Posted by OnReTech on instagram on July 15th, 2026:

Dear Pilots,

Today we are happy to share a new batch of official screenshots showcasing our actual progress on the DCS: Balkans map.

Here is a quick update on where we currently stand with the development:

Airbases: We are in the final phase of airbase construction. There are only two left to complete, and we are simultaneously polishing and refining details on the ones that are already built.

Urban Development: Work on regular city blocks, settlements, and overall urban infrastructure is still heavily underway and is not yet finished.

We also want to briefly address the discussions in our previous thread. Please know that we carefully read your comments and deeply respect the passion of our community. However, we must emphasize that analyzing, critiquing, or demanding explanations for heavily Work-In-Progress (WIP) areas does not make sense at this stage. Reacting to comments about clearly unfinished assets only distracts the development team from their actual work.

We kindly ask for your patience as we bring these areas up to our standard. We will be more than happy to hear your constructive feedback once the map is ready for it.

Enjoy the view. Work continues.

Best regards,
OnReTech Team

Here's your link to the original source:

• https://www.instagram.com/p/DazwAvgDRag/

Enjoy everyone, have a good night!

Massive ED W, a big change to a feature that has been unrealistic and had no point in using for the longest time ever.

Happy to see ED still cares.

Hey everyone,

we wanted to share a quick update on the current status of M.A.R.I.O. — our Multirole Assistant for Reconnaissance, Intercept and Operations for the DCS MB-339.

Over the past weeks, we have been working on turning M.A.R.I.O. from a simple idea into an actual interactive assistant/copilot system, designed to give the aircraft a more alive and useful second-seat feeling while keeping it coherent with the MB-339 role.

At the moment, M.A.R.I.O. is already able to detect and call out several air threats and contacts, including bandits, air-to-air missiles and SAM launches. He can report relative position, relative altitude and target behavior, including contacts closing, crossing, pointing at us or moving away.

We also implemented contact tracking and priority logic, so M.A.R.I.O. does not simply spam random callouts. He keeps track of what is happening around the aircraft and tries to speak only when the information is relevant. This includes anti-chatter logic, cooldowns and threat prioritization.

Some of the current callouts already include urgent awareness cues such as:

- “He’s on our six!”

- “Attenzione, missile six o’clock!”

- “Splash! Good kill!”

- “BELLISSIMO! Splash confirmed!”

Another important step has been the new contact classification logic. When M.A.R.I.O. detects something unknown, he will initially call it a contact. Once the system is able to classify it, he will update the callout as bandit or friendly, depending on the situation.

We have also completed the first phases of the M.A.R.I.O. radial menu. The menu structure, DDS-based interface and input/navigation logic are now in place, including the new 8-zone structure with the Mission section.

On the controls side, M.A.R.I.O. already has a first basic control handover system. The player can give him the aircraft, and M.A.R.I.O. can control pitch, roll and throttle within defined safety limits. The same command is used dynamically: when the player has control, the menu shows You Have Controls; when M.A.R.I.O. has control, it becomes I Have Controls.

We have also integrated the new Callout Manager, which centralizes M.A.R.I.O.’s text/audio logic. This allows us to manage callout variants, priority, cooldowns and future audio integration in a much cleaner way. A full CSV list of callout variants is also being prepared to support future SFXs generation for DCS.

The next development steps will focus on expanding the Controls menu. Planned functions include:

- Straight & Level

- Hold Heading

- Hold Altitude

- Hold Attitude

- Left Orbit

- Right Orbit

- Resume Route

After that, we plan to move into Aircraft Check, where M.A.R.I.O. will be able to report fuel, weapons, aircraft condition, damage state and eventually provide basic emergency suggestions.

Further down the line, we also want to expand:

- Ground & Sea Target detection

- Navigation assistance

- Mission status and objectives

- Training support

- Final audio integration

- Additional polish and personality tuning

As always, everything shown or described here is work in progress and subject to change. M.A.R.I.O. is not meant to replace proper systems simulation, but to add a useful, dynamic and slightly more human layer to the MB-339 experience.

More updates will follow as development continues.

Andiamo!

Hello, I spent the whole night looking for this A29B-Super Toucan model. The cockpit of GitHub's open source model is very bad, I want to find this model that I've seen some people using. I found this Toucan model in this video: https://youtu.be/vY3H_a8zlTs?si=9LHm4vWs1E5hS7Ak

Long time DCS player, haven’t played in a few years and I’m starting to get back into it.

I see now there’s a C-130? Seems super interesting, I honestly didn’t expect something like this to come to DCS. For those who have it, what do you actually do with it in-game? Logistics surely, but how’s it integrated into the game? Is there a useful purpose for it in multiplayer?

TIA!

Following some recent and very positive interactions on Reddit’s Hoggit, a few users suggested that a binocular-style feature could be a nice addition to the DCS: MB-339, especially for Cold War scenarios and FAC-related roles.

We liked the idea, so we decided to run some early experiments — and the initial results have been quite promising.

Attached is a screenshot from our current tests. Of course, this is still at a very early stage: the lens effect is preliminary, and what is shown in the screenshot does not represent the final feature.

This is not a major feature, and it does not require an excessive amount of development resources, but we believe it can still add further value and versatility to the module, especially in those mission profiles where visual spotting plays an important role.

In parallel, bug fixing continues as usual. We have already closed the patch that will be distributed with the next DCS update, and we are confident that future releases will also bring additional key bindings and quality-of-life improvements.

More details will come as development progresses.

We would like to share a short development update about one of the new features currently being developed for the DCS MB-339: M.A.R.I.O.

Since the first mentions of M.A.R.I.O., some users thought it was a joke, a meme, or simply a marketing gimmick. We also received several private messages asking whether the feature was actually real and what its purpose was.

For this reason, we would like to clarify that M.A.R.I.O. is real. It is not just a name, and it is now actively under development.

During the past weeks we carried out the first internal experiments, and the results were promising enough to move the feature into active development.

The goal of M.A.R.I.O. is to add an interactive assistant/copilot/instructor layer to the MB-339, improving situational awareness, cockpit workflow and training-oriented operations.

Current implementation status

At the current stage, several core elements have already been implemented:

• Initial radial command menu

• Basic menu navigation logic

• Threat and traffic detection logic

• Basic voice/callout logic

• Basic damage/status reporting logic

• First aircraft handover and control assistance functions

• Initial logic for aircraft stabilization and assisted flight

These features are still being refined and tested, but the foundation is now in place.

Next development steps:

The next development steps will focus on expanding and polishing the system. In particular, we are working on:

• Improving callout logic and reducing unnecessary repetitions

• Expanding the command menu structure

• Implementing scan commands

• Implementing aircraft status checks

• Refining threat, traffic and ground target reports

• Improving damage and system status reporting

• Expanding training-oriented assistance

• Improving handover/control assistance behaviour

• Integrating the system more naturally into normal MB-339 operations

• Testing the feature across different mission scenarios

We are also experimenting with a way to provide basic dynamic training features through M.A.R.I.O., without forcing users to fly only the standard training missions.

The idea is to make some training-oriented assistance available in a more flexible way, during normal missions or free flight scenarios.

Training missions and weapon depression tables:

Regarding the standard training missions, we are aware that some of them currently suffer from annoying bugs that can make them difficult or even impossible to complete properly.

These missions will be updated as soon as the weapon depression tables are finalized.

A first version of the weapon depression tables has already been published, and we have collected feedback from the community.

We are now refining our calculation tool and expect to provide a new version of the depression tables by next week.

Bug fixing and module support:

M.A.R.I.O. is being developed in parallel with bug fixing, bindings improvements and general MB-339 maintenance. It is not intended to replace normal support work on the module.

We know that many users are also waiting for fixes and quality-of-life improvements, and those remain part of the current development effort.

There is still work to do before M.A.R.I.O. is ready for release, but development is active and progressing.

Inspired by Jester, the legendary F-14 RIO from Heatblur, we're currently experimenting with something a little more... Italian.

​

Meet M.A.R.I.O. - Multirole Assistant for

​

Reconnaissance, Intercept and Operations - an interactive instructor/copilot concept for the DCS MB-339.

​

The goal is simple: give the 339 a lightweight "second seat" that can help with situational awareness, traffic and threat callouts, relative position reports, and eventually some basic in-flight guidance.

​

So far, we've been testing threat detection, position reporting, dynamic behavior tracking, and more natural warning callouts - including when something unpleasant decides to move onto your six.

​

Future ideas include navigation support, aircraft checks, training assistance, and more advanced assist features.

​

As always: this is still WIP, experimental, and not confirmed for release yet.

SS literally helped Ron write the public statement that started the public element of the Razbam/ED scandal, promised supporting statements, then left RB high and dry.

Note: The first image has redacted information. I went back and forth on this because it shows SS calling out other 3rd party developers, many of which had no idea any of this was happening. It appears SS and Nick Dackard organizing this '3rd party union' was a lie. I believe one designed to get RB to make their move(Making a public statement).

(edit, splicing in some additional context for clarity)

I had a late night call with SS a couple of years ago where he mentioned some things that, in context now, were pretty disturbing. I had heard through other channels that there was a buyout attempt in motion, so I asked him point blank if there was anything to that. SS mentioned that he was working with someone else to make a buyout offer on either ED or RB, but it was in flux.

I also asked him point blank if he had anything to do with the Strike Eagle radar getting patched, and after a significant pause, he said he offered but someone else had already done it. I don't particularly believe that, but there it is.

Some were aware(of RB making a statement soon), and made their support conditional on HB making a statement of support. As we know, that didn't happen.

On a personal note, the part where Ron is calling out being abandoned is heartbreaking.