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Daily News
By Gail Helmer

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Monday August 06, 2001

PC News

IL-2 Development Update
Oleg Maddox has posted more beta tester screenshots from IL-2 Sturmovik. Click here to view.

Flak-Pack For Warbirds III
Incognito Soundworks has released the Flak-Pack for the Warbirds III beta. This add-on contains all you need for a tankbattle. The sounds are unique for all the groundvehicles in the WarbirdsIII-Beta. This addon models the interior experience of all the groundvehicles. This pack has a separate set of explosions that are made to fit the open groundcombat and a separate set of hit-sounds that sounds more thick metal! Engines, hydralics and machineguns are all improved just to add immersion. The 75mm sounds are loud and different for MKIV, M4 and the M3. And finally a whole new set of amazing flaksounds have been added to the defaults.

Shrapnel Games to Publish The War Engine
Shrapnel Games has announced that it has signed a deal to publish the latest game from Boku Strategy Games, "The War Engine". "The War Engine" is a wargame construction kit. With it you can construct any number of war, strategy, or conflict-based games by simply defining the rules, and units involved. To show off how versatile this engine is we are including seven (7) full games to highlight the systems strengths. These are:

  • Armies of Armageddon: The classic sci-fi, squad-based game that started it all. Lead your men into battle in the far future.
  • Tour of Duty '44: Hot squad based combat set in the struggle to reclaim Europe from Hitler's forces. Follow your band of soldiers as they land on the beaches until they reach their objective of St Lo in France.
  • The Northern Realm Saga: Fantasy wargaming at it's best. Follow your men as they weave their way through this epic tale.
  • Global Conflict: Total War: An operational wargame that puts you in command of military forces in WWII.
  • Paintball!: This one has to be seen to be believed! All of the fun of paintball with none of the cleanup.
  • TRL: A desperate war is being fought in the near future in the nuclear wastelands of the former American States. Lead your mechanized forces to victory in this time of need.
  • Warspace: Space Combat finds it's way to The War Engine.
The War Engine' features include:

  • The ability to fine-tune the game to your tastes or provide a complete overhaul of the system on any scale from operational to detailed man to man/vehicle battles.
  • 150+ stats for units and weaponry allowing for an incredible modeling resolution of ballistics, armor, hardware and bio matter.
  • Improved interface, medical units, supply stations, armor pickup, weapon and ammo exchanges, one hell of a deadly unit destruction sequence and much finer control over everything!
  • Updated manual with complete coverage of all functionality complete with images and examples.
  • Over 100 scenarios in 7 different campaigns (see above).
"The War Engine" is set to be released September 26, 2001.

Northrop Grumman's Delivers Key Software For Comanche Program
The first Target Acquisition System Software (TASS) for the U.S. Army's RAH-66 Comanche helicopter has been delivered ahead of schedule to the mission equipment package integrator, The Boeing Company, by Northrop Grumman Corporation's Land Combat Systems business unit.



Under contract to Boeing, Northrop Grumman is responsible for the design, development and delivery of the TASS functions for the Comanche weapon system. This initial set of TASS mission enabling software contains a full version of an automatic target tracker function, plus prototype versions of aided target detection and classification and target threat management functions.

"TASS will reduce Comanche aircraft exposure time and pilot workload by automating the forward looking infrared (FLIR) search, automatic tracking and threat management functions," said Barbara Mathews, Comanche programs manager at Northrop Grumman.

As part of the engineering and manufacturing development phase of the Comanche program, Northrop Grumman will deliver a total of eight software package updates to Boeing during the next three years. Final versions of the TASS software will include a sensor fusion capability.

The aided target detection and classification software detects and classifies militarily significant objects in the electro-optical target acquisition and designation system FLIR imagery. The automatic target tracker software acquires and maintains line-of-sight on a designated target or scene feature within the infrared or TV field of view. The target threat manager software manages bulk data memory and correlates all on- and off-board target threat information. The sensor fusion software will enable the detection, classification and recognition of militarily significant objects through feature level analysis of the Comanche radar data and the infrared sensor imagery.

All of these TASS functions are processed in the Comanche's mission computer cluster, designed and produced by Northrop Grumman. This multifunction core computer provides state-of-the-art processing power in easily maintained, low-cost, lightweight modules.



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