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Russia's MiG Aircraft Company Develops 3D Flight Simulator

Posted by timothy on from the make-a-mig-do-a-4g-negative-dive dept.

Zothecula writes "Russian aircraft company MiG is best known for its fighter planes which have been used by the USSR, China, North Korea and North Vietnam since the beginning of WWII. These days, the former Government-owned RAC MiG is a publicly traded entity and competes on the open market with its technologies, having more than 1600 of its MiG-29 fighters in operation in 25 countries. Now MiG is claiming a major first in military aviation with the launch of a 3D flight simulator at the Dubai Air Show, providing volumetric visualization of beyond-the-cockpit space for trainee top guns. The simulator comes complete with the MiG-29's cockpit and actual control systems."

8 of 62 comments (clear)

  1. damn by demonbug · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I was hoping for a new entry in the PC sim arena. Oh well.

    Seems strange that this is big news (is it really?) - I'd think it would be obvious to apply 3D projection to flight simulators, and pretty damn easy to do. Digital projectors capable of high-resolution 3D are not exactly new, and neither are active shutter glasses. Somewhat expensive until fairly recently, but that's probably not a huge concern for military-grade (or aviation in general) flight simulators.

    1. Re:damn by Asmodae · · Score: 3, Informative

      Check out Eagle Dynamics (http://www.digitalcombatsimulator.com). Full KA-50 Blackshark (attack helicopter) and A-10C Warthog study sims. Absolutely mind-boggling levels of fidelity, (which you can tone down by turning on various assists, at least in blackshark). They also have a lower fidelity multi-aircraft package called Lock On: Modern Air Combat (with a Flaming Expansion). Currently Blackshark and Flaming Cliffs share multiplayer, and can play online together. There's some more expansions coming to bring all their sims into the multiplayer space, as well as an as yet unspecified jet fighter study sim.

      All in all, if you're a modern flight sim fan of any kind, you owe it to yourself to check them out.

    2. Re:damn by LifesABeach · · Score: 2

      Comrade! Why use X-Plane? With our 3D simulator you can imagine total air superiority! How would you like your Raptor? Skewered? or Smoked?

  2. But can it do a 4g inverted dive...? by NitzJaaron · · Score: 2

    Charlie's dying to know, and no one believes Maverick & Goose.

  3. Not really news by ehud42 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    At least it shouldn't be. I mean, when guys are building fully collimated displays in their garage, in their spare time, the big boys had better have holodecks.

    --
    I'm in my right mind and I have the answer to everything!
  4. Re:yes.. i see... by History's+Coming+To · · Score: 4, Interesting

    The RAF used to have a system where - believe it or not, the "plane" was simply a small camera which was "flown" over an actual physical model of the terrain complete with tiny trees and houses. Now that's 3D. This is all back in the day when building a real life model was far easier than even contemplating a computer simulation beyond the most basic wireframe.

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    Please consider this account deleted, I just can't be bothered with the spam anymore.
  5. There were arcade games like that by SmallFurryCreature · · Score: 2

    Physical arcade games where you drove a physical toy car over a looping belt. No computer needed.

    --

    MMO Quests are like orgasms:

    You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.

  6. Re:Why? by Wyatt+Earp · · Score: 2

    Lockheed, Boeing, Northrop , Martin and Grumman have been putting out "dog fighter based aircraft" since before WWII.

    MiG's first aircraft was in 1940.
    Boeing's first all metal fighter was in 1932
    Lockheed's first transport was in 1928 and first fighter flew in 1939
    Northrop's first aircraft was in 1932 and first fighter in 1942
    Grumman's first military aircraft was in 1932
    Martin's first military aircraft was in 1918.

    While Lockheed and Martin merged, as did Northrop and Grumman, their history of military aircraft predate MiG.

    While the US focused on missile platforms in the late 50s through mid 60s, so did the Soviets, MiG put out model after model that couldn't perform air combat maneuvering worth a damn, everything after MiG-17 until MiG-29 were designed to fly straight in a line with dog fighting as a distant second role.

    In the largest single fight of US and Soviet made fighters (roughly 150 vs 150), Lebanon in 1982, F-16, F-15s, F-4s and A-4s were responsable for between 82 and 85 MiG and Sukhoi kills with no Israeli air to air loses and one A-4 lost to a SAM.