Zephyr Net

CAG

Thanks for info on the Il-28, it seemed under armed without wing hard points.
Good info!

Best Regards,
Pappy

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Tally Ho Pappy's In!

Does NKorea fly IL-28s or H-5s? The article says IL-28s, but is that accurate? Second, is that a standard in-service IL-28 or a testbed?

According to Wiki (yeah, I know),

Clarity with credible sources are welcomed & appreciated; both the IL-28s and H-5s.

They fly both and most likely hybrid versions of both as they scavenge for parts from down aircraft to keep the ones they have flying. They were standard version which is both the IL-28 and the H-5 as they received them both from the USSR and PRC... They have been modified with under wing hard point for those anti-ship missiles...

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Update: January 4, 2022

- The following are some minor changes recently added into Playset v 3.4 since the Chirstmas posting. [For those who already installed Playset v 3.4 between Christmas and now, there is no need to delete and reinstall everything. Lib file users can copy (aka overwrite) over the three .lib files. Individual File users can copy (aka overwrite) over all the files. This is an optional update. Players may choose to wait until v 3.5 to receive recent updates.]

- The F-4E (Desert), F-4G, and F-4 FGR.2 have received an updated chaff / flare package.

- Fixed the issue with computer pilots hesitating to drop cluster bombs. Likewise, the triple pack of CBU87s (CBU87M.JT) has been replaced by a twin pack (CBU87T.JT), with the campaign files (.cam) for Egypt 1995 and Vlad-US reflecting this change.

- Egypt 1995 Campaign has been updated to Playset v 3.4 standards.
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The Egypt campaign still uses the default Mirage 2000 which allows way too many R530s, a fact I discovered while half way through the campaign. Originally, I went looking to see what air to ground loadout was allowed when I came across the R530 loadout (which is 2 missiles on inner wing pylons only).

Nice work!

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"FAF Shape Meister"
FAF/FA-2 Design team
TSH Member/Developer
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FA Futures/FA-2 is Still Being Worked On and Will Be Released...

Update: April 28 , 2022

- USNRaptor Playset v 3.5 is now available. The main change is an overhaul of (most of) the Air to Ground ordnance. I did some research and created a system to get the weapons' destructive power (based on size of warheads and speed of weapons) to have some form of conformity to each other, and hopefully perform closer to real life. The player will notice changes in range for some, and more/less lethality than before, as well as a new AS-20 Kayak (icon thanks to Zephyr). The chart I created can be found in the Weapons - My Icons folder in the USNRaptor FA Folder which is still labeled AC Guns.xls.

- Some of the ships, vehicles, and scenery objects have received changes in their damage amounts to correspond to the changes in A-G ordnance destructive power. The amount of damage needed to destroy various items can been seen in the AC Guns.xls chart (note: not all items are listed).

- The air to air missiles have received another power/damage upgrade. Though more powerful in destructive power, don't expect to take out a Su-25 with a single Sidewinder. This upgrade may change the dynamics of campaign missions.

- The flight envelopes of the A-4s, F-9J, F-84G, F-86, F-100, F-104s, F-105s, and RF-101 have received a major upgrade based on the flight manuals. With the F-104s, the flyer must maintain a high speed in order to have a high turn rate. For more information, view the Aircraft Envelopes.xls found in the USNRaptor FA Folder under 'Misc' and in the USNRaptor FA Google Drive.

- The Mirage 2000s have received an update; in particular in its weapons carrying capabilties. The M2000.PT has been adjusted to meet Mirage 2000-5 MK 2 standards; M2000E.PT now meets Mirage 2000EM (Egypt) standards.

- New aircraft have been added, but not all are in the Playset. Some of these aircraft can be found in the Aircraft.zip file. The new aircraft are: B-47 Stratojet, F-84F Thunderstreak, FJ-4 Fury, F-101B Voodoo, OV-10 Bronco, and U-2 Dragon Lady. Some are rough drafts that still need refinement. Likewise, Airwolf has been removed from the playset but can still be found here. To fly the Aircraft.zip planes, just copy the .PT file of the aircraft (and there associated .SH and .PIC files, if any) into your Fighter Anthology folder . It doesn't matter if you use individual files or .Libs, it'll still work.

- The F-86F and F-84G have received texture updates. New F/A-18 textures can be found in the pics_sh.zip, but have not been incorporated into the Playset. Preview pictures are included for all shapes/textures inside the pics_sh.zip file.

- The J-20 texture crash error for .LIB users has been fixed.

- Egypt 1995 Campaign has been updated to Playset v 3.5 standards. The campaign includes more aircraft choices, a different selection of weapons, and changes in several missions.

- Upgrades to other campaigns are in the works. For more information, and to view the latest Playset version each campaign has been upgraded to, view the Aircraft - Campaign Catalog.xls found in the USNRaptor FA Folder under 'Misc' and in the USNRaptor FA Google Drive.
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Update, APR 30th: I went ahead and just now added the EF-111 and F-111 with the new flight envelopes, but only through my website links, not the Google Drive yet (maybe tonight).

Update: May 8 , 2022

- This is an minor update to USNRaptor Playset v 3.5. Those who already have installed v3.5 can just copy the new files over the old ones. No need to do a fresh install.

- Multiple improvements have been made to the AIDC F-CK-1 Ching-Kuo, especially its weapons carrying ability.

- Downgraded the damage points needed to destroy the larger ships.

- Fixed the texture for the green M-113 ( _M114.pic ).

- The Taiwan 2014 and Egypt 1995 now meet v3.5 standards.

Update: Memorial Day, May 30th , 2022

- USNRaptor Playset v 3.6 is now available. A fresh install should not be necessary. Just copy the new files over the old ones.

- The F-4E (Jungle), aka F4C.PT has received internal chaff / flare. Keep in mind, however, that USAF F-4Es did not receive internal chaff / flare until starting in 1973.

- The AIM-54 Phoenix missiles have an updated flight trajectory.

- The MK 45 5-inch naval gun no longer targets aircraft.

- The Aegean 1997, Egypt 1995, and Taiwan 2014 now meet v3.6 standards.

- The Ukraine 1994 campaign has received some major updates, and now meet v3.6 standards:

1. One major change is there are two campaign files to choose from: one with the videos and one without the videos. Instructions for installation are in "Ukraine mission desc.txt". Do NOT use Zephyr's "FA_Ukraine_Video_Fix.zip" with this campaign set.

2. Another major change is the reinstatement of the special u-codes into the Ukraine campaign. Remember "THIS IS AEROFLOT FLIGHT 261. EMERGENCY! EMERGENCY!" ? Yes, those codes. Info about u-codes can be found in the 'M Editting Tips.txt' file.

3. Several missions have received changes to correspond to the changes made in the playset with various aircraft and weapons, particularly anti-ship weapons. ALL missions are winnable, though not necessarily easily winnable.

4. Please be sure to read the "Ukraine mission desc.txt" file inside Ukraine.ZIP for campaign installation instructions and other useful information.

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I wanted to post earlier today, but the stupid DSL was down.

Kuril 2018 now meets v 3.6 standards. It is inside the current (reposted today) Playset v 3.6

http://myplace.frontier.com/~usnraptor/Fighters%20Anthology/Campaigns/Kuril2018.ZIP

Update: June 24, 2022

- USNRaptor Playset v 3.7 is now available. Lib users can just copy the new files over the old ones. Individual File users need to do a fresh install. Likewise, some single missions have been added, deleted, or altered. I encourage deleting all old single missions for the new ones. However, you may wish to make a backup copy of your favorites, just in case.

- All three Baltic campaigns now meet v 3.7 standard. The campaigns updated for v 3.5 and v 3.6 should have no problems with v 3.7. To keep track of campaign updates, refer to the file 'Aircraft - Campaign Catalog.xls' located in USNRaptor FA Folder --> Misc .

- The F-35s are now able to do self laser designating and carry laser guided weapons. Remember, the F-35s are not stealthy when carrying external weapons.

- The Rafales have received an upgrade, mostly in their weapon carrying capability. Likewise, the F-8E Crusader (French) has received a minor weapon downgrade.

- The F-4s have received new flight envelopes based on the flight manual; the F-4G has an upgraded weapon capability. The values used can be found in the file AC Fighter Envelopes.xls

- The file Aircraft Envelopes.xls has been split into two. It is now AC Fighter Envelopes.xls and AC Other Envelopes.xls . These files can be found via USNRaptor FA Folder --> Misc. All my .xls files are created using Excel 2000.

- New files called .MC files are being implemented into some single and campaign missions. If you receive a message asking you whether to copy over one .MC file with another same-named .MC file, either answer you give (Yes or No) is fine. These files operate the special mission codes mentioned in the May 30th, 2022 post.

- Lastly, a big Thank You to Centurian for his long, tedious research on varying aircraft counter-measure defense systems (aka chaff / flare). Using his research, the Playset is receiving updates to varying aircraft and their CMD and ECM systems. These last minute changes (hopefully) won't affect game play negatively.

Update: J uly 4, 2022

- Vladivostok - US campaign now meets v 3.7 standards. Celebrate Independence Day by shooting skyward Chinese-made fireworks and shooting down Chinese fighters, all while defending Russian land, in Fighters Anthology. The new campaign can be found inside the reissued Playset v 3.7, or you can just download the campaign here: VLAD-US. No other adjustments have been made to Playset v 3.7.

July 7, 2022

- Vladivostok - Russia campaign now meets v 3.7 standards. In this one, Russia takes care of China themselves. The new campaign can be found inside the re-reissued Playset v 3.7, or you can just download the campaign here: VLAD-RUS . The single missions related to the Vladivostok campaign missions have been removed and replaced with fresh missions.

- The Su-27 Flanker-B (Gray) has been redesignated the J-11 Flanker-L; it still remains as the SU27V.PT. Likewise, Su-27 Flanker-B (Blue) is now Su-27 Flanker-B.

- The MiG-31 now has an icon image assigned to it, and is a selectable aircraft in the Vladivostok - Russia campaign.

- No campaigns are affected by these changes. Players may copy over the old playset files if they so choose.

Update: July 16, 2022

- USNRaptor Playset v 3.8 is now available. Lib users can just copy the new files over the old ones. Individual File users are encouraged to do a fresh install. Likewise, some single missions have been added, deleted, or altered. I encourage deleting all old single missions for the new ones. However, you may wish to make a backup copy of your favorites, just in case.

- All Vietnam Campaigns now meet v 3.8 standards. All other campaigns should work just fine with v 3.8. Likewise, all campaigns now have a Mission Description file (i.e. Yank72 mission desc.txt). These files contain highly useful information for playing campaigns.

- Most single missions have not been updated yet. All missions, both single and campaign, are designed to be winnable. If you find one that isn't, feel free to notify me if you suspect the issue is the mission being out of date.

- The *.MC code files previously included with the campaigns are now integrated into the playset. These codes give varying messages during missions. These files operate the special mission codes mentioned in the May 30th, 2022 post.

- Some minor performance upgrades to the RF-101 in the playset and the F-101B in the Aircraft.zip file. Though the aircraft was specified to a speed limit of 600 kias below 25,000 ft, it was quite capable of higher speeds. The "speed limit" was often broken by RF-101 pilots flying combat reconnaisance in North Vietnam.

- The F-4E (Jungle) has been set to land on aircraft carriers. This was done for Vietnam campaign game-mechanic purposes (aka allow player to be "Almost Home").

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Unless an error is discovered, this should be the last update for a while, now that all the campaigns have been audited.

July 28, 2022

- The A-10s have received an audit and overhaul, based on new information found in the flight manuals. The level, max engine power, flight speed was way higher than real life. That has been corrected. The flight envelope still remains the same, for those speeds represent airframe min/max speeds. Since the A-10A can't self lase (laser), and Fighters Anthology doesn't have buddy lasing, the A-10A has lost its ability to carry LGBs. The A-10C has the ability by carrying an Advanced Targetting Pod (built-in in Fighters Anthology).

- Another item of note. The A-10A has a maximum take-off weight of 51,000 lbs. For the A-10C, that weight was reduced to 46,000 lbs. However, the A-10C has a maximum in-flight weight of 51,000 lbs. For the sake of the Playset, I decided to stay with the 46,000 lbs limit. To make up for the difference, I didn't penalize for the added sensors. For more information about the A-10s, check out the AC Other Envelopes.xls file, found via USNRaptor FA Folder --> Misc .

- The weight of the GAU-8 round has been reduced from 3 to 2 lbs. The manual states 1.5 lbs, but Fighters Anthology doesn't recognize non-whole numbers. The empty weight (which is really the basic weight) has been adjusted to reflect this discrepency. The KCA-30 round is now 2 lbs as well.

- These updates can be found in the re-issued Playset v 3.8. Just copy over the old files. No campaigns are affected by these changes. One single mission has been added, V25.M "High Rollers", an A-10A mission from the Vladivostok campaign.

- New textures from MLK's Czech ATF/NATO page can be found in the pics_sh.zip, but have not been incorporated into the Playset. Preview pictures are included for all shapes/textures inside the pics_sh.zip file.

August 2, 2022

Not a website update. Just letting you know I added a couple F-106 textures (preview pics 106.jpg and 107.jpg) to the pics_sh.zip. I started with the F-106 texture that was in there, and made changes to create the new textures.

http://myplace.frontier.com/~usnraptor/Fighters%20Anthology/Aircraft/pics_sh.ZIP

The old F-106 texture was then moved to Cents SSR2 (which is in the FA google drive Aircraft folder https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Z6B6q5tA9bHrl9_5e_wVCu9tIdXF323U).