Have you ever wanted FSX to be “As Real as it Gets?”  Have you ever wanted to fly Military Operations outside of a FSX scenario? Now you can get your chance to see just how real FSX  Military can get with the Virtual US Air Force!  The Virtual United States Air Force (vUSAF.org) has  this capability with its own ACMI (Air Combat Maneuvering Instrumentation) Gauge.  As with real  world RED FLAG held at Nellis and other air combat related exercises worldwide, the ACMI gauge acts as a Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) to log and track air combat kills and log each pilots activities such as rounds used, bombs on target, fuel use, load out weight, and takeoff and landing statistics.

The vUSAF’s ACMI gauge will set the parameters of the aircraft you select to use, be it an A-10 to a X-35 a B-52 to a C-130. Just about any military aircraft can be used. Your aircraft will be loaded with the correct amount of Chaff/Flare, Ammunition, bombs, cargo, etc.  Aim-9 missiles , AAA & SAM have also been added to create a more realistic environment   And to aid in the practice, the ACMI gauge has a practice mode in which a transponder code is used to log the activities and damage but wont disable your aircraft.

Currently the VUSAF ACMI gauge sports the following features:

1. Functional FLARE, CHAFF and ECM capability

2. Basic Bomb, Gun, Air-to-air missiles, air-to-ground missiles and cargo pallets.

3. Users see ordinance / cargo delivery and subsequent effects of impact / landing without the use of any special multiplayer sessions.

4. Enhanced capability to utilize the fullest potential of complex commercial models such as the MilViz F-15E, IRIS F-16, A-10, Capt Sim B-52, C-130 etc.

5. User deployed ordinance against another user generates random damage to the receiving user further enhancing the experience.

6. Interactive scenery that incorporates functioning Surface to Air Missiles and Anti Aircraft batteries that cause damage.

7. ACMI tracks pilot performance, ordinance delivery, flight time, and other flight parameters.

8. Fully compatible with FSInn and VATSIM without any hazards to non-participating virtual aircraft.

9. Checks to make sure you have your realism sliders in the correct position. All sliders to the far right (realistic), detect crashes and damage on.

10. When the gun is fired, the gauge then checks for a plane in the 3deg cone (Kill zone) ahead of the plane up to 0.4nm away. If a target is found it will check to make sure that the target remains in the kill zone for one second.

11. Helps PREVENT any possibility of cheating BY ENFORCING REALISM FACTORS AND the Rules of Engagement.

12.  Fuel added quantity will be logged with the amount of fuel added.

13.  Take-off and landing time logged along with total time flown.

14.  Vertical speed at touchdown now detected.

15. Future expansions will include aerial refueling with real time fuel transfer between user aircraft, Radar Warning Receivers and Threat Warning System displays, FLIR and may many more future capabilities to come.

Unfortunately, the only drawback to date is that the ACMI system IS NOT compatible with FS9.

The ACMI gauge is property of the vUSAF and Chris Dub. Use of the gauge is at the sole discretion of Chris Dub and/or  vUSAF.   Come join the vUSAF and  see how real it can get.  http://www.vUSAF.org