Aero Dynamics has published a new development update on its McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 and KC-10 projects for Microsoft Flight Simulator, the first major communication since March 2024. The team states clearly that both aircraft remain in active development and that work is now moving forward more steadily than at any previous stage.
Development status
The developers reiterate that the DC-10-30 and KC-10 have never been cancelled, paused, or downgraded in priority. Earlier slowdowns are explained by the difficulty of creating a study-level trijet with a small, mostly part-time team. As systems became more accurate, major components were sometimes rebuilt from the ground up, which improved fidelity but repeatedly interrupted momentum.
To break that cycle, Aero Dynamics chose to concentrate temporarily on a smaller aircraft, the T-38 Talon Professional, developed with Infinity and Delta Simulations. Over several months, this project was used to prove the architecture, tooling, and workflows needed for a complex airliner: deeper integration with MSFS 2024 and Navigraph navdata, a scalable LVAR and shared-memory layer, maintainable WASM modules at high gauge counts, and more robust handling of multiple variants and long-term development. Those solutions are now being brought directly into the DC-10 and KC-10 codebase.
MSFS 2024 only and what it means for simmers
The update also confirms a firm platform decision. The DC-10-30 and KC-10 will be released exclusively for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. According to Aero Dynamics, splitting resources between MSFS 2020 and 2024 would slow progress significantly and undermine the level of depth they are aiming for. The team highlights MSFS 2024 improvements, such as Sim Attachments, memory handling, and WASM performance, as essential for simulating a three-crew widebody with fully interactive systems and accurate flight dynamics.
For simmers, the message is straightforward. The trijet remains a long-term project, but it is now built on a tested technical base rather than on constantly shifting foundations. No release window is given in this update, yet the developers describe the DC-10 and KC-10 as alive, healthier than before, and now fully aligned with the capabilities of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024.
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