Training Missions and a Closer Look at the Aircraft
(continued)
Su-25 Frogfoot
The Su-25 likewise is well done; of all the in-game aircraft I think it is closest to the real-life flying version. I’ve spent most of my flying time in the Su-25, because of its ability to carry all types of air to ground munitions and its ability to employ anti-radar missiles. Out of the box, this is the only aircraft that can do it all. Its HUD is all-new for this kind of game, and similar to those found in Strike Fighters: Project One’s F-4 and F-104. This one, though, has much more functionality. CCIP bombing modes work well, though it takes a lot of practice to find the groove that will enable bombs to come off the racks. One thing that helped me, oddly, was practicing this in the Su-33 and MiG-29 before transitioning to the Su-25. A yellow light in the Su-25 gunsight’s base approximates the NP release cue on the HUD in the Russian fast-movers. The OTB “turn away” cue is represented by a red light. The blue light on the left side of the gunsight tells you that your laser rangefinder is on and your laser pointer is ready to be cued to a target.
Everything is visual in the Su-25, and if you like IL-2’s Sturmovik, you will love its modern cousin. The HUD zoom is your best friend, and when you can see it, you can kill it with laser-guided missiles. When the pipper is ground-stabilized, you can move it slightly to control an in-flight missile, much like keeping the sight centered on a moving target controls a wire-guided antitank missile. You can shack moving targets with Kh-29 and Kh-25 missiles with the greatest of ease, with some practice. Rockets in the Su-25 are awesome, and online co-op artists will be able to use S-8CM rockets to mark targets with smoke for your friends (the A-10 has willy-pete 2.75s for this use). You have countermeasures in the form of the SPS-141 pods; these gave the Iranians fits during the Iran-Iraq War in the ‘80s. You also have the Kh-25MP and Kh-58 antiradar missiles, to smack down pesky SAM and early-warning radars. One thing that is missing in LOMAC is the ability to program burst heights for cluster munitions, like we see in Falcon 4.0 and the late Jane’s/EA titles. Also, the Su-25 does have a “salvo” release mode, but one cannot program ripple modes and timing like she can in the A-10. I don’t know if this is actual to the aircraft or not. Regardless, the Su-25 is, in my opinion, the most faithfully reproduced of LOMAC’s modeled aircraft. It is a joy to fly and any time with it at all will show you why it, and not the Flanker or Fulcrum, is actually the Russian air force’s favorite airplane. A garland for each of the three new aircraft.
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