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Daily News
By Gail Helmer

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Monday December 03, 2001

PC News
IL-2 Gen V1.0 Released
Vadim "Starshoy" Kolosov has released a new version of his "IL2 Gen" for the full release of IL-2 Sturmovik. It is similar to the IL2 Gen that he produced for the beta versions. IL2 Gen is a program designed for users to create his or her own campaigns for offline play. He has said that he can and will easily update it to include the new addon aircraft(s) that are slated for release today. (Monday). Starshoy has also previously created IL2 Gen online for creating custom co-op online campaign missions. Click here

Real War Enhancement Kit Released
Rival Interactive has released the Real War enhancement kit. Download now

  • a) Addition of four new skirmish maps
  • b) Additional "stars and stripes" camouflage.
  • c) Nuke damage adjustment and new graphics.
  • d) Improved targeting by carpet bombers.
  • e) ATG anti-armor-aircraft defense mechanism adjustments.
  • f) Improved anti-air capabilities.
  • g) Improved sea pathing.
  • h) Infantry-to-armor response improved.
  • i) Improved amphibious loading & unloading mechanism.
  • j) Improved air-to-sea attack capabilities.
  • k) Elimination of "fratricide" of cruise missiles in multi-player.
  • l) Rules of Engagement fixes in Skirmish & Multi-player.
  • M)Improved overall pathing.
  • N)Improved base defense by keeping units from following enemies when defending.
  • O)Rwclient.exe: This is a LAN multiplayer-only exe that doesn't require multiple CDs to play.
New Aces High Terrain Editor Released
Aces High has a new version of the Terrain Editor available. This is compatible with the new features of 1.08 and has many other new editor features including a built-in help system. The download is about 18MB and there is no update patch available. Click here

Space Empires IV GOLD Announced
Shrapnel Games, and developer Malfador Machinations, announced today their newest game "Space Empires IV GOLD". "Space Empires IV GOLD"includes new additions to the original, Full TCP/IP Support, Drones fully implemented in code, New System Graphics and Types: stellar core fragments, organic infestations, comets, stars forming, spacial ruptures, red giants. Additional features requested by modders - data file changes history, satellite and weapon platform range bonuses, more empire settings in the AI files, increased number of system types, control over number of starting AI players, more facility families, multiple bitmaps per vehicle size, and more. Release Date: February, 2002.

Military News
USS Bulkeley To Be Commissioned In New York City
USS BULKELEY (DDG 84), the newest in a series of advanced Aegis guided missile destroyers built for the U.S. Navy by Northrop Grumman Corporation, will be commissioned on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2001, in New York City at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum.

This ship is named in honor of Vice Adm. John D. Bulkeley, USN, (1911-1996), a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient who spearheaded the evacuation of General Douglas MacArthur from the island of Corregidor in World War II and later served as president, Board of Inspection and Survey for the U.S. Navy.



USS BULKELEY (DDG 84) is the 34th ship of the DDG 51 program, and the 15th to be built by the Ingalls Operations of Northrop Grumman's Ship Systems sector. Following DDG 84, Ingalls has contracts and options to produce nine additional Aegis destroyers, with six of those ships in various stages of production.

Construction of DDG 84 began at Ingalls in May 1998. The ship's keel was laid a year later and the ship sailed into the Gulf of Mexico for her first sea trials in June of this year. The ship was delivered to the Navy in August and departed Pascagoula in early November for her commissioning site in New York.

Aegis destroyers are equipped to conduct a variety of missions, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, in support of national military strategy. These multimission ships provide primary protection for the Navy's aircraft carriers and battle groups, as well as essential escort to Navy and Marine Corps amphibious forces, combat logistics ships and convoys.

DDG 84 carries Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as Standard missiles to intercept hostile aircraft and missiles at extended ranges. Both Tomahawk and Standard missiles are launched from forward and aft vertical launching systems. DDG 84 is also equipped with the Phalanx Close-In Weapons System.

Lockheed Martin Completes KC-130J Marine Corps Tanker
Lockheed Martin has delivered the seventh and final KC-130J for 2001 to the U. S. Marine Corps. The aircraft are stationed at MCAS Cherry Point, N.C., and NAS Patuxent River, Md.

The USMC now has eight KC-130Js in inventory with three more on order. The current KC-130 fleet in active Marine Corps service consists of 37 F- and 14 R-models, spread over three fleet squadrons and one training squadron. The balance of the 79 tankers comprise two reserve squadrons.



The average KC-130F has been in service more than 39 years and has been flown for more than 23,000 flight hours. KC-130F/R mission readiness is decreasing each year, while tanker requirements are projected to increase by as much as 33% over the next 10 years. The 21st Century will bring an increasingly complex operating environment to the Marine Air-Ground Task Force and the Marine Corps believes the KC-130F/Rs will not be able to provide the necessary support in this environment.

Using only wing and external tanks, the KC-130J has a 57,500 pound (8,455 U.S. gallon) fuel offload capability while performing a 500-nautical mile radius mission, compared with 38,000 pounds (5,588 U.S. gallon) for the current fleet of KC-130Fs. Using the standard probe-and-drogue configuration, the KC-130J is capable of refueling both helicopters and jet aircraft. Internal provisions for its own refueling probe provide the KC-130J with even greater flexibility if required.

Because the refueling system functions without the fuselage tank, the KC-130J's cargo compartment can be used to haul payload, making the aircraft even more versatile. The refueling system is set up to accept a fuselage tank if desired, adding another 24,392 pounds (3,600 U.S. gallons) of fuel to a mission.

The vastly superior performance, sophisticated avionics suite, precision navigation system and night vision compatibility of the KC-130J make it an excellent platform for special operations missions in support of forward deployed Marine Expeditionary Units.

Lockheed Martin Delivers First C-130J-30 to USAF
Lockheed Martin formally delivered the first C-130J-30 for the U.S. Air Force during ceremonies today in Rhode Island. The 143rd Airlift Wing, the Air National Guard Unit based at Quonset State Airport, will operate the new aircraft.

No other aircraft offers the combined flexibility of strategic deployment of troops and armor, as well as intratheater, austere environment, tactical operations. For example, a close formation of 31 C-130J-30s will be able to drop 2,800 troops -- an entire Army brigade -- in less than five minutes. Although designated a tactical airlifter, the C-130J-30 has demonstrated strategic capabilities with unrefueled, non-stop flights of more than 4,000 miles.



The 143rd will receive three C-130J-30 aircraft this year from Lockheed Martin's Marietta, Ga., production facility. These are the first of the "stretched" C-130Js to be operated by any unit in the U.S. The current plan calls for replacing all nine of the wing's 1960s-vintage C-130Es over the next several years.

The new C-130J-30 is based on the standard C-130J model, but its fuselage is longer than the standard model, providing the greater airlift capability required by many operators, including the U.S. Air Force. The Rhode Island aircraft are the first stretched C-130Js to be equipped with the computer-controlled Enhanced Cargo Handling System, which allows precise airdrop event sequencing and quick conversion from cargo floor tie-downs to rollers for palletized cargo.

Recent testing satisfied U.S. Army and Air Force requirements to deploy paratroops safely from both sides of the C-130J-30 aircraft. With this success, Lockheed Martin has demonstrated that the C-130J-30 brings a new level of airdrop capability both to the Air Force as operator and the Army as end user.


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