One of the aircraft that got a lot of attention in the DCS World 2022 and Beyond trailer this year was RAZBAM’s F-15E Strike Eagle. Following the trailer release, RAZBAM has shown off more of the jet in a series of screenshots released to the community. Let’s have a look!
Strike Eagle looking more complete
Feast your eyes on the latest screenshots from RAZBAM. Inside and out, these show the F-15E off in a new light than anything we’ve seen so far. Both front and back seats and exterior model look to be in a state of readiness like we’ve not seen previously.
Analysis and thoughts
These are clearly more complete images than we’ve seen from the project so far. It’s taken years to get to this point. Famously, it was reported a few years back that the project was just months out but it has taken longer to get to that point than anyone expected.
RAZBAM has spent significant time on their other projects with the M-2000C and AV-8B in particular getting a lot of attention from their developers. Although that has likely slowed the F-15’s progress, it has probably also been a good thing.
When RAZBAM introduced their previous projects, there were features that weren’t as complete as they are now in DCS World. Radar (both air and ground), datalink and targeting pods have all made strides in the core of DCS World and are more mature than they were a couple of years ago. That will, hopefully, mean that the F-15 is going to come out swinging having benefitted from a lot of work that Eagle Dynamics did for the F/A-18 and F-16.
So where does this leave the F-15 right now? We don’t know the exact status but we can infer from the screenshots that programming on the aircraft’s systems are now well underway. We can see HUD symbology, MFD symbology, and analogue gauges are working and reflective of the current condition of the aircraft. Of course the F-15E is a complicated aircraft with a significant weapons load requiring plenty of programming to get it all to work.
That all said, I do think RAZBAM are now closing in on a state where they will be able to sell and make this module available to customers. What state it will be inexactly when they pull the trigger on it will be interesting to see but I do expect that RAZBAM will wait until it has reached some key milestones. Prior issues and release problems are not likely something that RAZBAM are keen to repeat and I think and hope that experience will ensure that this is a smoother release.
I don’t think we’re weeks out but we may be several months out and I think 2022 will be the year that we see RAZBAM’s Strike Eagle.
Stormbirds 
I want that! I think that plane could fast become a favourite for me. A nice big fat mud mover. And honestly, I don’t care if it’s early release with a few bugs and not feature complete.
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I’ve no doubt that it won’t be feature complete on release but I am hoping for a good release with lots of promise for the future.
Having the F-15E in the mix will be great!
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Razbam may be a controversial developer, but there can be no debate that they have actually delivered a solid and ongoing string of improvements to Mirage and Harrier for quite a while now.
For me, that’s enough faith earned to ensure Strike Eagle will be a Day 1 purchase.
As long as it can CCIP drop Mk84’s, sling some Sidewinders and is kinematically similar to Eagle C, we’ll be off to a great start!
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Agreed! It’s been a bit of a tough go for them sometimes but they have struck with it, persevered, and managed to make the AV-8B and M-2000C into two solid modules. The MiG-19 does need some of their attention but I think the F-15E has a chance for them to show off their earned skills and abilities with DCS. I’m rooting for them!
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Much faith has been lost with this developer, after their attempted sleight of hand to remove the AV-8B from EA with over 200 reported unaddressed bugs many of which went unaddressed for well over a year. Their failure to address issues led to a community bug tracker being created from all the bugs and problems posted to the ED forums. Their lack of presence on the ED forums, their “leaders” failure to accept and respond to reported bugs, and his poor communication skills with frustrated customers, led customers to demand mediation from ED. Since then, they have made improvements, at a glacial pace compared to the other developers in DCS, but it took a community uprising for ED to take a look at the problems and prod them in the right direction. The M-2000 continues to get the lion’s share of bug and feature work followed by the AV-8B and Mig-19. None are feature complete or bug free to the latest stable version, the customers definition of ready to exit Early Access.
They continue to refuse to engage on the ED forums – the official forums where customers go for customer support. They choose to use Discord and FB where they can ban/ignore/delete comments and complaints they don’t like or want to address. Buyer beware with this company.
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Amen man! honest, no BS truth right there!
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I wore out Jane’s f15 back in the day and I’m eagerly awaiting this one. I was worried about the developer after reading feedback from others but it’s nice to hear from you that they are doing better.
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RAZBAM have earned a bad reputation but it is only partially deserved. They have done some great work and done some terrible PR. But I really have to applaud them for pushing on and listening to the community to make sure that the M-2000C and AV-8B were in a great place. My recent return to the AV-8B has been a superb experience.
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I will most DEFINATELY not be pre ordering this. I will also be avoiding EA for a couple of months. This Dev has shown us what a hot mess anything they produce is, something as simple as the mig 19 is STILL not complete. I honestly wish ANYONE else but razbam was making this, and the Mig 23.
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They do have a chequered reputation. I think they have made up for some of that with their work on the M-2000C and AV-8B… both of which have impressed me recently. However, you’re right that most of their EA releases to this point have not been great and so a cautious approach is the smart move. I’ll be reporting on it every step of the way.
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Whatever. Believe it when I see it.
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Well you can see it but I think you mean you’ll believe it when it lands on your hard drive 🙂
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Blah blah blah 2020 2021 2022 Whatever (yawn)
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I sense your frustration. It’s good to pull back, take in what’s already available, and enjoy all of that. Some or most of these projects will eventually release… but they do take years.
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