. So where does that leave current high-end Thrustmaster gear owners?
Guillemot will be announcing a new after-warranty support program for these products on its web site this week. Details are still sketchy, but it appears TM owners will be able to buy (yes, buy) parts kits for these incredibly versatile, but highly maintenance intensive controllers. Is the writing on the wall? Probably. When pressed for a verbal commitment as to whether these controllers will continue to be manufactured, we were told that "Guillemot is committed to making high-end flight a priority." Sounds to us like we may see a new line of TM controllers that take the best features of current TM controllers and marries them into a less maintenance-intensive package. Let's hope so!
Looking to buy an F22 Pro and TQS now but can't find 'em? There appears to be some inventory at Outpost.com. Get 'em while you still can!
Update to "Dawn of Aces" to be Released - iEN has released a major update to Dawn of Aces - the award-winning World War I Internet Air Combat Simulation. The new release contains the following updates:
- new physics model
- frame rate improvements
- Radio enhancements with automatic 6 calls
iEN has a new homepage at iEN Central
BattlezoneII Online Sweepstakes- The contest, which will run from Oct. 5 through Nov. 15., calls for the gaming public to visit BZ2 Ecards where they can access a special Battlezone II ecard, as well as the game demo, screenshots, their entry form for the sweepstakes and a special epostcard that can be sent to five friends.
Participants will automatically be entered into a sweepstakes to win one of the following prizes: - 1st Prize -- Voodoo 3 3000 cards (5 winners)
- 2nd Prize -- Sound Blaster Live! X-Gamer cards (10 winners)
- 3rd Prize -- Activision Game Packs (10 winners will receive a five-pack of popular games)
- More Prizes -- Battlezone II posters, Intel hats, Sweatshirts and Key Chains (500 total prizes).
The sweepstakes was put together with the help of Ecards (www.ecards.com), the industry's leading online greeting card source. Winners will be selected via a random drawing from all correct entries in Dec. The 1st Prize winner will be notified by mail and telephone; all other winners willbe notified by mail.
More information about the Battlezone II "Recruit a Friend" online sweepstakes can be found at here BZII Contest
Guillemot Announces 3D Prophet DDR- Guillemot is making 3D Prophet DDR(tm), a 3D accelerator featuring NVIDIA's new GeForce 256(tm) DDR design with DDR RAM. DDR RAM stands for Double Data Rate RAM (as opposed to SDR RAM, which standsfor Single Data Rate). DDR RAM doubles the data transfer rate per clock. It performs two instructions per RAM clock instead of a single instruction for SDR. 3D Prophet DDR(tm) will be available before Christmas at a retail price of about $ 100 more than the 3D Prophet.
SeaWolves Virtual Military Command- The 'SeaWolves Virtual Military Command' are an online gaming group which provides a structured online gaming platform for, 688 Hunter/Killer, Fleet Command, Delta Force 1 and 2 and also Falcon 4. They are in an online war with another group using the 688H/K. To view their web site you can visit it here: The War Site Page
S3 Announces the MX400- S3 has announced that the Monster Sound MX400 will be hitting retail stores in time for the holidays with an estimated retail price of $99. With 32 DirectSound(R) hardware streams and quadraphonic HRTF-based "true" four-speaker playback, the Monster Sound MX400 utilizes Dolby Digital(R) PC home theater features for enhanced audio in DVD movies.
The Monster Sound MX400 features horizontal and vertical positioning, MacroFX(tm) for near-field effects, support for 32 DirectSound 3D hardware voices and Sensaura's(R) Multi-Drivetechnology for true quadraphonic output.
The Monster Sound MX400 audio solution also provides wave table synthesis and a 320-voice wave table with up to 64 supported voices to 4MB. Additionally, the Monster Sound MX400 supports industrycompatible API's including, DirectSound, DirectSound 3D, A3D 1.0(tm), EAX 1.0(tm) and 2.0, and I3D(tm) level 2.
US Airforce Camp Grounds Open to Train Warriors - The US Air Force took another step toward becoming an expeditionary aerospace force after officially opening "Warrior Week" during a ceremony at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, Oct. 1.
Brig. Gen. Michael N. Farage, 37th Training Wing commander, and Col. Stefan Eisen Jr., 737th Training Group commander, led the ceremony, which introduced the new course into the basic military training program.
Warrior Week was established to be the foundation for instilling an expeditionary aerospace force orientation to the Air Force's enlisted corps. This is essential, as world events and increased operations tempo require a more "warrior-oriented" airman from basic military training, said Farage during the ceremony.
"Today we witness the reality of Gen. (Michael E.) Ryan's vision," said Farage about the Air Force chief of staff, "a vision moving the Air Force into the 21st century. This encampment will prepare all young men and women for the Air Force of the future. Warrior Week is an important step. It gives the first operational commanders what they need -- a mission-ready airman."
Approximately 850 to 1,000 trainees per week will attend the new course that operates from two locations.
The first site is the Warrior Week base camp, which simulates a built-up facility. This includes 40 sleeping tents, latrines and showers, a dining facility, a cadre office and 10 academic tents. The second location is a forward-deployed communications link that closely resembles a deployment site. The FTX camp features include security lookout towers, multiple defensive fighting positions and a command post.
Using these camps, basic trainees will experience mobility orientations, tactical briefings and applications, and various team-building exercises designed to test leadership, followership and team adaptability under stress. Additionally, field training includes mobility line processing, force protection, laws of armed conflict training, code of conduct familiarization, field communications, self-aid and buddy care, readiness and nuclear-biological-chemical training, and weapons familiarization.
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| Tuesday, October 5 |
Flanker 2.0 hits Gold- Mindscape/SSI announced today that their flightcombat simulation, Flanker 2.0 , has gone to gold master and has been sent out for duplication. It is currently on target for an October 25th release.
SDOE Forum moved- For those of you wondering what happened to the Fighter Squadron Extreme forum, it's been taken down by it's owner. In it's wake however a new one has been put up by a couple of SDOE members. You can find the new forum board here: New SDOE Forum
October COMBATSIM.COM Calendars- I apologise for posting these late, but here they are:
Australian Army Feels The Pinch- Budget cuts to the Australian Army have left it unable to cope with its current commitment in East Timor. Lack of money has resulted in the delay of key project such as-ASLAV armoured vehicles.Based on the USMC LAV-25 only 24 have been purchased, forcing the continued use of M113s purchased in the late 1960s.
Force Levels. Currently the Army can field two brigades, one mechanised the other classed as light infantry. The Timor deployment involves one brigade. Unfortunately to field this one brigade the other brigade has been stripped of equipment and manpower leaving the Army unable to react to any other crisis.
Attack helicopters. The purchase of a dedicated attack helicopter(most likely AH-64D Longbow)has been delayed once again leaving the Army with thirty year old UH-1H gunship.
The Australian Government has chosen to purchase high technology big ticket items such as the Collins class submarine, ANZAC frigate, AWACS and Jindalee over the horizon radar believing that Australia needs to keep up with its allies such as America and Britain. Unfortunately the likelihood of us being involved in a conflict that would warrant the use of these type of assets is remote at best. The most likely scenario has unfolded with the deployment in Timor but if the pro Jakarta rebels wage a cross boarder guerilla war against the foreign troops then the Australian Army will be hard pressed to keep up with the demand for troops and supplies.
In other News...- Australian troops in Timor have had to borrow 4000 level 3 ballistic vests from the US Army claiming an existing order from a local source has been delayed. As well as lack of vests, 2000 of the locally produced "fritz" style kevlar helmets have been ruled unsafe due to harness problems. The Austrlian Army has been plagued by lack of modern equipment such as night vision goggles and all cotton uniforms suited to the tropical conditons in Timor. One Australian officer was quoted as saying: "For the price of a propeller for a Collins class submarine we could of outfitted our whole army with NVGs"
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| Monday, October 4 |
New Rogue Spear Multiplayer Maps- RogueSpear.Net has 10 new multiplayer maps have been created by AciD_MoRpH. You can download them here: S.b.D_Map_Mods
- Wrathpack 1.0 (created by G5_wrath) consists of 11 new maps. Includes mods for Kosovo to make it a fast and fun game. You can dowload the set here: WrathPack1_0
- RogueSpear.Net has a huge selection of new arm patches. Download your favorites here: Arm Patches
Reno Air Racing Accident- RENO AIR RACING ASSOCIATION PRESS INFORMATION - 18 September 1999
At approximately 3:30 PM September 18, 1999, Unlimited Class race pilot Gary Levitz, from Grand Prairie, TX, age 61, was killed in an accident during an Unlimited Heat Race. The cause of the accident appears to have been structural failure in the tail section of the aircraft. Investigation of the accident continues.
Race #38, Miss Ashley II, went out of control and crashed in a Lemon Valley residential area causing some property damage and a localized power outage. The extent of the damage is still being assessed at this time.
The Federal Aviation Administration has secured the crash site.
US Tests Missile Defence System- The Ballistic Missile Defense Organization's (BMDO) National Missile Defense (NMD) Joint Program Office announced today it has successfully completed the first test involving a planned intercept of an intercontinental ballistic missile target. The test took place over the central Pacific Ocean. A modified Minuteman intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) target vehicle was launched from Vandenburg AFB, Calif. at 7:02 p.m. PDT, and a prototype NMD interceptor was launched approximately 20 minutes later and 4,300 miles away from the Kwajalein Atoll in the Republic of the Marshall Islands. The intercept occurred at approximately 7:32 p.m. PDT.
The test successfully demonstrated "hit to kill technology" to intercept and destroy the ballistic missile target. An exoatmospheric kill vehicle (EKV) weighing about 120 pounds, equipped with two infrared sensors, a visible sensor, and a small propulsion system, located and tracked the target, guiding the kill vehicle to a body-to-body impact with the target and resulting in the target destruction using only the kinetic energy of the collision. This "hit to kill' intercept demonstrates that a warhead carrying a weapon of mass destruction-nuclear, chemical or biological - will be totally des - SUBSIM Review has the new Jane's Fleet Command Update patch. New features include:
- Ships Auto-engage Incoming Missiles
- Aircraft Auto-engage Hostiles
- Defaults to off
- Smart ID option
- Adds another option to the "Game" options screen called "Auto-classify Unknown Air". This automatically ID's anything incoming at over 500kts as assumed hostile. Defaults to off. Database and Doctrine checks in multiplayer added. Verifies that databases are the same between players at startup of a multiplayer game. Posts a warning to other players if doctrine files have been modified. Version check in multiplayer added. Warns all players if any player is playing an older version. Selectable aircraft loadouts.
Right-clicking a specific aircraft in the flight deck dialog pops up a menu with up to 4 options: - ASW (Anti-submarine Weapon)
- ASUW (Anti-Surface Unit Weapon)
- AAW (Anti-Air Weapon)
- Strike (Primarily Anti-Surface Unit Weapons but will also include Anti-Aircraft Weapons as well) Adds the AIM-54 Phoenix AAAM (Advanced Air to Air Missile) missile.
You can download the new patch at SUBSIM.COM
Janes News- Jane's USAF has gone GOLD and is off to manufacturing! Players will be flying the 8 hottest jets of the United States Air Force as soon as the product ships on October 19. Developed in cooperation with the United States Air Force, Jane's USAF features historic campaigns based on Desert Storm and the Vietnam War and a futuristic campaign based in Germany. Players can also fly combat missions over the United States, including Nellis Air Force Base and the Las Vegas strip. Fully-interactive training missions, a comprehensive mission editor and robust Jane's Combat.netsupport at ship make this one a winner.
- The Jane's USAF DEMO will be released this weekend! It's a great opportunity for you to get your hands on the product before it ships. The USAF demo includes a sample single-player mission that includes both air-to-air and air-to-ground action in an F-15E Strike Eagle.
- Jane's Combat Simulations CALLS THE BALL and announces that Jane's F/A-18 is on time for its winter launch and will ship in late January, 2000. Nope, it's not Christmas, but it's a great millennium present for any military aviation fanatic.
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