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Most modules for DCS use lookup tables computed in a similar way to X-Plane. (The lookup tables are essentially a computational cache of the element modeling.)

I recall Flight Unlimited[1] made a big deal of their flight model which incorporated "real-time computational fluid dynamics". I'm not a pilot but I found it very compelling. It was groundbreaking for its time.

None of the rest of Looking Glass' flight sims used the first game's fluid dynamics model.

[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_Unlimited

I’m sure you could make a deep learning model approximation of the computational fluid dynamics that would be much computationally efficient. Allowing form more detail and or faster execution.

If you care about computational efficiency, build a lookup table and cache it. Flight models generally deal with a known, bounded problem space rather than novel inputs.

Sure, if a lookup table works for your problem then use that. Im specifically talking about an optimization of CFD.

MSFS is actually improving this though: https://stormbirds.blog/2022/02/17/msfs-aerodynamics-takes-a...