some questions

[leafer]

1. Does flying around with interior and/or exterior lights make it easier for enemy AI to spot you?

 

2. Night hunting - I know it wasn't made for night attack, but I was wondering if it is, somehow, possible. I tried and I'm thinking no, but maybe I didn't try hard enough...?

 

3. What is the most effective method to kill armored vehicles with the cannon? I'm lucky if I get one round on target with each burst. How close should I get to them and do heights and angles matter? Most of the time the AP rounds just bounced off the armor. I've depleted both HE and AP rounds with no effect what-so-ever. I usually keep a distance of 3.5 kilos between them and me.

 

Same goes for A/A targets.

[Nate--IRL--]

1 :- Exterior light makes you more visible to ground unit only AFAIK. Aircraft do not follow this rule.

 

2 :- it is difficult, it requires a combination of adjusting the NVG gain level with the SHKVAL contrast and brightness, it is still extremely difficult as the SHKVAL can't lock at low light levels.

 

3 :- in my experience 3.5 is a healthy distance to keep between you and Tanks, test this yourself ( I think I've managed 1.5km without getting blasted to pieces), anything else, get closer to use the cannon. AP rounds are useless, could be a bug, don't bother with them for now.

 

Nate

Edited July 4, 2009 by Nate--IRL--

[Arclight]

Maximum engagement range for the cannon is 2km (at least according to tutorial). If you're firing it from over 3km away, it would explain the poor accuracy you're experiencing.

 

Theoretically, armor is thinnest at the top and at the rear, followed by the sides. You can try different angles and see if that improves your chances to penetrate the armor. :unsure:

 

Haven't had much luck with the cannon against heavy armor either. Guess that's what the Vikhrs are for. :D

[leafer]

The Vikhrs are great but they don't guarantee kill marks on your helo either. I have had to use two on an Abram and another armored vehicle (can't remember which one) - both took direct frontal hits and didn't blow up. I think I pumped them with half of AP and then some HE rounds as well.

 

Another downside with the Vikhrs is they run out so soon. :D I'm really tempted to cheat by selecting unlimited ammo.

 

Oh. Two kilos against static objects maybe. :D It has been my experience that anything less than 3 kilos and I'm likely to become charred, ground meat.

 

Come to think of it, should we sacrifice realism for the sake of night fighting? I'm talking about an option for some kind of thermal imaging equipment as an extra option for someone who wants to hunt at night.

Edited July 4, 2009 by leafer

[Boberro]

1. Does flying around with interior and/or exterior lights make it easier for enemy AI to spot you?

 

Yes. IIRC with some lights AI you can spot you from 6 km. You can check files inside game and see values.

 

2. Night hunting - I know it wasn't made for night attack, but I was wondering if it is, somehow, possible. I tried and I'm thinking no, but maybe I didn't try hard enough...?

 

Yes but with external light source which let you lock target (if it is moving). No if target is stacionary and you know more - less enemy position. Then you can search via Shkval and NVG. You need patience and time.

 

3. What is the most effective method to kill armored vehicles with the cannon? I'm lucky if I get one round on target with each burst. How close should I get to them and do heights and angles matter? Most of the time the AP rounds just bounced off the armor. I've depleted both HE and AP rounds with no effect what-so-ever. I usually keep a distance of 3.5 kilos between them and me.

 

Same goes for A/A targets.

 

If it is moving target it is obvious it is better if you close to it then fire example from 1-2 km than shoot from 4.

Supposedly better attack from top and back - armor is thinner there.

I don't use AP against example tanks but against BTR is quite good, but I much more prefer HE. They are nades I would say.

 

In AA you have to very close target to kill enemy chopper - if emeny is standing you can be futher. Here better are of course HE than AP but both are dangerous well.

[CAT_101st]

Come to think of it, should we sacrifice realism for the sake of night fighting? I'm talking about an option for some kind of thermal imaging equipment as an extra option for someone who wants to hunt at night.

 

NO!!

[Arclight]

The Vikhrs are great but they don't guarantee kill marks on your helo either. I have had to use two on an Abram and another armored vehicle (can't remember which one) - both took direct frontal hits and didn't blow up. I think I pumped them with half of AP and then some HE rounds as well.

 

Another downside with the Vikhrs is they run out so soon. :D I'm really tempted to cheat by selecting unlimited ammo.

 

Oh. Two kilos against static objects maybe. :D It has been my experience that anything less than 3 kilos and I'm likely to become charred, ground meat.

 

Come to think of it, should we sacrifice realism for the sake of night fighting? I'm talking about an option for some kind of thermal imaging equipment as an extra option for someone who wants to hunt at night.

I'm starting to feel like the Ka-50 isn't really a tank-buster. Like you said, even mutiple ATGM on target without a kill, and never enough missiles to go around. :no_sad:

 

I still tend to become charred, ground meat at any range. Heck, I don't even need enemies for that. :D

 

In stead of sacrificing realism, let's hope they model another Ka-50 type for night-hunting. Should be minor tweaks to existing stuff + modeling of night-gear.

[ryuzu]

1. Nothing to add on what's been said!

 

2. There is at least one user made mission where you are tasked with destroying an insurgent camp by night. In that mission, a fixed wing drops flares to illuminate the area while you pick off targets. Quite a cool concept, particularly since the flares fade out and you have to wait for the next flare run.

 

The printed manual also describes a technique for firing flare rockets to illuminate the area for yourself but I've not tried this out yet.

 

3. For tanks I use Vikhrs and keep the rockets and cannon for softer targets. Rockets aren't massively effective but lightly armoured stuff can be killed with the cannon. Can't think why you'd be inaccurate with it apart from obvious stuff like using the auto-tracking and laser ranging before firing. Closing the range will probably help though!

 

r.

[leafer]

Well, if there is a Ka50 variant out there with night mission capabilities, then I'd like to have that even if they aren't in service or never going to be in service ever.

 

Perhaps accuracy is only part of the problem and perhaps that is the way it is on the real thing. But the rounds themselves aren't very effective against armored vehicles. Again, they may be accurately modeled but I can't imagine a tank busting copter with ineffective cannon rounds.

[Betting]

Supposedly better attack from top and back - armor is thinner there.

 

Does anyone know if this is actually modelled in the game?

[ryuzu]

Well, if there is a Ka50 variant out there with night mission capabilities, then I'd like to have that even if they aren't in service or never going to be in service ever.

.

 

Well the development history part of the manual talks about the KA-50Sh which is a night variant. Here is some info from http://www.aviastar.org/helicopters_eng/ka-50.php:

 

"Ka-50N (Nochnoy: Nocturnal): Also reported as Ka-50Sh. Night-capable attack version; essentially a single-seat Ka-52. Programme began 1993; originally based on TpSPO-V and Merkury LLLTV systems, which tested on Ka-50 development aircraft. Ka-50N first reported April 1997 as conversion of prototype 018 with Thomson-CSF Victor FLIR turret above the nose and Arbalet (crossbow) mast-mounted radar, plus second TV screen in cockpit; FLIR integrated with Uralskyi Optiko- Mekhanicheskyi Zavod (UOMZ) Samshit-50 (Laurel-50) electro-optic sighting system, incorporating French IR set. First flight variously reported as 4 March or 5 May 1997; programmed improvements included replacement of PA-4-3 paper moving map with digital equivalent; by August 1997, FLIR turret was repositioned below nose and Arbalet was removed; by mid-1998, had IT-23 CRT display replaced by TV-109, and HUD removed and replaced by Marconi helmet display. Proposed new cockpit shown in September 1998, having two Russkaya Avionika 203 x 152mm LCDs and central CRT for sensor imagery. Indigenous avionics intended for any local production orders; French systems as interim solution and standard for export. Republic of Korea Army evaluated both the Ka-50N and the baseline Ka-50. In 1999, pre-production aircraft 014 was exhibited with a UOMZ GOES sensor turret in place of Shkval."

 

 

While it would be nice to have some night kit like this, I think the modelling required to produce this at the same level of fidelity as the rest of the simulation would be large - I imagine most would rather see the A10 or AH64 (personally I'd be happy with those getting delayed, well maybe not the 64, but the A10!).

 

It also appears that while this version of the A/C has been demo'd it doesn't appear to have entered production.... No customers perhaps.

 

r.

 

ps. Samshit(!) is called Samsheet in the ED manual!

Edited July 5, 2009 by ryuzu

[leafer]

Thanks for the info. Come to think of it, I think perhaps it would be extremely ludicrous for a single seat helo to have night attack capabilities. I'm talking about in real life.