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The choices of stores options are also greatly expanded to an almost bewildering array of missiles, bombs, and completely new to 2.5: external drop tanks. In-flight refueling from the Candid tanker variant will also finally be implemented for AI but not for players however.
Fig. 9. R-77 vs. Mig-23Flanker: AttackSSI plans to offer current registered owners of Flanker 2.0X the upgrade to v2.5 at a discount via the Internet. Current plans include, in a move similar to the Squadron Leader Edition of Flanker 1.X, Flanker 2.5 being repackaged and sold on retail shelves (at full price, natch), replacing any remaining stock of 2.0.
In the life-cycle of most flight sims, the release of an enhanced or "gold" edition is the last gasp- an attempt to squeeze the very last bit of revenue out of a product that's gone a little long in the tooth. This is definitely not the model that SSI is planning with the Flanker 2.x series. "We see 2.5 as an onramp to Flanker: Attack, which is our internal working title for a vastly expanded 2.5."
Fig. 10. Mig-29k about to fireAnd what an expansion. In addition to more flyable Russian hardware like the ground-pounding Su-25 and it's navalized variant, the Su-39, SSI/Eagle plans to incorporate some of the West's big guns. Literally.
"We saw & heard the huge cry from the sim community when EA stopped work on Jane's A-10," says Carl, "So it was a no-brainer to want to integrate the Warthog into Flanker: Attack. To model it correctly, though, we needed some good info on the A-10. Somebody at Eagle came up with loads of technical papers on it, a file about that thick." He holds his thumb and index finger about two inches apart, and smiles. "In Cyrillic."
The team also sees the need for a Western multi-role fast-mover. To Carl, a confessed Falcon fan, that aircraft was also obvious- the LockMart F-16. "While we are still negotiating and debating the inclusion of the Viper as a user aircraft, it does make perfect sense. The Falcon is a versatile multi-role workhorse in the inventory of two of Flanker's belligerents, hasn't been beat to death like the Hornet or the F-22, and the Eagle guys probably have a mountain of detailed documentation- no doubt also in Cyrillic. Carl cautions that "We're still working on the details and will make an announcement should we decided to include the F-16 in the product."
In addition to new toys to play with, Flanker: Attack will feature a much larger battlefield that will include more of the Black Sea region. This new real estate, encompassing the Crimean peninsula and the Caucasus region, is by my estimation an almost four-fold augmentation of the Flanker world. This is where the refueling and drop tanks introduced in 2.5 will really come in handy.
