UAV?

[lucero1148]

When it comes to using UAV's I've noticed that its only able to spot vehicles.  Troops in the open fields or moving on roads are spotted.  Isn't this unrealistic.  Cameras used in UAV's seem to me to be of very good quality and quite capable of viewing individual soldiers who are openly moving in open terrain or urban areas.  If a UAV has thermal vision then troops in wooded areas or hiding in the shadows of buildings would pop up in the aerial videos.  Why isn't this modelled in the game?

Another question regarding the use of UAVs for artillery spotting.  When calling in for artillery fire the first rounds are way off.  I would expect that accuracy would be loose for Ukrainian  and Russian troops but US artillery wouldn't they be more accurate on the first round?  I know using precision rounds would eliminate the inaccuracy problem but for regular rounds considering the use of GPS data in figuring out exact range, even "dumb" rounds should be very close to exact?   Anyone with knowledge on this?

[Kinophile]

My understanding is that dumb rounds will always be a bit off, due to small but cumulative  vagaries in the tube positioning, firing of the propellant, thickness and temperature of the air along the shell's flight path,  as well as wind speed and direction. No amount of accurate observation will affect these in-flight alterations. 

The only way to reduce/remove these variables are with GPS rounds,  and even then....

Dumb sshell Spotting rounds are there to reduce inaccuracy in the following shots - expecting them. To be accurate is a bit unrealistic.

 

Or so I understand. 

Edited November 15, 2015 by kinophile

[lucero1148]

Sorry for not responding sooner.  I'm on vacation and had no internet connection.  

Good point on how the real world physics affect rounds going to target,  but with modern artillery computers already taking into account of weather, wind, distance and elevation I had the understanding that even with dumb rounds targeting would be as close as using exclaimer rounds.

In regards to UAV spotting though I wonder if how spotting is done in game a bit unrealistic when it comes to spotting troops on the ground.

[SeinfeldRules]

Good point on how the real world physics affect rounds going to target,  but with modern artillery computers already taking into account of weather, wind, distance and elevation I had the understanding that even with dumb rounds targeting would be as close as using exclaimer rounds.

 

No, at typical ranges you can expect rounds to land in an area 100m long and 50m wide due to uncorrectable conditions alone. Artillery is an area effect weapon and this dispersion is actually welcomed. You will never be able to account for all the sudden gusts of wind, small pockets of differing temperature or air density, and gun tube effects. Even so, one of the biggest errors now a days in a fire mission is target location error. Most UAVs (ie Ravens) are not a stable enough platform that can pull grids with accuracy measured in the single digits. That requires millions of dollars in equipment and is usually reserved for actual aircraft. FOs on the ground have the capability to pull accurate grids but this is often demonstrated on an impact range from prepared, raised OPs with no obstructions. But when you're digging your head in the dirt and have grass and trees in the way, and the enemy is just poking his ahead above the crest of a dip and you can't lase the ground infront of him because of bushes 10m in front of you, and you can't lase the ground behind him because the backdrop is 1000m further away, it's difficult. Most of the time an FO is just looking for a 75% solution, and that can be solved with a GPS, map and binos. When you have a UAV, it's the same thing, the grid you get from the sensors won't be perfect, but it doesn't have to be. It'll get the rounds close enough, and 155mm rounds make a big boom.

Edited November 21, 2015 by SeinfeldRules

[lucero1148]

thank you, that solves that question.  ;-)