Pipper

The pipper is the aiming symbol displayed on the gunsight or HUD that shows where a weapon (gun, bomb, or rocket) would impact if released or fired at that exact moment.
In modern aircraft using CCIP or similar modes, the pipper represents the continuously computed impact point on the ground or in space.

Key characteristics:

• Visual aim point:
  The pipper is the pilot’s “put this on what you want to hit” symbol. When the pipper is placed over the target and the weapon is released, the round or bomb should impact near that point (within system and pilot limits).
  
  
• Dynamic position:
  The pipper moves around the HUD based on:
  
  
  • Aircraft attitude and G
    
    
  • Airspeed and altitude
    
    
  • Ballistic characteristics of the weapon
    
    
  • Selected delivery mode (gun, rockets, bombs)
    
    
• Types of pippers:
  
  
  • Gun pipper: For cannon/机 guns; often includes a funnel or range cues.
    
    
  • CCIP pipper: For bombs/rockets in CCIP mode, showing the computed impact point on the ground.
    
    
  • A/A pipper: For air-to-air gunnery, factoring lead, range, and target motion.
    
    
• Sight picture:
  Learning the correct sight picture — how the target should look relative to the pipper at the moment of release or trigger squeeze — is a core skill in both air-to-air and air-to-ground gunnery.
  
  

Application in DCS World

In DCS, nearly all modern jets and many older aircraft display some form of pipper on the HUD or gunsight:

• Air-to-ground:
  
  
  • Pippers for CCIP bombing and rocket delivery (F-16C, F/A-18C, A-10C, Su-25, etc.).
    
    
  • The pipper slides along the ground; when it reaches the target, the pilot can release.
    
    
• Air-to-air:
  
  
  • Gun pippers with lead-computing symbology (F-16C, F/A-18C, F-5E, MiG-21, etc.).
    
    
  • Some modules use classic optical or gyro gunsights with a fixed or moving pipper.
    
    

Limitations / simplifications:

• Ballistics, dispersion, and environmental effects are simplified compared to real life, making pipper solutions more reliable than in actual combat.
  
  
• Some legacy or early-access modules may have incomplete or slightly inaccurate pipper behavior.
  
  

Training guidance for cadets:

• Practice stabilizing the pipper on the target with smooth control inputs rather than “chasing” it with aggressive stick movements.
  
  
• For CCIP: learn standard dive angles, release altitudes, and roll-in techniques so the pipper arrives on target in a predictable, controlled way.
  
  

For gunnery: train to hold the pipper slightly ahead of moving targets (lead pursuit), respecting range cues and trigger discipline.