Overview
Flanker 2.0 is a sequel to the Russian combat flight simulator Su-27 Flanker developed by Eagle Dynamics. Like it's predecessor, Flanker 2.0 is an in depth simulation of the Su-27 Flanker fighter jet but it also adds its naval variant the Su-33 and associated carrier operations. Flanker 2.0 features a level of detail and realism comparable to similar simulations like Microprose’s Falcon 4.0. While the game lacked the expansive dynamic campaign of its Western-counterpart, it was a considerably more polished and cleaner looking game and as a result developed its own small but dedicated fan following.
Like other games of the genre, Flanker 2.0 has an extremely steep learning curve and unforgiving level of difficulty. The flight model is very detailed and hard to master and combat is lethal with most missiles instantly killing the player often with no warning. This level of difficulty was compounded in the west because of limited documentation and because many elements of the game including the in-game cockpit markings were only written in Russian.
Updates
A budget-priced, standalone update entitled Falcon 2.5 was released in March 2002. The most notable updates include wing-man commands, functional in-air refueling, naval AI, and a flyable MiG-29 Fulcrum. The update also provided realism tweaks that made the single player campaign easier by reducing the damage caused by missiles and making it easier to evade enemy radar. This update was also available for free to owners of the original as a downloadable patch.
A spiritual-sequel of sorts entitled Lock On: Modern Air Combat was released in 2003.
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