Dear Fighter Pilots, Partners and Friends, 

We are thrilled to introduce the DCS: MiG-27K Flogger-J2, now in development by OctopusG, the talented team responsible for the DCS: I-16[www.digitalcombatsimulator.com] and DCS: La-7[www.digitalcombatsimulator.com]. This upcoming module will feature a highly detailed variable-sweep wing flight model, the advanced PrNK-23K "Kaira" laser and TV targeting system, and the formidable six-barrel 30 mm cannon. Read on for all the details.

We are also taking a closer look at the real MiG-27K, the most advanced strike variant of the Flogger to serve with the Soviet Air Force. From its swing-wing MiG-23 origins to its final combat sorties over Afghanistan, discover the story behind this iconic aircraft below.

In this week's community highlight, we're featuring SARMAT by Baikal Prime Studio, a persistent PvP campaign now out of open beta, with two coalitions fighting for territory around the clock on the DCS: Syria Map[www.digitalcombatsimulator.com] and, as VARG, on the DCS: Caucasus Map. Learn more below.

Thank you for your passion and support.

Yours sincerely, 

Eagle Dynamics

Coming to DCS from OctopusG

We are pleased to announce that OctopusG, the creators of the DCS: I-16 and DCS: La-7, are hard at work on the DCS: MiG-27K Flogger-J2. Soon, you will be able to take the controls of this legendary swing-wing Flogger in DCS as a fully flyable module.

The MiG-27K was built for one job: going in low and fast and putting ordnance on target, and OctopusG's plans for the module start with the wing. Their goal is a flight model that accurately represents the variable-sweep wing under all flight conditions, with handling that follows the wing through every sweep setting.

Step into the cockpit and you will find the PrNK-23K "Kaira" targeting and navigation system, complete with laser and TV target designation, working alongside the IPP-2-53 HUD. This powerful combination will let you employ a wide array of then state-of-the-art weaponry, from conventional bombs and guided munitions to anti-radiation missiles. And when things get up close and personal, the GSh-6-30A six-barrel 30 mm rotary cannon will be ready.

Even raising the gear is worth watching on the real aircraft. The MiG-27K's landing gear retracts with its own unique kinematics, and OctopusG aims to recreate it in DCS.

OctopusG will use photogrammetry for both the cockpit and the external model. These early work-in-progress images show the first steps on the cockpit, from the main instrument panel to the side consoles lined with switches and controls. Many of the models shown are not yet textured.

The DCS: MiG-27K is also planned to include missions on the DCS: Afghanistan Map[www.digitalcombatsimulator.com], DCS: Iraq Map[www.digitalcombatsimulator.com], and DCS: Syria Map[www.digitalcombatsimulator.com]. In the real world, the MiG-27D and MiG-27M flew over Afghanistan, and MiG-23 Floggers served with Iraq and Syria, but the MiG-27K will feel right at home recreating different points in the Flogger's history.

The DCS: MiG-27K is still in the early stages, and there's a lot of development ahead. We'll share more as it takes shape.

Developed from the MiG-23 fighter as a dedicated ground-attack aircraft, it kept the swing wing, with sweep settings of 16, 45 and 72 degrees, but gained a revised nose that Soviet crews nicknamed "Utkonos," the Platypus. The first aircraft, originally designated MiG-23BM, flew in November 1972, and the MiG-27 entered frontline service with Soviet Tactical Aviation in 1975.

The MiG-27K was the most advanced version to serve with the Soviet Air Force, and roughly 200 were built. It carried no radar. Instead, its PrNK-23K navigation and attack system combined an Orbita-20-23K digital computer with the Kaira laser and TV sighting system, letting the pilot find and designate targets for guided weapons such as the laser-guided Kh-25ML and Kh-29L missiles, the TV-guided Kh-29T, and the KAB-500L and KAB-500Kr guided bombs. Against enemy radars, it could carry the Kh-27PS anti-radiation missile. Its main gun was a six-barrel 30 mm rotary cannon.

The MiG-27 saw combat in the final months of the Soviet war in Afghanistan. In October 1988, the 134th APIB, a fighter-bomber regiment flying MiG-27D and MiG-27M aircraft, deployed to Shindand Air Base and remained until the Soviet withdrawal, taking part in the siege of Kandahar.

Outside the Soviet Union, only India and Sri Lanka operated the MiG-27. India retired its last MiG-27 squadrons in December 2019.

When it arrives in DCS, the MiG-27K will give virtual pilots a dedicated Cold War strike aircraft built around laser- and TV-guided weapons, and give mission makers a swing-wing Soviet attacker to send to the front line. Strap in, sweep the wings back, and get ready to go in low.

SARMAT is a persistent dynamic PvP campaign for DCS by Baikal Prime Studio. Two coalitions fight for territory around the clock on two servers with shared rules: SARMAT on the Syria map and VARG in the Caucasus.

The open beta is over: after more than 130 builds tested in combat, the project has been released.

SARMAT is a new engine built on its own core of about 150,000 lines of code, proven under heavy load on a live server. The core consists of 57 independent services running on a shared bus with a strict time budget per tick, so even with thousands of ground units and several dozen aircraft in the air, the server does not desync. More than 450 built-in self-check rules and 30 load-test suites catch errors before pilots see them. No MIST, no MOOSE, no CTLD or other third-party libraries: DCS is addressed directly. A dynamic line of contact with strongpoints, a new system of fragmentation and vehicle cook-offs, orders for air defence, armour, and aviation, statistics, and a card for every pilot, plus a PostgreSQL database.

Choosing a side

Red and Blue fight with different equipment and earn different awards. Red has layered air defence built on the S-300, Buk, and Pantsir; TOS-1A, Grad, and Smerch artillery; Su-34 and Tu-22M3 strikes; Il-76MD airlift; and orders from Russia and the USSR. Blue has Patriot, Hawk, and Roland; the B-1B, C-17A, and CH-47 airlift; and NATO awards. The side that holds all four sectors wins the campaign, after which the sides swap: whoever was in the north starts in the south.

How the campaign works

• The front line forms from ownership of objectives and shifts based on key points captured. The fight is for airfields, FARPs, factories, depots and fortified urban areas.

• Not a single ground unit is placed in the mission editor. Eleven types of strongpoints are tied to seven depth echelons from the front line; after every restart, the defence is laid out anew along the line where combat has pushed it.

• Air defence fights as a single layered system: batteries stand at full strength, and the radar network shares the picture over datalink. A destroyed radar is a hole in the coverage of an entire sector. You can put your own SAM into emissions control (/radaroff) and set an ambush against SEAD, or move the group to safety while silent.

• Fragmentation and cook-offs: the campaign adds its own blast to rocket, bomb and missile hits near vehicles, and vehicles carrying ammunition and fuel detonate with great force.

Command yourself — from the cockpit, the website, a tablet or a phone

Every pilot commands ground units, air defence and artillery. A mark on the F10 map is the address; a short chat command is the order: /arty, /mlrs and /tos call artillery fire, /path moves your group along roads, /attack, /def, /cap are side commander orders. You can give the same orders from the live map on the website—from a computer, tablet, or mobile phone — without launching DCS: order equipment, move your group, fire your battery, switch units to green or red mode, repair air defence, reinforce a garrison.

Nothing appears out of thin air

• Transport aircraft deliver ordered equipment and garrison reinforcements: the Il-76MD or C-17A from the rear base, and helicopters from the nearest one. Any transport can be intercepted — and then the equipment never arrives.

• The coalition treasury pays for reinforcements for depleted objectives: an empty treasury means no reinforcements. That is why strikes on the rear and on transports matter.

• Pilots carry crates and troops themselves, set up FOBs, build strongpoints and airdrop vehicles from the Hercules.

• An ordered group belongs to its owner and their DCS account: no one else can move or disband it, and changing your nickname does not reset progress.

Aviation

• Ordered air support does not charge head-on into air defence: flights patrol along the front line on their own side and hit the nearest targets; fighters fly a “grinder” pattern; bombers route around known SAM sites.

• Every 90 minutes each side launches an escorted bomber raid; AWACS and tankers are always up, and spotter drones mark targets.

• CSAR: an ejected pilot must be found and rescued — a separate job with separate pay.

• Lives are limited; every sortie counts. Influence is earned for kills, deliveries and ten types of combat contracts; 19 ranks from private to marshal, Guard ranks and more than 50 awards.

The campaign never stops

The campaign state is saved to a separate file every five minutes and at every restart: captured bases, garrisons and HQ tiers, client equipment with its owners, the front line reached. What is destroyed stays destroyed; what was delivered stays where it was unloaded. The campaign is designed as a long war lasting weeks.

Getting started

• Servers in the DCS browser: \[BPS] SARMAT SYRIA MODERN and \[BPS] VARG CAUCASUS MODERN, addresses BaikalPrimeStudio.com:10308[BaikalPrimeStudio.com] and BaikalPrimeStudio.com:10309[BaikalPrimeStudio.com].

• Modern missiles with active radar seekers are available for Russian aircraft.

• Before your first sortie, open the “New pilots” section on the website; questions go to Discord: https://discord.com/invite/KgsRt9zf3Y.

• Coming soon: \[BPS] SARMAT SYRIA SARH E1 and E2, \[BPS] VARG CAUCASUS SARH E1 and E2.

Thank you again for your passion and support.

Yours sincerely,
Eagle Dynamics

Dear Fighter Pilots, Partners and Friends, 

The DCS Autumn Sale 2026[www.digitalcombatsimulator.com] is entering its final days, and there is still time to save 50% on favorites like the DCS: AH-64D, DCS: F-16C Viper, DCS: F/A-18C, DCS: Mi-24P Hind, DCS: MiG-29A Fulcrum, Flaming Cliffs 2024, and more. Head over to our E-Shop before October 12th at 17:00 GMT and don’t miss out. Highlights are listed below.

The southern region of the DCS: Iraq map continues to expand, with our team hard at work filling out towns and cities across the area and enhancing terrain details and textures. Southern Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the surrounding region are coming to life, bringing you even closer to the theatre you'll soon be flying over. Check out the latest updates below, and if you don’t own the map yet, don’t miss the chance to pick it up at a great price. 

This week, we're shining the spotlight on DCS Italia as they head to Maker Faire Rome, The European Edition, from October 23rd to 25th at the Gazometro Ostiense. Discover more about their plans below.

Thank you for your passion and support.

Yours sincerely, 
Eagle Dynamics

In May, we shared our progress on the southern region of the DCS: Iraq map, which covers all or parts of southern Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. Along with airfields like Kuwait International, Ali Al-Salem, and Al-Udeid, we showed you landmarks such as the Kuwait Towers, NBK Tower, and Stadium 974. All this, and the already added strategically important Kharg Island, will make this an excellent area of operation.
Since then, the team has turned its attention to the ground between those airfields. Towns and cities across the region are being filled out, giving you more to navigate by, more to defend, and more to find through a targeting pod. At the same time, the terrain details and textures are being improved, so the landscape holds up whether you're flying low and fast over the desert or orbiting high above it.
DCS: South Iraq will be available as a separate region or as part of the full DCS: Iraq map, and full-map owners will receive the southern region when it becomes available.
More work remains, and we'll keep sharing progress as the southern region comes together.

The last leaves are coming down, and so is the clock on the DCS Autumn Sale 2026. On the E-Shop, the sale wraps up on October 12th at 17:00 GMT, so if a module is still on your wish list, now's the time.

Some of our most popular modules are all 50% off. Rotary-wing pilots can dive into the DCS: AH-64D or the DCS: Mi-24P Hind. Fast-jet pilots can choose between DCS: F-16C Viper and DCS: F/A-18C, or strap into DCS: MiG-29A Fulcrum. And if you'd like a whole hangar at once, Flaming Cliffs 2024 is 50% off too.
The savings don't stop there. The DCS: A-10C II Tank Killer, DCS: F-5E Remastered, DCS: Black Shark 3, DCS: UH-1H Huey, DCS: Mi-8MTV2 Magnificent Eight, and DCS: CH-47F are also 50% off, as are warbirds like the DCS: P-51D Mustang, DCS: Spitfire LF Mk. IX, and DCS: P-47D Thunderbolt. DCS: Supercarrier and DCS: Combined Arms are also 50% off.

Looking for somewhere to fly them? The DCS: Iraq Map is 50% off on the E-Shop, so you'll be ready when the southern region arrives; DCS: Persian Gulf and DCS: Nevada are 50% off too.

Now is the best time to bring a new module home. Visit the E-Shop[www.digitalcombatsimulator.com] before the sale ends.

From the DCS Italia team:

DCS Italia is heading to Maker Faire Rome 2026, where we'll have our own dedicated booth at the Gazometro Ostiense from October 23rd to 25th.

For those who may not know us, DCS Italia is an Italian DCS community built around multiplayer, persistent campaigns and the systems that support them. Over the years, we've developed our own tools and infrastructure around DCS to create a more persistent and evolving experience for our pilots.

This time, we're taking that experience outside the simulator and bringing it to Maker Faire Rome, one of Europe's leading events focused on technology, innovation and making.

We'll have dedicated flight simulation stations at the booth, available for visitors and DCS enthusiasts to try. The setups will feature hardware kindly provided by our partners and members of the DCS Italia community.

We'll also be showcasing DCORE, our campaign framework and the system behind our persistent campaigns. DCORE handles much of the system that makes our campaigns evolve, allowing player actions and the state of the battlefield to impact the experience.

Throughout the three days, we'll run a few challenges and activities for visitors, along with other things we've been preparing specifically for the event. We will also leave a few surprises for you to discover at the booth.

If you're in or around Rome between October 23rd and 25th, come and visit us. Whether you're already part of the DCS community, a long-time pilot, or simply curious about what flight simulation can offer, we'd be happy to meet you, show you what we've been working on, and let you get some hands-on time with DCS.

We hope to see some familiar faces from the DCS community, as well as plenty of new ones, at the booth.

Maker Faire Rome 2026, October 23rd- 25th.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=61Ct5g0un6shttps://discord.gg/pHSs3v95aV

Thank you again for your passion and support.

Yours sincerely, 
Eagle Dynamics