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British Army Air Corps Lynx AH.7
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Most of these changes are invisible or hard to notice but most of the changes have either decreased the overall load on the client's system to draw and load, while some have just made the vehicle look better with little or no extra load on the client's system. One of the most notable changes is the main texture resolution which have been increased from 1024x1024 to 2048x2048 (four times the texture size/detail) while only slightly increasing the overall memory usage from before with moving all the transparent parts off the main sheet and onto their own unique small sheet with only transparent parts on it.
New optimized & higher quality "Rotor Blur" textures were also made since the old rotor blurs used the main rotor's rotor blur for the tail rotor, missing the tail rotor's iconic red and white stripes from the blur.
There is a whole range of other small improvements and optimizations made but most of them I can't remember and are too small to be worth noting but the bottom line is that the Lynx does not only have a smaller impact on your hardware but also looks better than it did before v1.5, and all these optimizations have of course been passed on to the other mew versions below!
While the Lynx AH.7 was retired from service in 2015 it will still be found ingame but on historically older maps/layers, fulfil the same Light Transport/Utility Helicopter role as it did before. With both Temperate and Desert versions/skins, where the Desert version features the extra engine intake and exhaust sand/dust filters that the Temperate version does not and as before, it can be armed with two GPMG 7.62mm door guns.
Credits:
Model: Wybl, foul_killer & Rhino
Textures: Pride & Rhino
Export & Coding: TrahnLee & Rhino
British Army Air Corps Lynx AH.9A
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In late 2008 an "Urgent Operational Requirement" contract was undertaken by AgustaWestland to upgrade the Army's Lynx AH.9 aircraft to support operations in Afghanistan with integrating improvements developed for the new "AW159 Lynx Wildcat" which was still well in development, into the old airframe. This most notably included the new CTS800-4N engines (that were originally developed for the cancelled RAH-66 Comanche program but had been adapted for the Wildcat program), which transform the performance of the Lynx AH.9, producing 37% more power than the original engines, giving the AH.9A a significant increase in power, allowing it to operate in the extremely hot and high altitude conditions found in Afghanistan, and at the same time enabling it to carry more equipment. The Lynx AH.9A upgrade required modifications to be carried out to the main gearbox, top deck structure and rear fuselage to accommodate the new engines. On top of the new engines and other not so notable improvements include a port mounted, rapid-fire, M3M Heavy Machine Gun, seriously increasing the firepower from the previously mounted 7.62mm GPMG & a port, nose-mounted MX-10 IR Camera with laser range-finder/illuminator that is operated by the co-pilot.
In-Game
Ingame this helicopter will fulfil the same Light Transport/Utility Helicopter role for the British Army as the current Lynx AH.7, but will be featured on more modern maps/layers and is set to be included in update v1.6. The Co-Pilot will have full control of the nose-mounted MX-10 IR Camera with laser range-finder/illuminator & it can be armed with a rapid-fire M3M Heavy Machine Gun on its port side with 600 rounds of ammunition.
The ingame model is a modified version of PR's Lynx AH.7 and on top of the modifications mentioned above, the landing skids were removed and replaced with the new wheels and suspension system found on the AH.9, as well as many other smaller differences found between the AH.7 and AH.9/AH.9A variants.
Credits:
AH.7 Base Model/Textures: Wybl, foul_killer, Pride, TrahnLee & Rhino
Model Extras: Rhino
Texture Extras: Rhino
Export & Coding: Rhino
Fleet Air Arm Lynx HAS.2
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This was the initial Naval production version produced for the Royal Navy and the French Navy (known as the Mk.2 with a few small differences), first flying in 1972 and entered service with the FAA in 1981. The HAS.2 was powered by two Gem 2 engines and featured a tricycle wheeled undercarriage, folding main rotor blades & tail, a "harpoon" deck restraint system, an emergency flotation system & a nose-mounted British Sea Spray radar giving it an all-weather capability and the ability to target surface vessels with Anti-Ship Missiles. When deployed in the anti-submarine role, it could carry two torpedoes or depth charges. For anti-surface warfare, it could be equipped with up to four Sea Skua Anti-Ship Missiles although only two were often fitted to extend the operational range and endurance of the helicopter. A total of 60 Lynx HAS.2 were built for Royal Navy and 26 Mk.2 for the French Navy. The Lynx HAS.2 set the foundations for many later naval versions of the Lynx which has probably been the most deployed & successful Naval Helicopter of all time.
Operational History
The Lynx HAS.2 participated in combat operations during the Falklands War in 1982 in both Anti-Submarine and Anti-Surface Warfare, as well as the covert insertion of Special Forces into the islands by night. On the 3rd of May, a Lynx conducted the first combat-firing of a Sea Skua Anti-Ship Missile, firing on the Argentinian patrol boat Alferez Sobral, inflicting considerable damage to the vessel. This was the first use of sea-skimming missiles in the conflict. Although none were shot down in combat, a total of three Lynxes were lost aboard vessels that were struck by attacks from Argentine aircraft, these vessels being HMS Coventry, HMS Ardent and the SS Atlantic Conveyor.
In-Game
The Lynx HAS.2 will operate from the flight deck of the Type 21 Frigate & as such, will not be included ingame until the Frigate is. How exactly it will operate ingame I'm going to keep under wraps for now as things have yet to be finalized and I don't want to give too much away at this point but you can probably guess somewhat from the information and pictures above.
The ingame model is again a modified version of PR's Lynx AH.7 and on top of the modifications mentioned above, the landing skids were removed and replaced with a new tricycle wheeled undercarriage system (that differs from the Lynx AH.9A's), a modified nose, two versions of the Sea Skua Missile Racks & a modified cockpit with the co-pilot's radar screen.
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Credits:
AH.7 Base Model/Textures: Wybl, foul_killer, Pride, TrahnLee & Rhino
Modified AH.7 Textures: TheObscure & Rhino
Model Extras: Rhino
Texture Extras: Rhino
Export & Coding: Rhino
Argentine Naval Aviation Lynx Mk.23
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This was the Export version of the Lynx HAS.2 for the Argentine Naval Aviation (Spanish: Comando de la Aviacion Naval Argentina, COAN) with only a few minor differences & only two were built.
Operational History
The two COAN Lynx Mk.23s took part in the initial Argentine invasion and occupation of the Falkland Island in March 1982 as part of Task Force 40, with one lost in an accident on the ARA Santisma Trinidad (a Type 42 Destroyer) on the 2nd of May 1982.
They were grounded following the Falklands War due to British embargo on spares with the single surviving helicopter later being sold to Denmark.
In-Game
Again I don't want to give too much away here as to how you will see this ingame but you can probably guess somewhat from the information and pictures above. This will also not be included until the HAS.2 & the Frigate are released either.
The ingame model is a slightly modified HAS.2 with new diffuse textures, although it shares the same normal and spec textures as the HAS.2 to save memory.
Credits:
AH.7 Base Model/Textures: Wybl, foul_killer, Pride, TrahnLee & Rhino
Modified AH.7 Textures: TheObscure & Rhino
Model Extras: Rhino
Texture Extras: Rhino
Export & Coding: Rhino
Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more updates!
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