Eagle Dynamics announced back in 2025 that an upgraded version of the Flaming Cliffs Su-25A Frogfoot would eventually be coming to DCS World as a free release. We haven’t seen much of the project in the intervening time, however, we’ve just got a fresh developer update so we can see how things are looking.

The Frogfoot steps it up a notch

Eagle Dynamics say that they’ve used museum reference material, 3D scanning airframe components, and years of research to create “the most detailed aircraft model ever created for a flight simulator.” That’s a big claim but it does indeed appear that the Su-25A will be quite an impressive aircraft visually when it comes to DCS World as a playable aircraft.

The developer diary reports that the aircraft will make use of ambient occlusion to adjust cockpit lighting as the canopy opens and closes and that animated shadows and new lighting technology will simulate ray tracing.

That’s an interesting solution as it doesn’t appear that ED are using ray tracing itself but may be pre-baking some lighting conditions using the technology? I’m uncertain but it does seem that the free project is being used as a testbed for future technology. This may indeed be setting a new standard.

The developers also confirm that it will come with an English-language version of the cockpit. We’ve previously relied on third party mods to achieve that in the current Flaming Cliffs version.

Eagle Dynamics have yet to officially confirm a full fidelity DCS: Su-25A Frogfoot release, however, comments made by members of the team in the last year or so have suggested that it is a likely project.

Read the full dev report here!


9 responses to “DCS World status report focuses on Su-25A Frogfoot”

  1. I’m gathering this will be a default aircraft like the SU25T and TF51?

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      Correct! Should be a good addition and a more representative example of what DCS is like, visually at least, in 2026 than the ten plus year old Su-25T.

      Liked by 1 person

      1. I am not the world’s biggest Froggie fan, but holy moly that model looks good. I do think the -25T was vastly improved by the retexture a couple years ago, and it shows better what DCS is capable of. But it will be nice to show the upper limits to new players with this one!

        Liked by 1 person

      2. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
        ShamrockOneFive

        I wouldn’t say vastly, they did improve it slightly over its earlier iteration. This is definitely on a whole other level!

        Like

      3. Urgent Siesta Avatar
        Urgent Siesta

        this was my understanding, too, but I saw another writer report it was only for the FC4 pack…?

        I sure hope not – ED needs to put a much better foot forward with the base game.

        and while I understand the practical choice of the Su-25A, the far more capable Su-25T would’ve been a much better choice for luring new paying customers. Or at least use the work on the A rebuild to also upgrade the T.

        in any case, im glad to see it – both 25’s are a lot of fun!

        Like

      4. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
        ShamrockOneFive

        I double checked my notes and linked articles. On January 31, 2025 they announced the Su-25A would be free for everyone. To the best of my knowledge, they haven’t counter indicated anything on that.

        The Su-25T could really use a similar update.

        Liked by 1 person

  2. I think a full‑fidelity Su‑25A is a realistic possibility, and I’m definitely not the first — nor the last — to argue that DCS desperately needs more RedFor aircraft. The problem is obvious: anything Soviet, Russian, or Chinese built after about 1970 is wrapped in layers of classification and legal restrictions that make high‑fidelity modules extremely difficult for developers.

    Given those hurdles, it might be smarter for ED to lean harder into pre‑1970 Cold War aircraft while we wait for platforms like the Su‑25 and Su‑27S to become accessible. There’s a huge amount of untapped potential in that era, and it would fill a major gap in the game’s lineup. A refreshed MiG‑19 and a proper MiG‑21MF would be perfect candidates — especially if ED ever develops a Vietnam‑era Indochina map. Those aircraft would anchor the setting and finally give RedFor players a richer, more historically grounded experience.

    Like

  3. This looks great! I’m a big fan of the Frogfoot. It’s the rocket king of DCS, total sledgehammer. Hope we see it as FF.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. ShamrockOneFive Avatar
      ShamrockOneFive

      I’ve become a huge fan of it recently. It’s really fun to fly and the simplicity of it is quite nice too.

      Like

Leave a comment

Trending