Miltech Simulations MH60, Dev Blog #4

Hello everyone, and welcome to our fourth MH60 Dev Blog! This is probably the last DevBlog for MH60 prior to release - writing these takes significant time away from fixing bugs. That being said, there will be one DevBlog focused on Miltech Mission Hub in the upcoming weeks. 

Project Status

As of today, May 26th 2025, the project is now well into Beta testing:

• 100% Completion on MH60S Art and Liveries 
• ⁠100% Completion on MH60R Art and Liveries
• ⁠100% Completion on MH60T Art and Liveries
• ⁠100% Completion on flight physics
• ⁠97% completion on systems, avionics and final integration
• ⁠100% Completion on sounds
  

Testing is progressing steadily on both PC and Xbox FS20 and FS24. While initial feedback is favorable, it is clear that we are not "Release ready". Major blocker bugs, inaccuracies and areas to improve have been identified. Additionally, Xbox testing has just been started and console optimizations are yet to be done.

Mission Hub is also undergoing testing, with key network components currently being evaluated in the production environment. Final mission selection and testing are still pending.  Product documentation and media content for both add-ons, including tutorials, are currently in production. These materials must be finalized before release, as launching an aircraft involves far more than simply completing the software.

The plan continues to be a synced release on both PC and Xbox - or at the very least, closing this "gap" as much as possible. Exact release details are subject to change, as there are several factors impacting the release and distribution. It is in our best interest to release as soon as feasible, but only when the product is ready.

Major Bugs Found

Over the past two weeks, we’ve been focused on resolving three major blocking issues with the aircraft:

1. Map Gauge crashes
2. Keyset Gauge malfunctions — an issue isolated to Intel CPUs, with AMD systems unaffected
3. WASM-related problems, including crashes and complete execution halts at flight start

Left unaddressed, any of these could have led to significant frustration for early adopters. Strict quality control and rigorous testing are essential to ensure a stable release, especially given our plans for a synced PC/Console release.

The good news: the first two issues have been resolved, and work is actively underway on the third. However, these fixes have come with an impact to overall timelines.

The Unexpected Nature of Software Development

Unpredictability is a natural part of software development, and this holds especially true within the Microsoft Flight Simulator world. Platform instabilities, SDK Changes, Sim Updates and other unexpected circumstances are, unfortunately, part of working on this ever-evolving platform.

Software Industry studies suggest that over 60% of software projects exceed initial timelines and budgets, and MSFS development (and by extension, MH60 and MMH) are no exception. Several key factors contribute to this:

• Evolving requirements: As development progresses, priorities often shift. Community feedback, platform updates, competition or suggestions by our technical advisors often result in changes to initial requirements. For example, when initially conceived, the project was limited to MH60 Sierra and Romeo exclusively. However, after seeing the popularity of Coast Guard operations, it was decided to add a Tango external model. This then led to the expansion of the SAR Mission system, which then led to the addition of search patterns, and finally the addition of the Virtual Crew Chief. This is known as "Feature Creep" and happens very often in MSFS, particularly with aircraft that are beloved by many. 
• The MSFS community has become increasingly critical, with expectations higher than ever. In a market crowded with aircraft, it now takes substantial effort to truly stand out.
• Hidden complexity: Features that seem straightforward - such as map systems or Autopilot - often uncover deep technical challenges, especially when interacting with stock systems or undocumented behavior within the sim.
• Integration challenges: SDK/Sim updates, or platform-specific behavior (e.g., differences between PC and Xbox, or Intel vs. AMD systems) can introduce unexpected hurdles, and these are unfortunately only caught during final testing. 

Also important to note is the fact that this is not a "Single Release", but rather two products, on two platforms, on two Simulator versions - resulting in a total of 8 combinations to test.

Introducing INSPlanner V2

In preparation for the upcoming release of MH60, we are presenting V2 of Miltech's  INS/FTP  Planner. Initially developed for our M2K Aircraft, this webapp has been updated and upgraded, with a brand-new UI and improved functionality. Unlike conventional modern navigation that rely on predefined waypoints, airways, or fixes, "Fly to Point" Systems, similar to those used in the MH60, require the pilot to define each waypoint with precise latitude and longitude coordinates. The UI has been designed to simulate the legendary Windows 2000 software used in real life, and a "Send to Aircraft" feature has been developed to sync flight plans over-the-cloud, simulating the data cartridges used in real aircraft. Full integration will be available on MH60 from release day.

MH60 will accept flightplans of up to 100 waypoints. Please do note that INSPlanner does not support NavAids (VORs, NDBs, Airspaces or other navigation data) on this iteration due to the lack of a suitable database to use. We are in the process of acquiring the data necessary for such navdata to populate the map in the future.

Meet us at FSExpo!

Part of the Miltech Simulations team will be attending FSExpo! If you're attending, be sure to stop by our booth to experience the MH60 firsthand - and get an exclusive look at our next, yet-to-be-announced aircraft! 

• The Booth: 121, near the main entrance to exhibit hall. 
• The Stage: We will be at the FSElite Stage on Saturday sharing a bit of the MH60 Story, and talking about our future roadmap. If you’re not attending in person, don’t worry - the presentation will be streamed live on FSElite, so be sure to tune in!