Can someone tell me how this works?

[Eboreg]

I've posted a screenshot from me playing through "Canary's Cage" where a flight of F-18 Hornets are dropping laser-guided bombs on a Moroccan airbase at Marrakesh. The reason why is because this is the point where my Hornets are spotted by the nearby SAM site with Mk 1 Eyeball despite this happening at night. They were engaged by SAMs shortly afterwards. Can someone please explain how this was possible?

[Kushan04]

Just because it's night doesn't mean they're blind.

I see nothing in your screenshot that indicates the SAM spotted your Hornets with the Mk1 eyeball.

[Eboreg]

Just because it's night doesn't mean they're blind.

I see nothing in your screenshot that indicates the SAM spotted your Hornets with the Mk1 eyeball.

I checked the scenario logs:

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10/12/2005 7:32:28 PM - [Spain] 121 Escuadron  #9 reports BDA status change on contact: MMA 10/28 10,170 ft. Runway (Very Large Aircraft) - Heavy damage - Major Fire

10/12/2005 7:32:58 PM - [NAIL] New contact! Designated BOGEY #2439405 - Detected by SAM Bty (I-HAWK [P1])  [Sensors: Mk1 Eyeball] at 101deg - Estimated 7nm - No Contrail Detected.

10/12/2005 7:32:58 PM - [NAIL] New contact! Designated BOGEY #2439406 - Detected by SAM Bty (I-HAWK [P1])  [Sensors: Mk1 Eyeball] at 91deg - Estimated 8nm - No Contrail Detected.

10/12/2005 7:33:17 PM - [Spain] Contact: SAM #450 was observed attacking a friendly unit and is now considered as hostile! (Reason: Weapon launch was spotted visually)

Also, there weren't any other radars nearby, I took them out in order to make things easier for my guys.

[Blast33]

Just because it's night doesn't mean they're blind.

I see nothing in your screenshot that indicates the SAM spotted your Hornets with the Mk1 eyeball.

Even a healthy HAWK SAM operator (no blind one) does not see an enemy plane at night at 7nm only with his eyes and classifies the aircraft as multi-role.
You don't fly with your nav lights on during a bomb attack...

I put VIEW/DAY-NIGHT lighting to on and it is dark at 19:32Z and also on the situation Eboreg presented:

Clipboard03.jpg (8.7 KiB) Viewed 1031 times

I made a test scenario and deleted the rest of the mission, but put a building (small with observer and binocular) next to the Hawk site to test the visuals.

Sometimes(!) the eyball of the Hawk will detect the aircraft, not always.
I'd replicated the situation Contact: BOGEY #170 has been type-classified as: Multirole (Classification by: SAM Bty (I-HAWK [P1]) [Sensor: Mk1 Eyeball] at 4,6 nm) and checked Scenario Features + Realism and checked weather effects day/ night to on.
Is this also the case with you Eboreg or is it off?

On every occasion, the visual observer will detect the F-18's at arouind 9.8/10,5 Nm.
For example:
12-10-2005 19:11:59 - [NAIL] Contact: BOGEY #28628 has been type-classified as: Multirole (Classification by: Building (Small with Observer) [Sensor: Generic Eyeball with Binoculars] at 9,8 nm)


You can use this test scen to further investigate. I have to work in the garden
One conclusion IMHO is that a visual observer should not detect a fighter aircraft at almost 10 Nm in the middle of the night and also make a classification Multi-role. Maybe he has good ears you say? No you do not hear a F-18 coming at you at 10 Nm
I could not replicate the eyeball of the HAWK site afterwards in the test file which is attached.

Good luck

Canary's Cage, 2005_eyeball mk.1.zip

(167.77 KiB) Downloaded 29 times

[Eboreg]

I'd replicated the situation Contact: BOGEY #170 has been type-classified as: Multirole (Classification by: SAM Bty (I-HAWK [P1]) [Sensor: Mk1 Eyeball] at 4,6 nm) and checked Scenario Features + Realism and checked weather effects day/ night to on.
Is this also the case with you Eboreg or is it off?

I did check and it was off.