I don't really upload my missions since (to be honest) I suspect that they would not really be much of a hit. They are very much "single-use" missions and don't have much replay value. On top of that, they sometimes involve so little action that many might find them excessively boring and rate them accordingly. The missions I make are really just built for me and the handful of friends that I know are on the same page as me when it comes to mission structure preference.

I guess I feel like my missions would not really work out in the public. There is a lot of context that my friends and I have built around these things that are not really present in the mission files themselves. I am not sure how to explain that better but I can't shake this feeling that they would be confusing or disjointed for folks who don't have that context.

All that being said, I do want to encourage you to really dig into the editor. I am not really a expert in the slightest and while I know my way around the editor, I find that unless you are trying to create some kind of big multiplayer sandbox thing or a elaborate PvP/PvE hybrid scenario, you don't really need to make things terribly complicated in order to make them very realistic, plausible, and authentic. In fact, you really can do just fine using only the editor's built-in flag and trigger system and that system may seem complex at first, it is actually rather simple once you actually learn some of the very basics and see how it all fits together.

Seriously, I am not usually someone that gets really good at editors and I was able to work my way through it with very little outside help (since useful mission editor tutorials are somewhat rare even still).

The other thing is the military knowledge element. This is actually a interesting point to bring up since that knowledge has implications both in the editor as you make the missions and in the simulated cockpit as you execute those missions.

Building up that knowledge is not as daunting as you might think. It does require some "book-work" but you will find that a lot of the really useful information is condensed into only a few (very enjoyable) books and perhaps some NATO/USAF/USMC/Navy manuals/documents when small gaps need to be filled.

Here is a short reading list that will really expand your understanding of how missions are organized and put together.

1.) A-10's over Kosovo. This book is a goldmine of "short stories" that outline specific parts of the Operation Allied Force campaign from the perspective of both pilots and their commanding officers. It really gets into some of the details of how these missions were planned, what kind of air-power infrastructure they were working with, and how the day to day political changes changed how they did their jobs in the air. This book is a great way to start and it helps that it is free.

2.) Joint Force Harrier. This is written from the perspective of a British GR-7 pilot and squadron commander in Afghanistan. This book is filled with delicious technical details about not just the aircraft but how the day to day missions were organized. Alongside A-10's over Kosovo, this is a great way to learn a lot of great details rather quickly and easily.

3.) A Nightmare's prayer. This is a somewhat different book. It is written by a Marine pilot and while it is does offer some inside-looks at the way missions are planned and organized, it mostly focuses on his specific personal experiences during his time there. It may not give you a lot of technical details but it will help you understand the mindset.

One neat thing about this book is that it focuses quite a bit on how the whole system can break down while a pilot is flying a mission. You will read a lot of stuff about how poor planning, misused resources, and even inflexible time-lines all contribute to potential issues in-mission. These are things that you can find ways to simulate in the editor and add a lot of flavor to the missions you make.

4.) Black Aces High. This book focuses on F-14 bombing operations in Kosovo and offers some very interesting insights into how they gather useful intelligence and make use of it when planning missions. It also gets into some very interesting details about how large strike packages are organized.

This book also gets into just how failure prone some of these aircraft and the equipment they carry really are.

The following is a selection of links to documents/manuals I have found that may seem very heavy and difficult to parse at first but really should be treated as references. If you find yourself in need of a very specific term or a specific bit of information, these are organized in such a way that you should be able to find exactly what you want rather easily. Some of these have more updated versions that may or may not be downloadable but you can usually find them via google to read.

1.) 3-09.3 Close Air Support (joint publication)

2.) Air Support Operations Center (ASOC) procedures

3.) NATOPS tactics, techniques, and procedures for Close Air Support. (direct download link from ED forums)

4.) Multi-service tactics, techniques, and procedures for the joint application of air-power.

Those are a few good ones. Since I have been working mostly on CAS missions lately, I have focused a lot of my research on that specific aspect. This is why all those documents kinda relate. As far as fighter operations go, I would have to see if I can dig up any information on organizing patrols, intercepts, and the like. I suspect that information is out there but I gotta know what to look for.

As far as learning the editor goes, there are not a whole lot of great resources available. The DCS World manual covers a lot of the basics of the interface and taking a look at it every now and again can give you insight that you might not pick up intuitively. Still, there are some youtube lessons that might help, here are some good ones I have found.

1.) Mission randomization (very useful and very important!)

2.) PickinThatBanjo's mission editor tutorial playlist (some good basic information here and some intermediate concepts mixed in.

3.) Ranger79's mission editor tutorial playlist. Like the prior link, it has a lot of basic stuff but also covers some trigger and flag concepts that (while simple to do) really open up the editor in a big way.

When I approach making a mission, my first thought is how to properly capture the experience of the pilot and only the pilot. This means that I don't have a lot of interest creating some sort of randomized dynamic campaign kinda thing and instead focus on capturing what a typical sortie would look like. As a result, my missions tend to be fairly straightforward. If I task the player with bombing a target, I am going to take into account things like up to the minute satellite images, prolific drone use, and even up to the minute reports from troops on the ground. As such, the player will have a lot of information available even before they hop in the cockpit. To put it simply, don't agonize over randomization. That kind of stuff has a place in certain types of missions but only to a certain point. NATO has a lot of tools at its disposal that can provide very fine details about what the enemy is doing and what they are doing it with.

As a final thought. When you really get into some of the reading material, you start to see that in real-life, the missions are not really all that "epic". A day to day G-CAS, X-CAS, or even a CAP sortie is not going to be this huge battle and will probably instead be filled with more mundane, procedure focused tasks. When you do get action, it is (on average) going to be fairly isolated and won't require a lot of bombs, bullets, or missiles to take care of.

Additionally, it is useful to limit the scope of your missions carefully. In those big sandbox scenarios online, they often end up with far too many "cooks in the kitchen". In real life, you may have a lot of flights in the air but they are typically two ship flights that all have their own tasking and only interact with each other in specific circumstances. With this in mind, try to make missions that focus on just two pilots in a single flight. It will make it easier to create realistic, plausibly scaled missions. Likewise, equip those aircraft with realistic loadouts as that puts a heavy emphasis on managing weapons as opposed to just going up with a stupidly overloaded aircraft and dumping on inappropriate targets.

Hopefully this helps. I know it is not exactly a mission download list but I suppose this could be taken as a long-winded "teach a man to fish" scenario. Making your own missions is a good way to be self-sufficient. That is something that is not emphasized nearly enough in the DCS community these days.

I have been posting this in relevant places to people I think might take it into consideration:

You can survival prep very quickly. Buy a water filtration system (I prefer the Platypus brand gravity filter) and at least a couple spare filters. Alternatively, you can purify water with bleach (info here). Buy at least 2 weeks of canned food that you won't touch for at least a week after the event (unless you plan to be moving). Dry beans and rice are better for your calorie/weight ratio. Buy a shotgun or pistol with a decent amount of ammo (I'm thinking 500 rounds for a pistol or at least 100 shotgun shells) and get familiar with using it safely. Cash, if cash isn't working, gold and silver ain't either. Also, a hand crank or solar battery charger, which can be found for around $20 combined with a flashlight and radio. Bam!, you're now better prepped than 95+% of the population.

Some other additional items: MEDICATION RESERVES (if possible to acquire), flashlights, hunting knife, rope, tarp, Bic lighters, padlocks & chains (heavy so wouldn't be great for travel), enough gas to drive to a location you believe would be safe, hiking backpack. US Air Force Survival Manual for reading

I recognize guns are a touchy subject with many people here, but in this day and age, I would encourage you to look at the world around us and maybe see that we could be in a more precarious position in our society than we would like. I would hope that the US would never come to a point in which gear like this might be necessary, but it is better to build dikes than just to pray for sunshine. Anyway, if guns truly aren't your thing, just don't get one.

If you do choose to become a gunowner, and you do not have experience with them, I seriously cannot overstate the importance of taking some sort of class or training with someone experienced that you trust.

This is a simplified, but relatively comprehensive survival prep guide for everything from natural disasters to total societal meltdown. I would encourage everyone to do at least some of it. The Boy Scout motto simply says "Be prepared". It doesn't say what to be prepared for.

Gun people of Reddit: I recognize a .22 rifle is probably the best for hunting small game and ammo expense/weight/availability. I also realize the AR-15 is probably your best jack-of-all-trades gun. I personally feel that a 9mm pistol or shotgun is a better option for a new gunowner to get started. We can argue about it til we're blue in the face, and I respect your opinion, but I'm not changing it.

Buy Fighter Combat: Tactics and Manoeuvring. It is the PhD-level thesis on air-to-air combat. Eat it up. You will be heads and shoulders above your peers if you can demonstrate a solid understanding of the concepts in that book when it comes to recruitment time.

Also, keep in mind that being a fighter pilot isn't particularly glamourous. You get to fly the coolest jets in the world, but 99.9% of the time, when you're deployed, the flying is boring as shit. Naval aviators? Take off, bus to a tanker, get gas, fly in a racetrack for 3 hours, get gas, fly in a racetrack for 3 hours, fly back to the boat, land. Sleep for 8 hours. Do it again when you wake up. Every six days. For 3-4 months.

Watch Jetstream and Speed & Angels.

Get your private pilot's license, glider's license, or recreational -- whatever you can afford. The sooner you get yourself into a cockpit the better. At the very least, try and go up in a high performance prop that's capable of at least 6Gs and get the instructor to do a full aerobatic routine with +6/-4 load. Some people take Gs better than others; you'll want to know if you're susceptible to fainting or throwing up. (I knew someone at the top of his class at flight school, right up until they started doing G-loaded maneuvers, at which point he started hurling at around +3/-2. He ended up getting kicked out as he couldn't kick it.)

Get into fighter simulators like Falcon 4.0: Allied Force, or the new Falcon 4.0 release from Benchmark Sims. They'll give you a far better appreciation of what's actually involved being a fighter pilot than any book or movie. (Took me about two weeks of reading manuals and practicing before I was able to lock on to a bandit in Falcon 4 from BVR and shoot it down. Learning the concepts of fire control radar and subsequent operation of said radars will be very enlightening, and again, will put you ahead of your peers.)

Engross yourself in the details. Get obsessive. Read and re-read Fighter Combat. Know the strengths and weaknesses of every fighter/attack jet currently flying in every air force. Know what a high yo-yo is. Know what your beams are, and how to notch them. Know about gimbal limits. Learn about jammers.

Eat up as much information as you can. Understand every concept being discussed in this thread about BVR tactics.. Learn as much as you can about the F-22, F-35, China's J-20 and Russia's PAK FA. The latter two are going to reach IOC around the time that you'll probably be strapping up in a J-35. Read all of the articles here and be able to make informed decisions about what you're reading and how that fits into your world view..

Watch this video of an F-16 pilot evading six SAMs over Iraq during Desert Storm and make sure that's something you want to do with your life.

Buy FSX and the VRS Superbug. Learn how to fly carrier patterns. It's one of the most challenging yet rewarding thing you can do on a simulator. (You'll want a HOTAS setup for the best effect.)

Read Vipers in the Storm for a very technically-oriented account of one F-16 pilot's Desert Storm deployment.

Read the official CV NATOPS publications (google it). Download and read the Air Force's F-16 Air Combat Command 16v5 manual. It's just as juicy as Fighter Combat.

Pick the aircraft you want to fly and know everything about it. Cut out pictures of it and put them on your wall. Know the emergency red book procedures off by heart. Buy the cockpit cut-outs that students use to learn all the switches and memorize them. When it comes to recruitment time and they ask for your three jet preferences, put that jet down three times, because there's no way you're going to fly anything else. Just, nope.

Know about the 10,000 hour rule (google it) and start chipping away. Immersing yourself in the world of fighter pilots now will pay off in years to come. When it comes time for your recruitment interview in 3-4 years time, you'll be so far ahead of your peers that you should be a shoe-in. Make it clear during your interview that being a fighter pilot is all you want to do. Have a list of every single aspect you've learnt (like red pages, BVR tactics, basically everything I've mentioned here), and get them to quiz you on the hardest ones (or ask if you can demonstrate what you know about the hardest ones).

And whatever you do, don't ever visit this site: http://www.becomefighterpilot.com/fighter-pilot-video.html. I purposely didn't make it a link. It is absolute horse shit. I know, because I bought it. A year ago. (And I'm 30 and have long since given up my chances of being a fighter pilot, which I regret on a daily basis.) It basically consists of: "get good grades, be a good person, do your homework".

No tl;dr for you! Print this shit out and do everything on it. Ping me in five years when you pull your first break turn at corner speed.

...

Know what a break turn is and why you would need to do one at corner speed.

In relative terms, this question has a rather broad scope, so I will attempt to answer it more broadly (albeit tactically) rather than on a case by case basis. I’m also going to narrow the scope a bit by focusing on World War II, although this should be (at least somewhat) applicable to The Great War as well.

The book Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering by Robert Shaw is likely the best codified and most complete book we have to date (in the public realm) on air to air combat - not just in the modern era but also in regard to guns-on-guns dogfighting (e.g. World War II).

Generally, though, being able to visually identify friendly aircraft and communicate with them would not only be a basic part of training but also understood to be absolutely essential to survival. Formation flying, especially (and the hand signals that go with it), would likely help train (or weed out) young pilots very quickly in regard to avoiding contact with friendly planes. (Here is the Navy’s FTI manual for T-45 Goshawk formation flying )

If you were a British Spitfire pilot flying during the Battle of Britain, for example, you would likely be able to readily identify friendly aircraft like the Hurricane, Mosquito, Blenheim, Lancaster, etc. relative to non-friendly aircraft like the Me-109, Ju-88, Stuka, etc.

Between visual identification and the need to communicate with (at least) your immediate friendly aircraft in order to have any realistic chance of success, the odds of being shot down by enemy aircraft were likely orders of magnitude more likely than colliding with a friendly one.

I'm using general symbology, the shape and colors. I've been interested and studied militaria since I was a kid. I've also served in the military and been assigned to facilities that are home to USASOC, AFSOC and JSOC units and some that house and assemble projects that show up on the congressional budget with nothing more than a two word title.

Not having anything to back up an explanation of a black project's or super secret unit's or facility 's insignia is sort of the point. They're kept vague on purpose so as to be confused with many other things, yet at the same time, have clear symbolism that have direct and explicit ties to what they represent.

Without a slogan or company name or personal rank, title or name, it points toward something that's unpublicized. Because of the selection of the red circle around the diamond shape, it tells me that a few things. Given that there is a near perfect representation of the Have Blue aircraft in the color blue inside a red circle, it's easy to deduce that the circle represents a radar display that shows nothing as the aircraft (Have Blue) is flying through the observed area. This flight path is shown by the blue vector line that bisects the aircraft. It is all represented on a desert tan background, because the aircraft was tested and flown out of Groom Lake. At the time of the project, military flight suits were sage green, so the desert tan is there to add emphasis for some reason.

Also, there can be a few different flight suit or uniform insignia used on black projects, because it confuses people and the insignia aren't required under the Geneva or Hague Conventions or the more modern UN conventions, rulings or guidelines for R&D projects that don't initiate hostilities.

I could be really wrong, I'm just positing one rather obvious theory. I'm just giving a fairly educated guess without having done any research.

If I was to seek further verification personally, I'd take a look at the works of Trevor Paglen. He has done a lot of work into researching the insignia of secret US defense projects and units. He has a book or two that have been published on secret US insignia and seems to be obsessed with them. He's a pretty good guy, look up his website and contact him, if he doesn't outright have an answer, he'll at least be very interested in researching it.

https://www.amazon.com/Could-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed/dp/193555414X/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?keywords=trevor+paglen&qid=1565136762&s=gateway&sprefix=trevor+p&sr=8-4

I've got relatives that have retired after a life working in defense and aerospace, as well as some that were USAF lifers that have worked on interesting bases from Eglin to Beale. I'll ask them and get back to you if they've any ideas.

Try the flight sim crowd; a lot of them build custom aircraft, and as a result, they have references.

See e.g.

http://www.razbamsims.com/downloads/Docs/RAZBAM%20Harrier%20GR.7-GR.9%20Aircraft%20Manual.pdf

GR7/9 manual for a flights sim, which includes renderings of some of the cockpit parts. Not quite on point, but you see what I mean.

See also:

http://publicintelligence.net/u-s-navy-natops-av-8b-harrier-ii-flight-manuals/

This is a flight manual which I haven't perused in some time, but perhaps there is something in there with a master reference to the master caution lights, panels, etc.

If nothing else, perhaps it's interesting reading.

Your best bet will be either the flights sim crowd, or a google search for various images; a comprehensive resource out there might also exist among british modelmakers sites.

British modelers seem to have these things called "SIGs" (Special Interest Groups) that may or may not be offshoots of IPMS chapters, but devoted to a very particular subject or aircraft. In that case, see if there is one for harriers; they are the people most likely to have accumulated reference materials. Try also military archives of the relevant nation state you're looking for references for; it's a long shot but sometimes you can find interesting or useful stuff.

Never mind, they exist:

http://www.harriersig.org.uk/

See also:

Harrier GR3 specific references:
http://p1127.co.uk/Harrier/index.html

List of recommended references for modelling Harriers generally:
http://www.harriersig.org.uk/models/modellingtheharrierv3.pdf

Osprey Publishing references, and a sample on google books.
http://books.google.com/books?id=HRTW6VXy780C&pg=PA71&lpg=PA71&dq=special+interest+group+harrier+modelers&source=bl&ots=u8KPzrHNYO&sig=hMJk1fXzZfVTabNdkSpN9-vZVkk&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sSBYVOSiCIHmsAS554CIAQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=special%20interest%20group%20harrier%20modelers&f=false

Finally, you can look at 3d modelers forums (e.g. the types that make digital models for flight sims, games, and just for the hell of it). A lot of them will gather up references for the particular aircraft they are modelling, or have/seek threads that ask for such materials.


And finally, because I can be an insufferable know it all, Squadron and Osprey might publish stuff with some references, but they are not definitive. Sometimes they will showcase subtle differences among marks and variants, but I can't vouch for the quality of this:

http://www.amazon.com/Harrier-Action-Aircraft-No-58/dp/0897471393/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1415062102&sr=8-1&keywords=harrier+in+action

See finally:

http://www.kitsforcash.com/harrier-gr3-cockpit-detailing-set-21-p.asp

Resin cockpit set designed specifically for the model in question. Perhaps you might consider that instead of scratchbuilding, but perhaps you want the challenge.

In defense of strategic bombing:

Command of the Air by Giulio Douhet. Douhet was the tip o the spear in advocating an independent mission for air forces who claims that wars can be won before ground troops are even needed.

Winged Defense by Billy Mitchell. Mitchell was the prophet of strategic bombing and advocate of an independent air force in the United States (to the chagrin of the Army at the time).

In defense of airpower as "close air support" for ground troops:

Winning With Allies: The Strategic Value of the Afghan Model. Air power can be highly effective in a close air support role and can tip the balance on the ground, even in support of a weak-ish client.

Breaker of Armies: Air Power in the Easter Offensive and the Myth of Linebacker I and II in the Vietnam War. Essentially the same argument as above.

A counter argument for the two above is: Allies, Airpower, and Modern Warfare: The Afghan Model in Afghanistan and Iraq

Academic analysis of air power theory, its evolution and effectiveness:

Bombing to Win By Robert Pape. Been a while since I've read this one. From what I remember he is critical of the theories that say air power can win wars all by themselves by bombing cities and economic nodes, but is most effective in an interdiction role.

Fast Tanks and Heavy Bombers
Innovation in the U.S. Army, 1917–1945 by David E. Johnson. He traces the efforts of those who wanted an independent air force in the U.S. during the interwar period (tho not the sole focus of the book). I loved this book, very good at showing the bureaucratic hurdles in the way of advocates of strategic bombing and an independent air force.



Disclaimer: This is not all there is to know on air power, just the things I have read myself.

Since we're on the subject of SR-71 reading material... I give these three my complete and total recommendation.

SR71 Blackbird- Stories, Tales, and Legends by Richard Graham

REALLY good read. Essays and interviews from all kinds of people involved in the program- pilots, RSO, mechanics, crew chiefs, engineers. 11/10 very fun read

Archangel to Senior Crown: Design and Development of the Blackbird by Peter Merlin

More about the technology, history, and politics behind the aircraft. Not as 'fun' as the first one, but very detailed. Also comes with 4gb of manuals for the SR71. Allow me to clarify that, the book comes with a DVD with shitloads of manuals and documents from Lockeed, USAF, NASA, etc. I'd give it a 9/10 based simply on it being a bit dry at times.

Lockeed SR71 Owners Manual by Haynes

Yes, the same company that makes the owners workshop manual for your car... Lots of pictures, detailed diagrams and schematics, very informative. Makes a great bathroom reader. Fun! 10/10

Well the definitive guide would be Fighter Combat by Shaw. However if you don't want to shell out money, SimHQ has several good general guides on air to air and air to ground procedures that can be adapated to WT's bizzare style of fight.

Closer to home, I would suggest watching /u/dmh_longshot and /u/messer_smitt's videos. Longshot has a great series of videos showcasing effective energy fighting in arcade, the principles of which are applicable to RB as well. Messer Smitt is an incredibly effective, efficient energy fighter with a particular mastery of more subtle energy management techniques involving roll and forcing overshoots.

A couple good recommendations I have (aside from Tom Clancy stuff which I read for recreation) are going to be

Guide to effective military writing

and

AF Officer's guide (Incredibly useful even as enlisted)

​

I'm currently reading Ghost in the Wires, it's pretty neat. It's about this guy who hacked the FBI and then hacked their hack on him... pretty fun stuff. Talks a lot about the social engineering side of security.

​

Current "Fancier' Everyday Bag - MMK Jessica Satchel......
So this is like dinner dates or going out with friends. Brunch. Lunch. Etc.

My Everyday "Errands" Bag - MMJ - Domo Arigato Crossbody .....
This is more for like the market, dog park. Those kinds of things.

For Travel - day to day trekking - I'm a big fan of this bag by travelon because it's huge and hard for pickpockets to get into. Plus I don't care if it gets all beat up because it wasn't expensive.

For my Carry-On and Weekender Bag - LongChamp Le Pliage extra large. Love this thing. It's got plenty of space and folds down great when not in use.

The Hazy Center is phenomenal. (Just to make clear, this is not the center on the National Mall in DC; it's in VA, near the Dulles Airport. I went specifically to see the Concorde and the Enola Gay, but I didn't realize they also had the Liberty Bell Mercury capsule, an SR-71, and an amazing amount of world war 2 vintage aircraft including the F4U Corsair. It's a wonderful place for airplane nuts. Incidentally, the Smithsonian publishes a book called At the Controls, which has great photos and writeups of the cockpits of many of the aircraft in the Hazy Center.

If you'd like to know more about german planes, I highly recommend Wings of the Luftwaffe by Eric Brown. I'm german and I find this book to be the best source on the topic; it's also well written :)

The thing about BVR is that it isn't a science. You can learn all the maneuvers, nomenclature, and tactics, but at the end of the day BVR combat is about 40% luck and 60% art. I think what nealius posted is about the best you'll find outside of military practice. I always recommend Shaw's book but even his book is fairly light on the BVR stuff.

I guess a good way to put it is that the rote learning that most of us are used to gets you about 90% of the way with WVR combat, but with BVR combat it only gets you about 10% of the way. The only way to improve at BVR is practice every situation you can simulate.

• http://www.amazon.com/Boyd-The-Fighter-Pilot-Changed/dp/0316796883
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599
  
  These two are great, and the 2nd one is basically the bible for A2A combat. A lot of the maneuvers will not apply to zero-g space fighters, but the lessons you learn about firepower, awareness, and strategy will hold up for the next 500 years.
  
  PM me if you ever want help or advice. My Org is always looking for bright eyed recruits :-P

Picked this up at Barnes and Noble few weeks ago for $11 on sale;

http://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-World-War-Aviation-Factfile/dp/078582958X

Great book with info, diagrams, stats, etc. Nice coffee like table book.

Just as an FYI, RuAF's never ordered "vanilla" R-77, which only nominally passed the trials and was accepted into service just to be able to force a procurement of a token number of new MiG-29S that could use it as the military spending was being drastically reduced at that time. The missile itself, though, was never seen on RuAF birds, only mock ups were ever spotted.

I suppose, Deka is referencing RVV-AE, which is a kind of an export version of R-77, except, unlike the latter, it actually exists in numbers and was procured in significant enough quantities by China, India, Syria, Malaysia and many others. There was a blog post with compilation of links for all the spotted RVV-AE appearances but I can't find it for some reason, will come back and post it here, if I manage to find it, but for now the links posted above should suffice.

There is also this old doc that lists all the pre-2010 contracts. Yes, China has been ordering these at least all the way up to 2010.

Finally, RuAF in Syria doesn't use "export version", those are R-77-1 (Izdeliye 170-1). It has been in development at least since 2000s and, according to Butowski (see the book reference below), entered mass production back in 2010. We also have a 100% confirmation for 2015-2017 procurement contracts in a form of an official tender document. The corresponding export missile is RVV-SD and KTRV states a significant range increase over the basic model.

For more information on RVV-AE production numbers and R-77-1 R&D and procurement for RuAF you can also check Butowski's book on Russia's Air-launched Weapons: Russian-made Aircraft Ordnance Today :)

Direct quote is from:
McCullough, 2015, "The Wright Brothers", Epliogue pp. 260-261

This is a great read, just came out.



Here are the Wright Papers at LOC: http://www.loc.gov/collection/wilbur-and-orville-wright-papers/about-this-collection/

Here's a few great reads as well:

• http://www.amazon.com/Birdmen-Wright-Brothers-Curtiss-Control/dp/0345538056/ (mostly later aviation/business years)
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Flight-Complete-History-R-G-Grant/dp/0756619025/r
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/In-Cockpit-Inside-History-Making-Aircraft/dp/0061143812/
  
  
• http://www.amazon.com/Conquer-Air-Wright-Brothers-Flight/dp/0743255364/
  
  
  

Already a lot of good advice here, and I did see In Pursuit mentioned, so I thought I'd just help point to the source of the good theory.

1. In Pursuit: A Pilot's Guide to Online Air Combat by Johan Kylander. This is a free online publication. Can be bought as a print if you so desire, but the PDF is free.
   
   
2. Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering (the 1985 edition) by Robert Shaw. This is the bible of air combat, covering everything from the basic concept of "energy" and the different weapons available, all the way to group-vs-group and alone-vs-group combat, used as study material even for real pilots. You can't do better than this, and for 485 pages (if I remember right) it's a pretty darn cheap book. It is well written in all senses of the word, and understanding it will make it so much easier to learn from other guides and materials available. Can definitely recommend reading it.

The second link is actually a book. I just like to source a free pdf so everyone can read.

https://www.amazon.com/Could-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed/dp/193555414X

>In 2008 by the means of hundreds of Freedom of Information requests, Trevor Paglen obtained and analyzed forty mission patches.

I did notice that, and it's appreciated. However reddit natively removes any comment that has a known link shortener in it. For readability and to avoid getting caught in the spam filter, I suggest formatting with the reddit hyperlink syntax in the future, like so:

[Tupolev Tu-154: The USSR's Medium-Range Jet Airliner](http://www\.amazon.com/Tupolev-Tu-154-Medium-Range-Airliner-Aerofax/dp/1857802411)

Which, when entered into a comment field and submitted, ends up looking like this:

Tupolev Tu-154: The USSR's Medium-Range Jet Airliner

Thanks for the comment! I've approved it now.

I haven't read this edition, but the Jane's guide is pretty good from my childhood memories!

I'd recommend using KB/mouse to be more effective. For immersion, joysticks are awesome but they cannot compete with manual gimbal aim. The gamepad is going to give you the worst experience in current implementation IMO.

I recently read a really great book on dog fighting. It deals with atmospheric flight, but there is a lot of great info in it.

http://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1427749842&sr=8-1&keywords=robert+l+shaw+combat

>How is that not ridiculous? I work for a top secret intelligence service. Here's my badge that proves it! LOL

Reality is unrealistic

https://www.amazon.com/Could-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed/dp/193555414X

I have this book: http://www.amazon.com/Aircraft-World-Aviation-Factfile-Chartwell/dp/078582958X

I really like it, but like the reviews below say there are some inconsistencies and the descriptions about the aircraft aren't too extensive. Nevertheless it is still a really interesting read about all the aircraft.

Confounding variable. The lack of a gun wasn't what caused the Navy's success, recognition of the value of proper ACM training was the cause of their success.

As an aside, I don't know what you do for a living in the Air Force, but I greatly enjoyed this book. https://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599 I haven't read it in many years, but it was a real eye-opener.

Check out how fast the mothership and chase plane disappear in this on-board movie looking aft:

(edit: This was not the record setting flight)

I fell in love with this aircraft in the 50s when I was a kid. A great history of the program: Hypersonic: The Story of the North American X-15 (Specialty Press)

Can't recommend this book enough;
http://www.amazon.com/Hypersonic-American-Revised-Edition-Specialty/dp/1580071317
Fantastic read, tons of great photographs. Get it.

This book was a good read. These are the same tactics that have basically applied to fighter combat since forever, up to all aspect missiles, but excluding HOB missiles. There are great chapters on 2v1 and 2v2.

Check out "At the Controls". If you're really interested in cool cockpits, this book is highly recommended by me!

If you're the reading type, I would suggest Steve Davies' "Red Eagles" in which he discusses just that. We often got them from countries that had previous Soviet influence, or from allies that captured them previously (if I remember correctly, one of our first batches of MiG-17s came from Israel).

Davies' book reads rather easily, and contains great primary sources. I suggest grabbing a copy!

It is a badly written article. AFAIK, there was never any way to make a nuclear powered Mach 3 bomber. Switching piston engines for nuclear powered electrical ones in a B-36 is one thing, trying to make the thrust required for Mach 3 flight is another.

This sentence was lame, just hanging out there, with no additional detail, not even a link to the wiki article:

>Some surfaces also used a special alloy known as René 41.

And this one speaks for itself:

>Ballistic missiles had become effective enough to shoot down planes at the highest altitudes.

But, there's a pretty interesting book about the XB-70, and I have actually seen it in person at the Air Force Museum. It's an amazing plane; I think it's the overall coolest airplane of the 20th century.

Nah; read Wings of the Luftwaffe. Eric Brown test flew pretty much everything, and his conclusion was that the 262 was not controllable much beyond about Mach 0.8.

Condensation doesn't tell you anything about the aircraft's Mach number. It just tells you that the air is humid and the passage of the aeroplane is sufficient to cause the water to condense. You will see it over very obviously subsonic aeroplanes (e.g. over the high lift system of airliners on approach).

The Prandtl-Glauert singularity also doesn't tell you that the aeroplane is supersonic with respect to the freestream.

Book: http://www.amazon.com/Red-Eagles-Americas-General-Aviation/dp/1846039703

Sweet, need another read for my Kindle. Thanks for the suggestion!

Try this one - https://www.amazon.com/Janes-Aircraft-Recognition-Guide-Fifth/dp/0061346195

I don't own it, I just like pretty much anything that flies. I was lucky enough to be birding in the Columbia gorge in central WA when an F18 came screaming downriver and rolled up over the canyon wall right in front of me.

You actually don't need more than 2-3 books, and the skills in 'reading between the lines' of a few articles. Question is exactly what books, and what articles: problem is that certain 'prominent' authors on Russian military aviation (say Yefim Gordon) are actually copy-pasting from plenty of native sources, and then picking cherries at their own discretion. Result are illusions and legends.

In regards of books, I would recommend Piotr Butowski's recent Russia's Warplanes (there are two volumes) and Russia's Air-Launched Weapons. Combined, they are very useful as 'starting points', even though the latter is lacking precision in regards of specific missile projects.

A regular visit of specialised sections of the ACIG.info forum (requires registration to read) helps 'sort out ambient noises' from 'reality' in regards of all the online reporting. That platform is online since 19 years, and frequented by people who really know what 'research' and 'critical thinking' means.

Jane's books are a good thing to start with:

Like http://www.amazon.com/Janes-Aircraft-Recognition-Edition-Guides/dp/0061346195#productDescription_secondary_view_pageState_1415834288638

The coolest thing of all this is probably its Mission Patch.


Edit:
Apologies. Was not trying to promote sales just trying to encourage thoughts on mysterious and clandestine mission patches. Not sure how accurate these are, pulled from Google images.

this book is great, lost my copy a while back.
https://www.amazon.com/Could-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed/dp/193555414X/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468632181&sr=8-2&keywords=if+i+told+you+i+would+have+to+kill+you

a colleague on my visual effects and animation team at a big defense contractor designed lots of patches for missile defense tests and other programs. Typically everything present on the patch has some meaning, even if its not obvious. I always loved seeing what he would come up with.

[this was my favorite, for FTM-14 stellar scorpion. sorry i cant find any better images of it.]
(http://thumbs.ebaystatic.com/images/g/FwwAAOSwubRXMXYs/s-l225.jpg)

Off the top of my head, a couple reasons. One is closure rate would be way too fast for reliable missile tracking. There would also be issues with the difficulties in managing the mental calculations the pilot would have to go through in obtaining missile lock, engagement tactics, etc. For the details of all that is involved in air to air combat, I highly recommend the book Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering by Robert Shaw. It's practically the bible for air to air combat. Once you study that, you'll see why it's not practical, and pick up some good info to help you out as well in your combat flying. https://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599

> Also, aircraft with swept wings tend to be much less dihedral, or even anhedral, because the wing sweep conveys some dihedral effect on its own.

I can't think of a single Western jet airliner that didn't/doesn't have dihedral.

(I realize that you didn't limit your statement to transport aircraft. But why wouldn't the same aerodynamic principles and engineering practices apply to them as to other swept-wing jet aircraft?)

> For example, the Tu-154, the workhorse Soviet airliner between 1970 and the early 2000's, was one of the fastest subsonic airliners produced, with a high degree of wing sweep, owing at least partly to its military origins.

The Tu-154 wasn't based on any military predecessor. It was a "clean sheet of paper" design. This is probably the most authoritative history of the airplane that's out there:

http://www.amazon.com/Tupolev-Tu-154-Medium-Range-Airliner-Aerofax/dp/1857802411

> The same can be seen in the preceeding Il-18 and Tu-104 aircraft, both developed directly from military versions.

The Tu-104 was developed from the Tu-16 "Badger" bomber. But the Il-18 wasn't developed from a military aircraft; it, too, was an original design.

Anyone into this kind of stuff might enjoy a book called, "I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed By Me: Emblems from the Pentagon's Black World" by Trevor Paglen.

Cool book and an interesting read.

My personal go-to is the Jane's Aircraft Recognition Guide. It's not 100% up-to-date, but it still has a picture of most aircraft you'd expect to see, and some that you will appreciate being able to identify down the road!

My favorite aspect is the proliferation of manufacturers of aircraft and components, the individual quirks and focuses their engineers developed.

Here's my recommended reading for the day

Here is the Amazon link for anyone interested.
http://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1374916106&sr=8-1&keywords=fighter+combat+tactics+and+maneuvering

I have this book at home, it's pretty amusing.

It'd take a book to answer your question in the depth it deserves. WWI represents a major turning point in how militaries used (and thought about aircraft). At the outbreak of the war, aircraft were used mostly as scouts and flying messenger boys. In the United States, for example, the Army's few aricraft all belonged to the Signal Corps!

Although initially regarded as "toys," by old-school military officers, scout aircraft quickly proved their worth. The Western and Eastern Fronts of WWI started off as swirling, mobile campaigns as armies rapidly marched into battle. On the ground, horse-mounted cavalry tried to sniff out the enemy. Above their heads, airmen put a modern spin on the scouting mission. In August 1914, one French spotter plane noticed a gap between two advancing German forces. Allied troops counter-attacked, halting the German advance and arguably saving Paris. But for one lone plane, the Great War mighy have ended very differently.

As the mobile warfare of mid-1914 gave way to trench warfare in late 1914 and 1915, aircraft became even more valuable. Cavalry, the armies' traditional scouts, couldn't penetrate the trench lines of the Western Front (the Eastern Front is still a more fluid affair at this point. Interestingly, future ace Manfred von Richtofen was a cavalry officer here at this point in the war).

Airplanes, and to some extent, observation balloons, could roam wherever they pleased. Two-man spotter planes soon combed the skies over the Western Front. Observers sketched maps and even used primitive cameras to take aerial reconnaissance photos. The intelligence they gleaned was vital. Before offensives, it helped planners discover enemy positions, particularly hidden artillery batteries. Those guns could savage attacking troops in no-man's land, so knocking them out with counterbattery fire was essential for a large-scale attack to succeed. For defenders, recon planes could spot enemy troops and supplies massing for an offensive, giving the defenders time to prepare a response.

Since one scout aircraft could indirectly do immense damage, more and more effort went into shooting down enemy scouts. Early air-to-air combat had an air of enthusiastic amateurishness to it. Pilots and observers brought aloft pistols, hunting vehicles, shotguns, and even a few machine guns. The tactics weren't terribly complex: Fly alongside your target and blaze away.

Eventually, people on both sides of the war started seriously thinking about how to effectively arm an aircraft. The initial Allied solutions are crude, but fairly effective. Some fit a Lewis gun to the top wing of a biplane so it fires over the top of the propeller arc. It's hard to aim, but its better than nothing. French mechanics fit heavy metal deflectorsi to the propellers of a few planes. It's an awkward solution, to say the least, but it's enough for pilots like Roland Garros to start rackin up a few kills.

Robert Shaw's book has the best publicly-available breakdown of Air Combat Maneuvering. It's very much worth a read.
https://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599

This book is probably the most detailed book I've found. It's got a lot of good details on the program and design of all the different aircraft. It also has a CD with pictures and aircraft manuals.

Here is a good source for stories on some of these emblems.

I recommend Red Eagles: America's Secret MiGs.

See if you can track down a piece of a combat aircraft off eBay, and have it mounted. I'm in the middle of getting a air data probe mounted at the moment.

If that doesn't work, there are heaps of good books about combat aircraft. I'd recommend SR-71 Revealed, Sled Driver or Valkyrie

Wow, I read Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering back in the day; I'm guessing this kinda changes a lot of the maneuvers taught there. I remember trying to get the nose around on an adversary and not being able, this thing would have made it a piece of cake.

If this interests you, read Trevor Paglen's I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed By Me: Emblems from the Pentagon's Black World.

A fascinating look into the world of the patches and emblems of the US' secret or unknown military forces.

Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering https://www.amazon.com/dp/0870210599/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_zSRCCbRDCYX8T

This will serve you well.

If you're a patchhead (I think I just made that up, not sure), you should check out this book -

https://www.amazon.com/Could-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed/dp/193555414X

Fun fact, this patch had to be reworked to avoid a lawsuit with George Lucas -

http://www.sci-fi-o-rama.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/I_Could_Tell_You_But_Then_You_Would_Have_to_be_Destroyed_by_Me_02.jpg

https://www.amazon.com/Red-Eagles-Americas-General-Aviation/dp/1846039703

This work?

Might be a decade old, but I don’t think there’s anything newer, aside from their primary product which is a whopping $1500. One day I’ll get to look inside one of these, but that day is not soon.

Reminds me of this book: http://www.amazon.com/Could-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed/dp/193555414X

someone has a copy of http://www.amazon.com/Could-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed/dp/193555414X...

i actually HAVE some of those patches

http://i.imgur.com/Jgephq4.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/MGmVXbR.jpg

Read this.

https://www.amazon.com/Janes-Aircraft-Recognition-Guide-Fifth/dp/0061346195

Also as to why they aren't being made anymore I'd venture the internet is the major reason.

I've had this book over 20 years, and its still a go to.

https://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599

https://www.amazon.com/Black-Aces-High-Fighter-Squadron/dp/0312269161/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498063570&sr=8-1&keywords=Black+Aces+high

This one:

https://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599

Watch this and read this.

And practice... practice.... practice...

You'd think...there's a book of patches that covers a lot more than just the bird of prey.
Link to said book

Edit: words

jane's guides, and time / spotting

Alright, check out crash laobis youtube channel, and if you wann learn some BFM check out this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCFMX5z-ed4

and this https://www.amazon.com/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599

Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering https://www.amazon.com/dp/0870210599/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_UC5yCbVE7KSBE

The only book for real and virtual fighters.

> Tu veux parler du gros ressort extérieur à la base du joystick ? Il n'est pas là pour éviter les petits mouvements ?

Oui celui-la, en fait sa résistance est non linéaire ce que fait que tu vas faire des mouvement largement trop brusques (tu perdra le retour au neutre mais c'est pas plus gênant que ça).
Et avec ces mouvements brutaux tu perdras de l'Energie et ça c'est moche en dogfight
go ici : https://www.helisimmer.com/tips-and-tricks/making-your-joystick-more-helicopter-friendly/


Si tu t’intéresse au combat aérien Je ne peux que te conseiller ce bouquin https://www.amazon.fr/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599 c'est simplement la bible

After loads of reading on the bus to work every day, here follows my reading list for military aviation:

Modern

• Viper Pilot - memoir of an F-16 Wild Weasel pilot who flew in both Iraq Wars
  
• A Nightmare's Prayer - memoir of a Marine Harrier Pilot flying out of Bagram.
  
• Warthog - Story of the A-10C pilots and their many varied missions in Desert Storm
  
• Hornets over Kuwait - Memoir of a Marine F/A-18 pilot during Desert Storm
  
• Strike Eagle - Story of the brand new F-15C Strike Eagle pilots and their time in Desert Storm
  
  

  Vietnam
  

• The Hunter Killers - look at the very first Wild Weasels, their inception, early development, successes, and failures
  
• Low Level Hell - memoir of an OH-6 Air Cav pilot
  
  

  WWII
  

• Unsung Eagles - various snapshots of the less well-known but arguably more impactful pilots and their missions during WWII (pilot who flew channel rescue in a P-47, morale demonstration pilot, etc.)
  
• Stuka Pilot - memoir of the most prolific aviator of Nazi Germany (and an unapologetic Nazi) who killed hundreds of tanks with his cannon-armed Stuka
  
• The First Team - more academic historical look at the first US Naval Aviators in WWII
  
  
  

  Overall/Other
  

• Skunk Works - memoir of Ben Rich, head of Lockeed's top secret internal firm and his time working on the U-2, SR-71, and F-117 including anecdotes from pilots of all 3 and accounts of these remarkable planes' exploits.
  
• Lords of the Sky - ambitious attempt to chronicle the rise and evolution of the "fighter pilot" from WWI to the modern day
  
• Red Eagles: America's Secret MiGs - the story of the long-top secret group of pilots who evaluated and flew captured Soviet aircraft against US pilots to train them against these unknown foes.
  
• Blind Man's Bluff: The Untold Story of American Submarine Espionage - story of the US submarine fleet starting at the outbreak of the Cold War and their exploits
  
  
  
  

  Bonus non-military aviation
  

  I highly second the recommendations of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and Diamond Age. I would also recommend:
  
  

• Neuromancer - defined the cyberpunk genre
  
• Ghost in the Wires - memoir of prolific hacker Kevin Mitnick
  
• Starship Troopers - nothing like the movie
  
• The Martian - fantastic read
  
• Heir to the Empire - first of the Star Wars Thrawn Trilogy and the book that arguably sparked the growth of the Extended Universe of Star Wars
  
• Devil in the White City - semi-fictional (mostly non-fiction) account of a serial killer who created an entire palace to capture and kill his prey during the Chicago World's Fair
  
• Good Omens - dark comedy story of a demon and an angel trying to stop the end of the world because they like us too much
  
• American Gods - fantastic story about how the old gods still walk among us
  
• Dune - just read it
  

If you are interested in some crazy US Military patches check out the contents of "I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to Be Destroyed By Me: Emblems from the Pentagon's Black World"

Amazon has it here: http://www.amazon.com/Could-Tell-Then-Would-Destroyed/dp/193555414X

> Si tu t’intéresse au combat aérien Je ne peux que te conseiller ce bouquin https://www.amazon.fr/Fighter-Combat-Maneuvering-Robert-Shaw/dp/0870210599 c'est simplement la bible

Ca se lit aussi pour du space sim tu penses ?

Shaw's "Fighter Combat".

A bible for any aspiring combat pilot.

there's a whole book

some straight hoxha-posadist shit here

> I can't think of a single Western jet airliner that didn't/doesn't have dihedral.

All I said is that as wing sweep increases, you tend to see less and less dihedral, sometimes going into anhedral, because the wing sweep introduces dihedral effect on it's own. Even in western airliners, aircraft with more swept wings have less dihedral. Take the 727 or HS Trident for example, comparable sweep to the Tu-134/Tu-154 and almost no dihedral at all.

And of course, almost every western high-wing aircraft has anhedral. The Bae 146 is one example, as someone said, and moving into cargo aircraft you have the C-17 and C-5, among others.

> The Tu-154 wasn't based on any military predecessor. It was a "clean sheet of paper" design. This is probably the most authoritative history of the airplane that's out there:
http://www.amazon.com/Tupolev-Tu-154-Medium-Range-Airliner-Aerofax/dp/1857802411[1]

Thanks for the link- I'll check it out. For the Tu-154, I didn't mean that it came for a bomber, but I could have sworn that it originated from a military specification for a government transport and then state airline use. Might be wrong though.

Trevor Paglen: Classified World of Military Patches

His book is called I Could Tell You But Then You Would Have to be Destroyed by Me

no, mainly these are replicas of Black project patches.

all of them come from a book called "I could tell you, but you would have to be destroyed by me"

The "Art of the Kill" video has already been mentioned so I won't bother linking it. It's a good, if very basic, overview of air combat in modern fighters. Other resources to look at, that are unfortunately not video:

• Fighter Combat: Tactics and Maneuvering This is the bible of air combat. If you only get one resource on air combat, make sure it's this one.
  
• n Pursuit: A Pilot's Guide to Online Air Combat This is also rather decent. Do be aware it is more focused WW2 combat than modern fighters. Most of it applies just fine, but a few things in here will get you killed in and against modern fighters.
  
• Stick and Rudder: An Explanation of the Art of Flying This isn't strictly about air combat, but it'll make you a better pilot. If you don't have the basics of flight down perfectly, all you're going to do is flounder around in the air during combat.