Eagle Dynamics in this DCS World Weekend News update spent the whole update talking about the DCS: F-15E Strike Eagle. In it we learned some new information about a digital book that will be available to owners of the module as well as reminders about the currently available tutorials. They also said something that gives us a guess at what the intended release date will be. I’ll engage in a little speculation at the end but first… the news!
Validation, testing, digital book
This week we’ve learned directly from Eagle Dynamics that the DCS: F-15E Strike Eagle has entered into Eagle Dynamics’ validating and testing phase. With past experience, we know that this process can last weeks and months and while the pre-order begins on February 15th there will still be a bit of a wait.
The DCS: F-15E Strike Eagle by RAZBAM has entered our final validation and testing phase. The pre-order, which comes with a 30% discount, is currently planned for the 15th of February, 2023. Once the pre-order begins, we anticipate the F-15E to be released into Early Access a few months later and perhaps sooner.
DCS World Weekend News
A few months definitely lets us know that this isn’t due out just a couple of weeks after the pre-order but it still does give us a window into its release. I’ll speculate at the end.
Digital book
Steve Davies, aerospace defense writer, and host of the 10 Percent True podcast will be bundling his book with the release of the DCS: F-15E Strike Eagle by RAZBAM. This 100,000 word book utilizes research from Boeing’s historical archives, interviews with the people responsible for making the aircraft a reality and with flight crews who flew the F-15E on missions and in combat.
The bundled book is called ‘Be Afraid of the Dark (Part 1)’ and it covers the history of the jet up to 2002 (and the Suite 3E standard). Part two will then be sold through his website.
Update: In an earlier version of this post the author was listed as Steve Davis instead of Steve Davies. It has been corrected!
Instructional videos
Eagle Dynamics is also highlighting the various tutorials that have been coming out about the F-15E over the last several months. I’ve reported on nearly all of them as they have come out but I’m still surprised that there’s already 11 of them and likely more to come.
Release date speculation
Everything you read after this point is now no longer the news but my speculation based on the latest statements and past experience. Going into this year I had initially assumed that the F-15E might make an appearance as early as February or March, however, its now very clear that I was a bit optimistic. It happens! Even the developers are never quite sure on just how long some things will take until the project is on the home stretch.
With word that the F-15E is officially in validation testing and that the project is months out I’m going to make a couple of guesses, look at some calendars, and make a best guess with available information.
Assuming things go smoothly with the testing and assuming that this process still takes a couple of months to achieve, I’m going to make a guess of this aircraft appearing sometime between Wednesday April 19 and Wednesday May 24th. DCS Open Beta patches tend to come on Wednesdays and they tend to come in the middle or back-half of the month although there are exceptions to this rule all over the place.
Will my crystal ball be accurate? It rarely is so always take this as pure speculation but we do know that this process can take a few months to achieve. RAZBAM, as an experience developer with DCS World, may have some advantages that will help them along but at the same time they are also bringing together one of DCS World’s more complicated modules.
Stay tuned!
Stormbirds 
You’re always optimistic and we love you for it.
Interesting additional fact: DCS patches tend to turn to starboard in the bottom half of the hour.
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It’s true! It happens.
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Months… oh the pain. Oh well.
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Yep that’s what they are saying. Hopefully still not too long!
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I am myself surprised to say it, but I am now far more likely to buy a DCS than a GB product. I wonder what might be the catalyst for that?
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Just fwd your article to a friend of mine that works at Boeing combat aircraft systems to see if his leadership know about this. Bizarrely, the OEMs do not seem aware of DCS
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Some part of their giant organization will. All of this stuff gets licensed.
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Often a lot of people have no idea what is going on. Years I have been trying to get an OEM to work with a DCS module developer. They still don’t understand it.
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10% True on youtube also has 2 DCS vids out, look for: Razbam F-15E for DCS, part 1 & 2. Short but good.
love the fact that this module is coming with a bunch of extra SWAG. The ebook is going to be very nice, and I’m sure it’ll mean I buy the second half.
Strange to think that after so many years it’s finally just 2 months out. Gonna be great!
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Fantastic! Must watch those soon.
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Thanks SRock. I’ve recently taken a break from IL2 and have been doing a deep dive into learning the DCS Hornet. I’ve been flying the campaigns, the latest being the Raven campaign based on the book. I can’t believe how much I’m enjoying it, DCS has come a long way in VR. It was only a year ago that it was unplayable for me due to lack of VR visibility. Now that it’s much better, this is the most fun I’ve had in SP in years.
My question to you and the readers is, do you think this will be at the same standard as ED’s F18 module? Better? I haven’t had much experience with Raz and I’m curious as to their history as a developer, as well as I’m curious as to how the f15e compares to the f18c as far as flying and fighting?
Thanks
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RAZBAM have a complicated reputation. They have scored a number of own-goals in the realm of the public relations game over the years and they have made plenty of mistakes. On the other hand, they have also owned many of those mistakes and they have stuck by their products and continued to upgrade them – an effort that I find laudable. Especially with the M-2000C and AV-8B. See my articles from the last couple of years on them. https://stormbirds.blog/2022/02/12/revisiting-the-m-2000c-in-2022/
https://stormbirds.blog/2021/02/07/revisiting-the-dcs-av-8b-in-2021/
We’ll have to see what the F-15E brings to the table, however, it has several things going for it. It was developed following those other modules and thus brings quite a bit of expertise to bear that wasn’t around or was new back when their other modules were introduced. DCS World is also a more mature product than it was previously and so things like Link 16, more detailed radar systems, targeting pods, etc. have all advanced (many of those thanks to the Hornet and Viper).
We’ll have to see how it plays out. I will of course be getting it, flying it, and providing an early access review. I have high hopes!
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