NVG HUD ground targets at night. I see nothing

[DmitriKozlowsky]

NVG HUD ground targets at night. I see nothing

I don't quite get what I am suppoused to look for. I don't see anything. In flight in motion, the pixel or subpixel sized ground targets are totally lost in noise. Whats the trick here?

[razo+r]

Dim the HUD so that it doesn't glow too much and adjust the gain of the NVG to your fitting.

You will also see more if you go closer to the targets.

Then accept the fact that NVG's don't have the best resolution.

After that, you should also look into alternative methods to engage targets at night, like illumination flares or anything other than guns.

[ASAP]

11 hours ago, DmitriKozlowsky said:

NVG HUD ground targets at night. I see nothing

I don't quite get what I am suppoused to look for. I don't see anything. In flight in motion, the pixel or subpixel sized ground targets are totally lost in noise. Whats the trick here?

 

Based on lunar illumination that is realistic to real world flying as well. Get your targeting pod on the target and use your IR marker. Strafe the flashing IR marker or the TGP diamond in the HUD.

Edited December 26, 2024 by ASAP

[DmitriKozlowsky]

On 12/26/2024 at 3:18 PM, ASAP said:

Based on lunar illumination that is realistic to real world flying as well. Get your targeting pod on the target and use your IR marker. Strafe the flashing IR marker or the TGP diamond in the HUD.

I beg to differ on nightime lighting. In fact, DCS nighttime, is unrealistically pitch black. Granted this is not a realtime ray tracing global illumination setup, but some ambience is needed. I also have a problem with scaling of ground object. From 800 meters away, a truck is pixel or smaller, at normal zoom.

The TGP diamond is a major problem for me for strafing. When ground target is a pixel and is lost in noise of ground, and diamond is not drawn inside gun retticle, bringing pipper onto target, when the target is invisible is a problem. I would fly gun piper onto diamond on HUD, and as soon as pipper intersects with diamond, the diamond disappears, and squinting into pipper trying to identify the pixel that is target, and I see NOTHING! Plus the frustrating behavior of TPOD of z-rolling and slewing off target, by itself, at end of roll in. Happens way too often, if I overfly target, I do a 180 to reattack. TGP slews and reaquires target, and as soon as I am wings level, the pod slews away, goes off target in some random direction, some random amount. At night, or small target, reaquistion is impossible in time.

[razo+r]

Have you also made sure it's full moon?

[DmitriKozlowsky]

20 minutes ago, razo+r said:

Have you also made sure it's full moon?

Sitting on a lit tarmac at night, the tarmac is lit but aircraft it pitch black silhouethe. Looking at runway at night on approach. Zoom view and runway lights are visible through HUD. Zoom out, and runway lights fade out, leaving me staring into pitch black, on final mile or so from threshhold. Its disorienting and confusing.

Almost every vehicle , except SCUD, when viewed through HUD and NVG at night is 100% invisible from 700 meters. Completely lost in noise of NVG. During daytime, vehicles are pixels, totally lost in texture,  until 500 meters or closer, when pipper adjustment via flightpath is impossible. Some damn fine camo, but IMHO, the scaling is problematic. I am suspicious sort, and I suspect ED is using dynamic opacity where a 3d object at distance has zero opacity that fades in as distance closes. I'd be doing CCIP in day time, at 5000 feet AGL, nothing, passing through 3500 feet AGL, nothing, 2500 maybe something, can't tell, 1500-1800 a slightly darker pixel, but too late to adjust. Brake off and reattack.

[ASAP]

5 hours ago, DmitriKozlowsky said:

I beg to differ on nightime lighting. In fact, DCS nighttime, is unrealistically pitch black

I take it you live in a city... I've flown my own airplane at night a lot. I assure you the inky blackness is realistic on a moonless night. Even with NVGs picking out individual targets would be next to impossible. Using the TGP and strafing the diamond/IR marker is the actual solution that A-10 pilots use for this problem.

 

5 hours ago, DmitriKozlowsky said:

I would fly gun piper onto diamond on HUD, and as soon as pipper intersects with diamond, the diamond disappears, and squinting into pipper trying to identify the pixel that is target, and I see NOTHING!

You can go into the IFFCC menu and change the settings so the pipper does not occlude the TGP diamond. Also use the IR marker from the TGP.

 

5 hours ago, DmitriKozlowsky said:

Plus the frustrating behavior of TPOD of z-rolling and slewing off target, by itself, at end of roll in. Happens way too often, if I overfly target, I do a 180 to reattack. TGP slews and reaquires target, and as soon as I am wings level, the pod slews away, goes off target in some random direction, some random amount. At night, or small target, reaquistion is impossible in time.

Also not all that unrealistic. your TGP shouldn't gimble unwind if you're attacking between 25-50 degrees of strafe. That might help. Also, lase the target and take a mark, make the mark SPI or a Steerpoint and slave the pod to it. that should keep it fairly close to the target.

Or have a buddy lase/IR mark the target and strafe the LST or his IR marker.

[DmitriKozlowsky]

That moment that I realize that I am really really good with A-10CII. As long as noone is shooting at me, and I can see the ground 10 miles in front of me.