The beautiful DCS: F-100D Super Sabre by Grinnelli Designs, is now available for pre-order on the E-Shop. This was the first of the ‘Century’ series of US fighters and was affectionately nicknamed the “Hun”. This impressive design was the first to exceed Mach 1 in level flight and was recognized as one of the Cold War’s most impactful early fighter-bombers. Considered a real challenge to fly, the F-100 marked an important technical evolution in combat aviation that spanned the gap between first-generation jets and later multirole designs. The DCS: F-100D will also include the “Project High Wire” upgrades for an even more capable “Hun” experience. 

Following more than three years of intense development, Grinnelli Designs presents a superbly detailed, fully interactive cockpit with an equally impressive external model. The module features a carefully crafted flight model, authentic avionics, aircraft systems and weapons that reflect the F-100D’s operational complexity. You will encounter challenges such as complex manual weapons deployment and high-speed strike missions.

The DCS: F-100D Super Sabre expands the range of options in Cold War-era missions and multiplayer servers. This aircraft introduces distinctive operational challenges and collaborative strategies that were characteristic of the era.

The F-100 entered service on September 27th, 1954. It was the first U.S. fighter capable of sustained supersonic-level flight and the first of the “Century Series” aircraft. It played a key role during the early stages of the Vietnam War, mainly facing MiG-17s and a range of AAA. The aircraft were operated by the United States, Turkey, France, Denmark, and Taiwan, which retired its last F-100 in 1988. 

The F-100D was primarily tasked with close air support and strike missions. It could efficiently deliver a wide array of ordnance. It was much improved over the F-100C, which suffered from the deadly “Sabre Dance” flight anomaly. Even after the “Project High Wire” improvements, the demanding flight characteristics still require high pilot proficiency, and the risk of the “Sabre Dance”, although lessened, still remains.

The DCS: F-100D Super Sabre will also introduce the Zero-Length Launch (ZELL) equipment that allows pilots to simulate launching the aircraft without a conventional runway. ZELL was an experimental program designed to rapidly deploy aircraft using a rocket booster to take off from mobile platforms. This ensured that aircraft could operate if runways were destroyed.

The U.S. Air Force investigated launching fighter aircraft from mobile trailer platforms equipped with a rocket booster and In 1958, the F-100D demonstrated this ability at Edwards Air Force Base by generating 130,000 pounds of thrust to accelerate from a stationary position to flight speed within seconds. Following booster separation, the aircraft transitioned to jet propulsion. The launch acceleration reached approximately 4G. 

Although the ZELL concept was not operationally implemented, Grinnelli Designs will incorporate this option into DCS. Mission designers can simulate ZELL operations using dispersed launch sites, such as road bases, concealed forward arming and refuelling points, and improvised, dispersed runways. This approach enables rapid-response strike missions by allowing pre-positioned of armed aircraft at the ready.