There’s no lying when we say 2021 has been an extremely busy year for us.  There are a lot of exciting things happening behind the hangar doors here at Magnitude 3.  We’ve been pretty silent these past 7 months, but with good reason.  We appreciate your patience and positive support as we continue our progress, developing fantastic modules.

Before we continue on with our progress report, our biggest news is the changing of our brand name for our products.   We’ve read every message from Reddit to our E-mails regarding the confusion on who we are and/or who is making the products.   In the coming months, we have decided to drop the Leatherneck Simulations branding for the foreseeable future.  Our Facebook page will be merged with Magnitude 3’s main page, and the website will be garnished in Magnitude 3’s colors and styles.   We feel this is great decision as it will allow the developers to forget any lingering effects from the ole name and promote positive feelings and motivation under the company name we set forth to use.

2022 and beyond are looking to be great years for us and we can’t wait to show everyone what we are working on one rivet at time.   Without further ado, our progress reports.

Starting the 2021 year off in April and all the way up until the late hours of December 31st, our artist have continued to diligently work on the Corsair’s cockpit.  Our purpose was to bring it up to standards that DCS users have come to love from Eagle Dynamics and our fellow 3rd Party partners.

The whole cockpit had been remodeled for viewable accuracy.  Textures were revamped for Physically Based Rendering technology, and animations were improved.   This new year, in the current state it’s in, we are pleased to finally showcase the cockpit that took nearly 10 months time and feel it is ready for Early Access soon.

• The cockpit features all new gauges that are part-numbered matched with the Dash 1 D variants, featuring the Munsell Blue-Green hue color profiles.
• All gauge face plates and nameplates of ancillary equipment have been recreated in detail making reading easier.
• Warning lights have also been period matched for late war Corsairs.
• Hydraulic and Fuel piping have been meticulously placed.

Though the cockpit is ready for Early Access, there will be a few items still needing work that won’t hamper the gameplay.  These include the following:

• Adjustable Mk.8 Gun Sight
• Map Holder
• Armored Glass
• Rear Bulkhead Rain Guard
• Map Light Hood
• Defrost System
• Cable Pully System
• Random Electrical Wires
• Bomb Director Mark 1 Mod 2 AN/ASG-10
• C-45 AN/ARC-1

In the mean time, with help from Eagle Dynamics, our programmers are hard at work creating the code infrastructure for a new type of weapon within the DCS environment.

Introducing the S.W.O.D. 9 Mark 0 Bat Bomb – the World’s first “smart-bomb”!  The great great grandfather of the JSOW.  Developed in 1944, it first saw service in April of 1945, launched from PB4Y-2B bomber aircraft.  Later other aircraft, such as the Corsair, were modified to carry it.

The weapon systems operating principles were simple by todays standards, but were a technical milestone at the time.  The Bat was equipped with a S.W.O.D. Mk. 2 Radar-Homing S-Band System, developed by Bell Telephone Laboratory and manufactured by Western Electric which had its own transmitter and receiver.  This was intended to automatically track a pre-selected target and to provide directional control signals to the Bendix Aviation gyroscopic autopilot which would then fly the bomb to the target using only wing-mounted elevons.  The Bat also carried a substantial explosive charge inside as it was built around a 1000 pound bomb.  Thus it was capable of penetrating a hull of a larger vessel such as a cruiser or an aircraft carrier, despite their armor.

The Bat was not a mere prototype but a fully functioning weapon systems which had its combat debut on April 23, 1945 when PB4Y-2B Privateers of VPB-109 flew from Palawan in the Philippines.  Although the first operational used was unsuccessful, five days later the VPB-109 sank two small Japanese freighters in Balikpapa harbor (Borneo) with the Bat bomb.

Current development revolves around the implementation of a radar display – a Type A “Bat Scope” oscilloscope of which no pictures seem to have survived to this date. However, due to some similarity of other airborne radar systems such as AN/APS-4 or AN/APS-6 radars, it is possible to simulate the indicator unit.

Among other programming needs, the team has been fine-tuning the Corsair flight model, carefully matching the flight envelopes seen in the pilot’s manual, as well as running a model through fluid dynamic tests.

Our Essex Class Aircraft Carrier has come a long way in just under a year as well.  The carrier being represented was created from the book “Aircraft Carrier “Intrepid” (Anatomy of the ship)” by John Roberts.  The following features include:

• Short-Hull construction
• 2 x Type H Mk.4B Hydraulic Catapults
• 2 x Mk.12 / 22 Fire Control Radars
• 4 x 127mm Mk.24 Mod.11 Single Mount AA
• 4 x 127mm Mk.32 Mod.4 Double Mount AA
• 17 x 40mm Bofors Quad Mount Cannons
• 50 x 20mm Oerlikon Single Mount Cannons
• 20 x 20mm Oerlikon Twin Mount Cannons

• YE AN/URN-3 Homing Beacon
• SG-1 Surface Search Radar
• SK-2 Height Finder Radar
• SC-2 Long Range Air Search Radar
• SK-1 Long Range Air Search Radar
• Measure 33 Design 3A Dazzle Paint Scheme
• Measure 22 Paint Scheme

The deck and island was our number one priority when it came to the model and textures.  We hope users will feel at home as they roll down the wooden planks taking to the air!  Please don’t hit the island in the widow maker.  At release a damage model will be present, along with working hangar doors and lifts.  A hangar bay will also be available to start from, or to park in after a long mission.

While our efforts have shifted towards the completion of our Corsair, the Crusader has been patiently waiting on laser scans.  Thanks to the San Diego Air & Space Museum, we were able to hire a laser scan service to go out and scan BuNo 150297.  We had the cockpit and landing gear scanned in high resolution and also a low resolution set scanned to act as templates when modeling the parts.

Although we have been considerably busy, we have still taken the time to read bug reports on our beloved MiG-21bis and Christen Eagle II.  Rest assured updates and fixes will be coming this year.

Users will note some changes to the 21 have occurred in suspension and the hydraulic system with flap operation.  We apologize for the surprise and will take care not to forget to add our fixes/changes/updates to Eagle Dynamic’s change log.  The hi-pitched engine heard in the cockpit has been fixed and should be available in the next update.

In the year ahead we will have roadmap detailing what we will be working on and fixing/updating.

We at Magnitude 3 want to thank everybody for the continued loyal support and patience!  We wish everyone good health and a great 2022!