What would typically be a cause of jubilant celebration is slowly turning into a funeral, as four of the most popular aircraft in the flight simulator DCS World now have a concrete end in sight.
The bad news became public shortly after the DCS 2026 roadmap was revealed during the game’s weekly newsletter via Discord message by RAZBAM Simulations owner Ron Zambrano. Representatives of both RAZBAM and Eagle Dynamics have been approached for comment.
According to the roadmap, this year is set to include many big-ticket items that have been in development for a long time. These include the dynamic campaign engine, improved weather, and overhauled air traffic control comms. However, the big name on the list is the move to the Vulkan API from DirectX.
An engine upgrade of this magnitude is expected to open up new performance optimisation pathways, while also enabling DCS to run on Linux and Mac platforms in the future.
Keeping the aircraft in DCS compatible with the new engine will require work by their respective developers, and that is where the problem lies, as a consequence of the dispute between Eagle Dynamics and RAZBAM Simulations.
Expiry Date: 2026
RAZBAM Simulations has released four aircraft for DCS World: Mirage 2000C (2015), AV-8B Harrier (2017), MiG-19P (2019), and F-15E Strike Eagle (2023). As a rule, RAZBAM modules would come out fairly raw and have turbulent early access periods, but eventually become high-quality products a few years down the line.
The F-15E did not live long enough to see that, as development of all RAZBAM aircraft virtually ceased following a drawn-out business dispute between companies. In total, the DLC listing price is valued at over $200.
Without any support from the original developer and with no publicly known handover of the product’s source code from RAZBAM to Eagle Dynamics, it appears there is no real way to continue development.
This was confirmed by RAZBAM CEO Ron Zambrano, who mentioned in the company’s official Discord server that “Vulkan..means bye bye our modules in DCS” [sic].
RAZBAM has not expanded on this matter since, and Eagle Dynamics has yet to issue a statement on the claims by Zambrano. A previous company newsletter dated July 2025 says “Eagle Dynamics will do its best to ensure that these modules continue to function in 2.9.X”, but the future as DCS moves to version 3.0 with the Vulkan API is uncertain.
Hawk Flashbacks
This would not be the first time a DCS aircraft falls through the cracks in a major after developer problems. Back in 2019, third-party VEAO’s BAe Hawk T.1A jet trainer was removed from new DCS builds after the studio behind it announced it was “ceasing development of all DCS modules effective immediately,” followed by the dissolution of the company.
Update 2.5.4 relegated the Hawk to the past, with Eagle Dynamics choosing to “make available the 2.5.3 updater for those who wish to fly this product.” Discussions at the time insinuated that all DCS module developers would have to place the source code in escrow going forward to avoid a similar situation, but statements from both Eagle Dynamics and RAZBAM show this did not come to pass.
As time passes, hopes for a constructive resolution of the dispute in a way that keeps the Mirage 2000C, Harrier, MiG-19P, and Strike Eagle alive in DCS dwindle. To my fellow Mirage 2000 enjoyers, for one last time, à la chasse!
To ease the blow, here is a touching farewell cinematic by Beanbag Ninja:
