DCS: Kola – One Year of Development
A Year of Crafting the Battlefield
One year on, the DCS: Kola map continues to expand as a dynamic and strategically significant theatre within DCS. Developed by Orbx, a leading scenery developer, this map spans over 1.35 million square kilometers of Arctic and sub-Arctic terrain covering northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia’s Murmansk and Karelia regions.
Since release, the map has received substantial improvements; adding new airfields, infrastructure, visual improvements, and performance enhancements that have shaped it into the detailed and responsive environment it is today. Built for large-scale operations, the map blends complex infrastructure with fjords, tundra, forests, and mountainous zones layered with historical and modern-day military relevance. With more than 20 functional airfields, detailed ports, and key industrial zones already in place, Kola supports a wide variety of tactical scenarios.
End of Early Access – 22 July 2025
The Kola map will exit Early Access on 22 July 2025. This marks the formal end of the initial launch phase, but not the end of development. Orbx remains committed to ongoing improvements, with new content and technical updates already planned.
“The development of the Kola map is not ending with Early Access. We are committed to adding content and updating the map in line with the platform technical innovations. Orbx started to work on the map over three years ago and this has been a great project for us. We have learned much about DCS and will use that knowledge together with our passion for creating terrain and sceneries to enhance this map even further.”
— Anna Cicognani, CEO, Orbx
What’s Been Delivered
1.35 million km² of land and sea coverage
20+ airfields with surrounding infrastructure and navigation
Custom ports, radar sites, urban centres, and military facilities
Free and payware missions available via Orbx and ED stores
Significant VRAM and performance optimisations
Scheduled New Content for June 2025 Release:
Kilpyavr (XLMW)
Luostari (XLML)
Koshka Yavr (XLMY)
Kalevala (ULPK)
Poduzhemye (XLPU)
Afrikanda (XLMF)
Coming Over the Next 3-6 Months:
Airfields & surrounding infrastructure
ESPG, ESNG, ENKA, ENVR, and EFRU
Enhanced ground textures for low-level flight
Continued VRAM and rendering performance updates
Why Kola Matters
The Kola region has long served as a critical military frontier — home to Russia’s Northern Fleet and dense Cold War-era infrastructure, now bordering NATO-aligned airspace. Its geographic and strategic role continues to evolve, making it a compelling setting for both historical and modern scenarios.
Drive what’s next
Tell Orbx what you think they should work on next by leaving your comments and voting on others’ here: Suggestions for DCS: Kola Map by Orbx.
DCS: Kola remains in active development, with more content and improvements on the way throughout 2025.
ASM-N-2 Bat
America's First Radar-Guided Bomb
The release of the ASM-N-2 Bat in DCS marks a significant advancement in World War II combat simulation by introducing the first operational radar-guided glide bomb to the battlefield. This weapon enhances the strategic depth and historical authenticity of late-war scenarios, allowing players to engage enemy ships from stand-off distances with unprecedented precision for the era. Its inclusion showcases evolving aerial strike capabilities and provides a unique tactical option for pilots flying U.S. Navy aircraft, emphasizing the technological innovation that began to reshape air warfare in the closing stages of WWII.
Development and Design
The Bat’s origins trace back to 1941, when RCA proposed a television-guided anti-shipping weapon called Dragon, where an operator would steer the bomb using a live TV feed from its nose. The National Bureau of Standards (NBS), later part of the Army Research Laboratory, was tasked with designing the airframe, building on the same guidable ordnance frame used in the earlier, abandoned Project Pigeon. By 1942, the concept evolved into the Pelican, a semi-active radar-guided bomb for anti-submarine warfare. In mid-1943, the design shifted again to incorporate an active radar homing system from Western Electric, paired with a 1,000-pound (454 kg) AN-M65 general-purpose bomb, the same ordnance used in the USAAF’s Azon guided munition.
The final Bat design, officially designated SWOD (Special Weapons Ordnance Device) Mark 9, was a technological marvel for its time:
The Bat featured a plywood frame, constructed by the Rudolph Wurlitzer Organ Co., known for its expertise in bending plywood for organs and jukeboxes. Its 12-foot-long, 10-foot-wide structure was gyrostabilized with a Bendix Aviation autopilot, using elevons (combined ailerons and elevators) for steering. Small wind-driven generators powered the controllable tail elevator, linked to an S-band radar homing device in the nose.
The Bat carried a 1,000-pound general-purpose bomb, optimized for anti-shipping strikes but adaptable for land targets like bridges.
Corsairs over the Marianas in 1944
June 1944. Dawn slides across the Pacific and glints off the blue-black wings of the brand-new F4U-1D Corsair as she taxis onto the deck of USS Essex. Below, a seething amphibious armada is already closing in on Saipan’s coral beaches. Flight-lead Lieutenant “Duke” Klein pulls his canopy shut, opens the cowl flaps, and spools the mighty R-2800 to life. The gull-winged fighter shudders like a thoroughbred straining against the blocks. One last magneto check, a green flag from the deck officer, and the Bent-Wing Bird is hurled into the humid morning sky.
That take-off sequence is exactly what you’ll feel in DCS with the DCS: F4U-1D Corsair by Magnitude 3 LLC. The module is confidently approaching finals with our recent tests showing promising results for an early access launch. Stay tuned!
Thank you again for your passion and support,
Yours sincerely,
Eagle Dynamics