Aerodynamics Lab - Upcoming Major Update

[ebon birch]

-Aerodynamics Lab is a mod which takes aircraft from Arma 3, SOG:PF, and FIR AWS, and applies a total overhaul to pylons, performance, and compatibility.
Workshop: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2850427506
Long ago, I promised that I would add variants of aircraft with vanilla-alike radar compatibility. I've done that and more.

IMG 1: Lineup of a selection of the unique vehicle classes added.
IMG 2: Close-up of default A-10D loadout including 7x DAGR pod and AIM-9X.
IMG 3: Close-up of default F-15E loadout including vanilla GBU-12 ammo and SOG:PF-derived ammo.
IMG 4: Close-up of F-16 with asymmetric Triple Ejector Rack (TER). Mirroring has been incorporated to nearly all new pylons.
IMG 5: Close-up of JAS-39E including AIM-132 from Arma 3 and AGM-84 using model from FIR AWS.
IMG 6: Sample of F-15A FAST pylon menu. Icons layout was redesigned to be easily recognizable across all aircraft variants.
IMG 7: Sample of F-15E pylon menu. Layout shares the same "skeleton" with other aircraft variants, and pylons can be more easily identified by position alone.
IMG 8: Sample of F-15N pylon menu, showcasing a selection of weapons that were used during testing. For example, a wind tunnel model of the F-15N had AGM-84 Harpoons, so those are an available option.
IMG 9: Showcase of the multitude of F-16C/D block variants added
IMG 10: Unit list showing all current variants as of now.

Additions include:
-Generic Compass Ghost textures for F-15, AL tailcode textures (for Aerodynamics Lab, of course), TP tailcode textures for another mod of mine.
-F-15C/D [APG-70]: late Cold War avionics to represent a mid-tier sensor suite, perfect for Gulf War and the like. Updated default pylon load for the time period.
-F-15C/D [APG-63(V)3]: modern avionics to represent a top-tier F-15 that may still be flying by 2035. Typical modern-day pylon load.
-F-15A/B FAST: Equipped with conformal fuel tanks, initially known as FAST packs, which greatly increase fuel load with a slight (but existant) effect on agility.
-F-15N: Proposed naval variant of F-15 equipped with AIM-54 missiles, with naval options like the AGM-84D Harpoon.
-F-15B/E: Version of F-15B used by McDonnell-Douglas to demonstrate the proposed F-15E.
-F-15B [CIV]: Civil version of F-15B with no weapons or military sensors.
-F-15E [APG-70]/[APG-82(V)1]: Finally added along with the air-to-ground ordinance overhaul!
-F-16C/D Block 30/32, 40/42, 50/52. X0-series blocks have GE engines and X2 series blocks have Pratt & Whitney engines. 3X and 4X have a roughly Gulf War default loadout, and 50/52 has a modern-day one.
-Pylon overhaul. No more placeholder SOG:PF F-4 pylons. Pylon options are standardized and easy to search through, and there are plenty of presets.
-New weapons on Arma 3 aircraft: The overhauled A-10D and JAS-39 now support more detailed and realistic pylon loadouts, such as SDB racks and anti-ship missiles for each respective aircraft.
-DAGR rocket in x7 launcher and x19 launcher from SOG:PF! No more goofy x12 launcher that is just in a weird place. Also allows ripple fire.
-CBU-85 RAAMS: Remote Anti-Armor Mine System allows an AT minefield to be deployed anywhere, from the air.
-UAV Terminal compatibility for QF-XX aircraft and Drone Operator for both BLUFOR and OPFOR. (Don't shoot the OPFOR guy, he's nice!)

[ebon birch]

Soft Dependency: Firewill F-14
When Firewill's F-14 is loaded, additions include the F-14, including a number of pylon loadouts including those suitable for the proposed "ST-21 Super Tomcat"
Livery menu is expanded, featuring options for generic, selected squadron, and selected unique characters (e.g. Top Gun's Maverick/Iceman, Ace Combat's Talisman).
Flight characteristics are also new, derived from my current setup for the F-15D. May be subject to tweaks, but it's working surprisingly well without changes.
Radar changes modelled, for example, the APG-71 is on the F-14D, along with other associated sensors.

[ebon birch]

Upcoming AL update:
-Tu-16 in six variants: Tu-16A (bombs only), Tu-16K-10, bomb bay replaced with K-10 missile, Tu-16K-10-26/P with missile carrier capability (P model has HARM sensor), Tu-16K-26/P has regular bombs and missile carrier capability.
-F-14 wing sweep can now be set the same way as the vanilla F/A-181
-F-15EX CFT variant finally gets compatiblity.

[ebon birch]

Also in the works: New HUDs for Firewill aircraft.
Created using an excel spreadsheet and broken-down vector math, these will let the gunsight of FIR aircraft actually function like they're supposed to!
Derived from the base game NATO A-164 HUD, these have slight modifications to make them better suited for A-A roles like in Jets DLC, and are tailor-made for the particular HUD geometry of each aircraft.

Update will also strengthen vanilla compatibilty while limiting the requirement for SOG:PF cDLC. Though the hard dependency is planned to be phased out, a soft dependency will of course remain.

[ebon birch]

ILS also fully functional and accurately reflects what's on the ground.