If you’ve been around DCS World’s community for long enough, you’ll know that sometimes things blow up and they really are that bad but many other times its just a minor hitch in the road being interpreted as something more catastrophic. I think this is the most recent story for DCS: A-7 Corsair II by Flying Iron Simulations. Word began spreading over the last 24-hours with word that the project had been halted or cancelled. Flying Iron Simulations refuted that claim not that long ago so let’s dig into it so you’re up to date.

Corsair II still moving forward, slowly

No doubt about it, DCS: A-7 Corsair II has been a slow burn from when it was initially announced and its current still as yet released state. It is not alone in this as dozens of DCS World modules have taken years from initial announcement to release date and still others have been announced but have yet to materialize. If you’re new to the community, it may feel unusual or exceptional, but if you’ve been around for long enough you’ll know how long the wait was for types like the F-14 or the JF-17 or the F4U!

That’s the broader context but what happened with Flying Iron Simulations specifically? A post made on an artists website, Oleg Kovalev, detailed some work that he did on the A-7 project for Flying Iron Simulations. He talks about the challenges with the old model and why a new model was commissioned as well as how scanning was done to help with the accuracy.

He ends the post with some commentary on why he isn’t working on it anymore. Here’s the statement:

Unfortunately, due to sudden turbulence in the flight-simulation environment – factors outside my control that caused a shift in wind direction – the A-7E Corsair II project was put on hold. At the time, I was solely responsible for the “Art” portion of the project. My attempts to encourage management to push through the difficult period by putting all hands on deck, focusing exclusively on the A-7E Corsair II, and assigning it the highest priority were unsuccessful. The lack of clear direction ultimately led to my departure from FlyingIron Simulations.

Solar Wings

It is true that Flying Iron Simulations put the project on hold so as to work on some other projects first. That isn’t new and it happens especially when a developer is juggling projects and working to ensure that there is a constant revenue stream.

None of that means that DCS: A-7 is cancelled.

Further to that point, Alex, from the Flying Iron Simulations team, posted as recently as December 28 that the project was still being developed.

As mentioned by ourselves and others, the A-7 will be our primary focus after we have completed the Spitfire. When will this be? I can’t make any promises, but we are aiming for Late Feb/March. So no, the A-7 has NOT been cancelled. In fact, as of November our 3D modeller has already moved back on to the A-7, so progress is being made! With all that said, thank you all for the continued support and interest in the project. We can’t wait to get it out there for you all to enjoy!

Alex, Flying Iron Simulations on Discord

To provide some context on this part: Flying Iron Simulations has a Spitfire IX for Microsoft Flight Simulator. It’s an excellent aircraft, I’ve reviewed it twice (they made really big changes from the early days), and given the Spitfire’s popularity and Flying Iron’s excellent work, it was likely doing very well for the company. Upgrading it with a 2.0 release is what they are busy doing right now and then, as Alex says, the priority shifts back to the A-7.

So! A-7 is still happening. It hasn’t suffered the same fate as Crosstail’s project and its not experiencing the kind of turmoil that RAZBAM went through. Breath a little easier but understand too that it will likely be quite some time before this project fully comes to light.