On today’s Developer Q&A livestream, they have announced that Sim Update 16 will NOT be released yet, delayed because they are waiting for the Xbox Platform team to solve a problem and it is now too close to the release of MSFS 2024.
So, instead, they are working on AAU 3 with Inibuilds for the A310, A320neo, and Hans Hartmann for the Pilatus PC-6. AAU3 is tentatively scheduled for release in Mid-September.
Video now available on the MSFSOfficial YouTube channel:
A curious choice of aircraft. When I saw AAU3 my hopes went up for the King Air, but no luck.
Still, the terrain radar on the A320 looks interesting
Personal Comments and Observations
The artwork redo alone on the King Air would consume a lot of 3D team cycles. They’d probably need to offload that to another studio, but I think everyone who’s a known Partner now has their hands full with pieces contributing to FS’24. At least there’s Husk’s mod and JayDee’s patches that make it fun if not imperfect to fly.
Why not ask black square? 
That’s up to Microsoft. They pick who they partner with.
Sadly I’m on Xbox so it’s marketplace or bust for me in terms of third party improvements.
Thanks for the insight though, I hadn’t really considered the 3D artwork side of it, I was thinking purely of the avionics side of things
I’m happy for the A320neo improvements, especially the takeoff rotation, because currently it’s incredibly difficult to take off with this aircraft. It feels like it doesn’t want to accelerate, the built-in calculator makes it use almost all of a runway and on rotation it sticks to the tarmac, doesn’t want to leave the ground. I even have regular tailstrikes with it because I just rotate and the thing doesn’t lift. The takeoff presented in the livestream looked much better.
I haven’t flown the v2 since SU15 beta. That said, I recall wrapping the beta avoiding FLEX takeoffs in the v2, preferring instead to use all the available power since I am not paying for fuel or engine overhauls in MSFS. Will be interesting to see if FLEX really gets fixed with AAU03, but I may not choose to beta test this time around. Will have to jump back in the v2 to see if I will opt out of beta testing it in AAU03. Probably lots of Airbus enthusiasts will do the beta. Meanwhile I will avoid FLEX takeoffs in the v2 and those frustrations, right? All that fuel and power come free in MSFS!
So this is AAU3 will be specifically for these aircraft? no avionic updates or changes for all the aircraft? or sdk ?
As someone who held out and never bought the Milviz PC-6, I’m really looking forward to whatever improvements are made to the Microsoft versions.
I’ve flown them a fair amount and like many of the MS-commissioned aircraft, they are almost there.
I hope we hear a more about this release soon.
