Jane's IAF: Israeli Air Force
Encyclopedia
Jane's IAF: Israeli Air Force is a military jet aircraft Combat flight simulation video game released in 1998
. This simulation was developed by the Israeli company "Pixel Multimedia" and was released under the Jane's Combat Simulators line from Electronic Arts
.
The game which is set in the middle east
featured a single campaign mode which included several missions and a Massively Multiplayer Online Arena. There were two type of campaigns; the first types of campaigns featured recreations of several historic operations of the IAF such as the 1967 Six-Day War
, the 1973 Yom Kippur War
and the 1982 Lebanon War
. The game also features the historical Operation Opera
, in which the Israeli Air Force bombed and destroyed the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor. The second types of campaigns featured several fictional futuristic operations with Iraq
, Syria
and Lebanon
. The combat flight simulation is a survey simulation but featuring good photo realistic graphics and decent flight models.
The game became very popular in Israel, and is used until this very day by the Israeli Air Force as a recruitment tool, showcasing in Air Force open days, recruitment centers and community events.
It was one of the first simulators to use a realistic terrain based on stereoscopic satellite terrain data of the Middle East
used as the main arena of the game. The terrain becomes more pixilated and less attractive the closer you fly to the ground. In 1999 a Patch 1.1 was released for free downloading on Jane's website which eliminated the terrain shimmer seen in the earlier version of the game.
The game supports both hardware acceleration and software rendering.
This game can also be played with others over a LAN or the Internet.
. You can choose from the Mirage III
, the F-4E, the F-4 2000, the Kfir C-7
, the F-15 2000
, the F-16D
, and the Lavi ATF
.
There were also two additional aircraft which were available only in the multiplayer mode - the MiG-23
and MiG-29
.
The aircraft you will be flying against consist of a wide range of Soviet aircraft exported to Arab states such as the MiG-17
, MiG-21
, MiG-23
, MiG-25
, MiG-29
, Sukhoi Su-17
, Sukhoi Su-24
.
The flight characteristics and cockpits of the aircraft are fairly realistic mainly due to input given to the game developers from former Israeli Air Force pilots.
1998 in video gaming
-Events:*Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences hosts 1st Annual Interactive Achievement Awards; inducts Shigeru Miyamoto of Nintendo to the AIAS Hall of Fame*British Academy of Film and Television Arts hosts the 1st annual BAFTA Interactive Entertainment Awards...
. This simulation was developed by the Israeli company "Pixel Multimedia" and was released under the Jane's Combat Simulators line from Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts, Inc. is a major American developer, marketer, publisher and distributor of video games. Founded and incorporated on May 28, 1982 by Trip Hawkins, the company was a pioneer of the early home computer games industry and was notable for promoting the designers and programmers...
.
The game which is set in the middle east
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
featured a single campaign mode which included several missions and a Massively Multiplayer Online Arena. There were two type of campaigns; the first types of campaigns featured recreations of several historic operations of the IAF such as the 1967 Six-Day War
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War , also known as the June War, 1967 Arab-Israeli War, or Third Arab-Israeli War, was fought between June 5 and 10, 1967, by Israel and the neighboring states of Egypt , Jordan, and Syria...
, the 1973 Yom Kippur War
Yom Kippur War
The Yom Kippur War, Ramadan War or October War , also known as the 1973 Arab-Israeli War and the Fourth Arab-Israeli War, was fought from October 6 to 25, 1973, between Israel and a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria...
and the 1982 Lebanon War
1982 Lebanon War
The 1982 Lebanon War , , called Operation Peace for Galilee by Israel, and later known in Israel as the Lebanon War and First Lebanon War, began on 6 June 1982, when the Israel Defense Forces invaded southern Lebanon...
. The game also features the historical Operation Opera
Operation Opera
Operation Babylon was a surprise Israeli air strike carried out on June 7, 1981, that destroyed a nuclear reactor under construction 17 kilometers southeast of Baghdad, Iraq....
, in which the Israeli Air Force bombed and destroyed the Iraqi Osirak nuclear reactor. The second types of campaigns featured several fictional futuristic operations with Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. The combat flight simulation is a survey simulation but featuring good photo realistic graphics and decent flight models.
The game became very popular in Israel, and is used until this very day by the Israeli Air Force as a recruitment tool, showcasing in Air Force open days, recruitment centers and community events.
It was one of the first simulators to use a realistic terrain based on stereoscopic satellite terrain data of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
used as the main arena of the game. The terrain becomes more pixilated and less attractive the closer you fly to the ground. In 1999 a Patch 1.1 was released for free downloading on Jane's website which eliminated the terrain shimmer seen in the earlier version of the game.
The game supports both hardware acceleration and software rendering.
Multiplayer
Between the years 1998 until 2002 a player of the game could log onto Jane's Combat.Net website and find other potential players to play multiplayer games against. The Multiplayer version of the game featured an "All-Out-War" mission (each player for himself) or "Teamplay" (two teams against each other). There were also two additional aircraft which were available only in the multiplayer mode - the MiG-23 and MiG-29.This game can also be played with others over a LAN or the Internet.
Aircraft
The game featured seven available flyable aircraft (Nine including the two additional enemy aircraft available in multiplayer mode). All the aircraft used in the game have served or are currently serving in the IAFIAF
IAF may refer to the following air forces:* Indian Air Force* Indonesian Air Force* Iraqi Air Force* Israeli Air Force* Italian Air ForceIAF may also refer to:* International of Anarchist Federations* Indian Armed Forces...
. You can choose from the Mirage III
Dassault Mirage III
The Mirage III is a supersonic fighter aircraft designed by Dassault Aviation during the late 1950s, and manufactured both in France and a number of other countries. It was a successful fighter aircraft, being sold to many air forces around the world and remaining in production for over a decade...
, the F-4E, the F-4 2000, the Kfir C-7
IAI Kfir
The Israel Aircraft Industries Kfir is an Israeli-built all-weather, multirole combat aircraft based on a modified Dassault Mirage 5 airframe, with Israeli avionics and an Israeli-made version of the General Electric J79 turbojet engine.-Background:...
, the F-15 2000
F-15 Eagle
The McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle is a twin-engine, all-weather tactical fighter designed by McDonnell Douglas to gain and maintain air superiority in aerial combat. It is considered among the most successful modern fighters with over 100 aerial combat victories with no losses in dogfights...
, the F-16D
F-16 Fighting Falcon
The General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon is a multirole jet fighter aircraft originally developed by General Dynamics for the United States Air Force . Designed as an air superiority day fighter, it evolved into a successful all-weather multirole aircraft. Over 4,400 aircraft have been built since...
, and the Lavi ATF
IAI Lavi
The IAI Lavi was a combat aircraft developed in Israel in the 1980s. It was a multi-billion dollar fighter aircraft project that was disbanded when the Israeli government concluded it could not finance production on its own, could not achieve a consensus on the Lavi's cost-effectiveness and...
.
There were also two additional aircraft which were available only in the multiplayer mode - the MiG-23
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong to the Soviet third generation jet fighter category, along with similarly aged Soviet fighters such as the MiG-25 "Foxbat"...
and MiG-29
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...
.
The aircraft you will be flying against consist of a wide range of Soviet aircraft exported to Arab states such as the MiG-17
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-17 is a high-subsonic fighter aircraft produced in the USSR from 1952 and operated by numerous air forces in many variants. Most MiG-17 variants cannot carry air-to-air missiles, but shot down many aircraft with its cannons...
, MiG-21
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 is a supersonic jet fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich Design Bureau in the Soviet Union. It was popularly nicknamed "balalaika", from the aircraft's planform-view resemblance to the Russian stringed musical instrument or ołówek by Polish pilots due to...
, MiG-23
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 is a variable-geometry fighter aircraft, designed by the Mikoyan-Gurevich design bureau in the Soviet Union. It is considered to belong to the Soviet third generation jet fighter category, along with similarly aged Soviet fighters such as the MiG-25 "Foxbat"...
, MiG-25
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25
The Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-25 is a supersonic interceptor and reconnaissance aircraft that was among the fastest military aircraft to enter service. Designed by the Soviet Union's Mikoyan-Gurevich bureau the first prototype flew in 1964 with entry into service in 1970...
, MiG-29
Mikoyan MiG-29
The Mikoyan MiG-29 is a fourth-generation jet fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union for an air superiority role. Developed in the 1970s by the Mikoyan design bureau, it entered service with the Soviet Air Force in 1983, and remains in use by the Russian Air Force as well as in many other...
, Sukhoi Su-17
Sukhoi Su-17
The Sukhoi Su-17 is a Soviet attack aircraft developed from the Sukhoi Su-7 fighter-bomber. It enjoyed a long career in Soviet, later Russian, service and was widely exported to communist and Middle Eastern air forces, under names Su-20 and Su-22.-Development:Seeking to improve low-speed and...
, Sukhoi Su-24
Sukhoi Su-24
The Sukhoi Su-24 is a supersonic, all-weather attack aircraft developed in the Soviet Union. This variable-sweep wing, twin-engined two-seater carried the USSR's first integrated digital navigation/attack system...
.
The flight characteristics and cockpits of the aircraft are fairly realistic mainly due to input given to the game developers from former Israeli Air Force pilots.
External links
- Review by Bryan Samis
- Preflight, an Israeli simulation fan site with an active IAF community
- Pixel Multimedia, company that developed the sim