Matrix Games Forums

I am really confused about what is being shown in the air- and helicopter-defense overlays. The images below are taken from The First Dance scenario before any orders are issued, with the helicopter defense overlay checked. Illumination is at 0%. The first one shows the overlay with the HQ 1 Arty selected. The only AA weapons in the unit are .50 cal M2s mounted on the trucks, and the trucks have no night-vision sensors. Yet, the overlay shows the unit as a full-fledged ADW (rather than ADL) capable of targeting helicopters out to 2000 m in 0% illumination. Other units in the scenario with .50 cal machine guns have similar overlays.
This image shows the corresponding overlay for SPFLAK 1 containing M163 Vulcans. This subunit has both limited radar and NVL, but the overlay indicates it can't see helicopters outside of its own hex. When enemy helicopters show up, this unit does shoot at them in other hexes, so the overlay appears to be misleading.
Is there something amiss with the helicopter and air overlays, or am I misunderstanding how these overlays work? I didn't include a save file because the images are taken directly from the The First Dance setup screen.

For the HQ unit, it is not the truck defining the air defense but the HQ section which has a 20mm AA gun with 2400m range and night vision equipment. I am a bit surprised it can see this far out at 0% illumination, we will investigate further if the IRDS is playing a role.

We'll also investigate why the overlay is not showing the Vulcan's range correctly.

WildCatNL wrote: Mon Nov 24, 2025 9:46 pm For the HQ unit, it is not the truck defining the air defense but the HQ section which has a 20mm AA gun with 2400m range and night vision equipment. I am a bit surprised it can see this far out at 0% illumination, we will investigate further if the IRDS is playing a role.

The HQ unit has NVC ("Night Vision Sights/System - Common"), which is effective all the way down to 0% illumination. The M577 IRDS has no role in spotting.

Sorry, I missed the 20 mm AA in the HQ subunits in HQ 1 Arty. Here's another example from the same scenario with an Abrams tank platoon. It also shows horizontal rather than vertical hatching, as do the two 107 mm mortar sections. The Bradley recon sections have the expected vertical hatching.

rmeckman wrote: Mon Nov 24, 2025 10:17 pm Here's another example from the same scenario with an Abrams tank platoon. It also shows horizontal rather than vertical hatching, as do the two 107 mm mortar sections. The Bradley recon sections have the expected vertical hatching.

Thanks for bringing this up. That's a bug, where the overlay doesn't check for AAA / FLAK weapons also being ADL (air defense limited).