DRSM DCS World Telemetry Export

A Lua-based telemetry export script for DCS World that streams real-time flight data over UDP as JSON. Built for DR Sim Manager but usable by any application that can receive UDP packets.

Protocol version: 2
Transport: UDP · JSON · one packet per simulation frame
Default endpoint: 127.0.0.1:4135

Features

• Real-time motion, orientation, and acceleration data
• Per-aircraft cockpit shake / vibration values
• Engine RPM, rotor RPM, and propeller RPM
• Landing gear, flaps, speedbrakes, canopy, and afterburner positions
• Weapons fire and countermeasure deployment counters
• Structural damage tracking
• Modular design — each telemetry category is a separate Lua file
• Data-driven aircraft support via aircraft_data.lua (no code changes needed)

Installation

1. Copy DRSM_Telemetry.lua and the DRSM/ folder to:

   %USERPROFILE%\Saved Games\DCS\Scripts\Hooks\
   

   Your folder structure should look like:

   Scripts\Hooks\
   ├── DRSM_Telemetry.lua
   └── DRSM\
       ├── init.lua
       ├── config.lua
       ├── aircraft_data.lua
       ├── core.lua
       ├── aerodynamics.lua
       ├── engine.lua
       ├── rotor.lua
       ├── gear.lua
       ├── surfaces.lua
       ├── weapons.lua
       ├── damage.lua
       └── shake.lua
   

2. (Optional) Edit DRSM/config.lua to change the UDP destination or enable logging.
3. Launch DCS World. Telemetry starts automatically when you enter a cockpit.

Configuration

Edit DRSM/config.lua:

Key	Default	Description
ip	"127.0.0.1"	UDP destination address
port	4135	UDP destination port
version	2	Protocol version sent in each packet
log	false	Per-frame DCS log output (noisy)

---

Protocol Reference

The script sends a flat JSON object over UDP each simulation frame. All fields are optional except the envelope fields (v, name, t). Fields are omitted when the underlying DCS API returns nil or the module does not apply to the current aircraft.

---

Envelope

Always present on every packet.

Key	Type	Description
v	number	Protocol version (currently 2)
name	string	DCS internal aircraft name (e.g. "FA-18C_hornet")
t	number	Simulation model time in seconds

---

Core — Motion & Orientation

Source module: DRSM/core.lua

Key	Type	Units	Description
acc	array[3]	G-forces	Body-frame acceleration [z, x, y]
ang_vel	array[3]	rad/s	Body-frame angular velocity [z, x, y]
vel	array[3]	m/s	Global-frame velocity [z, x, y]
pitch	number	radians	Pitch angle (nose up = positive)
roll	number	radians	Bank angle (right wing down = positive)
yaw	number	radians	Heading (negated for DRSM convention)
alt_agl	number	meters	Altitude above ground level
alt_msl	number	meters	Altitude mean sea level
tas	number	m/s	True airspeed

Note: The three-element arrays use DCS body-frame axes remapped as [z, x, y].

---

Aerodynamics

Source module: DRSM/aerodynamics.lua

Key	Type	Units / Range	Description
aoa	number	radians	Angle of attack
aos	number	radians	Angle of sideslip
ias	number	m/s	Indicated airspeed
mach	number	unitless	Mach number
wind	array[3]	m/s	Wind velocity [z, x, y] (global frame)
shake	number	0.0–1.0	Generic cockpit shake amplitude (fallback)
panel_shake	array	0.0–1.0 each	Per-aircraft cockpit shake values (preferred)
stall	number	0 or 1	Stall warning flag

When per-aircraft shake_args are defined in aircraft_data.lua, panel_shake is sent instead of shake. Consumers should prefer panel_shake when present.

---

Engine

Source module: DRSM/engine.lua

Key	Type	Units	Description
rpm_left	number	RPM	Left engine RPM
rpm_right	number	RPM	Right engine RPM
prop_rpm	number	RPM	Propeller RPM (prop aircraft only, from cockpit gauge)

For aircraft with engine_rpm_factor in aircraft_data.lua, the raw percentage is multiplied by the factor to produce actual RPM.

---

Rotor (Helicopters)

Source module: DRSM/rotor.lua

Key	Type	Units	Description
rotor_rpm	number	RPM	Main rotor RPM (from cockpit gauge × rotor_factor)

Only present for helicopters with rotor_panel_idx in aircraft_data.lua.

---

Landing Gear

Source module: DRSM/gear.lua

Key	Type	Range	Description
gear_left	number	0.0–1.0	Left main gear (0 = stowed, 1 = extended)
gear_nose	number	0.0–1.0	Nose gear position
gear_right	number	0.0–1.0	Right main gear position

Only present for aircraft with gear_args in aircraft_data.lua.

---

Surfaces

Source module: DRSM/surfaces.lua

Key	Type	Range	Description
flaps	number	0.0–1.0	Flaps position
speedbrakes	number	0.0–1.0	Speedbrakes position
canopy	number	0.0–1.0	Canopy position (0 = closed, 1 = open)
gear	number	0.0–1.0	Overall landing gear position
afterburner	array[2]	0.0–1.0	Afterburner position [left, right]

---

Weapons

Source module: DRSM/weapons.lua

All values are cumulative counters that reset when the simulation starts or stops. Detected by frame-to-frame decreases in DCS payload state.

Key	Type	Description
cannon_rounds_fired	number	Total cannon rounds fired
missiles_released	number	Total missiles (A2A + A2G) released
bombs_released	number	Total bombs released
rockets_released	number	Total unguided rockets (NURS) released
flares_released	number	Total flares deployed
chaff_released	number	Total chaff bundles dispensed

---

Damage

Source module: DRSM/damage.lua

Key	Type	Range	Description
damage_total	number	0.0+	Sum of structural damage draw-arg values

A value of 0 means fully intact. The value can exceed 1.0 when multiple structural components are damaged simultaneously.

---

Example Packet

{
  "v": 2,
  "name": "FA-18C_hornet",
  "t": 1234.56,
  "acc": [0.2, 0.1, -1.0],
  "ang_vel": [0.05, -0.02, 0.01],
  "vel": [100.0, 50.0, -5.0],
  "pitch": 0.0872,
  "roll": 0.1745,
  "yaw": 0.0,
  "alt_agl": 5000.0,
  "alt_msl": 5500.0,
  "tas": 250.0,
  "aoa": 0.05,
  "aos": 0.01,
  "ias": 240.0,
  "mach": 0.8,
  "wind": [5.0, 2.0, 0.0],
  "panel_shake": [0.12, 0.08, 0.05],
  "stall": 0,
  "rpm_left": 85.5,
  "rpm_right": 85.5,
  "afterburner": [0.0, 0.0],
  "flaps": 0.0,
  "speedbrakes": 0.5,
  "canopy": 0.0,
  "gear": 1.0,
  "gear_left": 1.0,
  "gear_nose": 1.0,
  "gear_right": 1.0,
  "cannon_rounds_fired": 45,
  "missiles_released": 2,
  "bombs_released": 0,
  "rockets_released": 0,
  "flares_released": 5,
  "chaff_released": 10,
  "damage_total": 0.15
}

---

Adding Aircraft Support

Add an entry to DRSM/aircraft_data.lua. No code changes are needed.

["MyAircraft"] = {
    type             = "jet",          -- "jet" | "prop" | "heli"
    shake_args       = {264, 265},     -- cockpit arg indices for panel vibration
    damage_vars      = {53, 81},       -- draw-arg indices for structural damage
    gear_args        = {6, 1, 4},      -- draw-arg indices: left, nose, right
    -- Helicopters only:
    -- rotor_panel_idx  = 42,
    -- rotor_factor     = 220,
    -- Props only:
    -- prop_panel_idx   = 15,
    -- prop_factor      = 2700,
    -- Optional (percent→RPM conversion):
    -- engine_rpm_factor = 66,
},

To find the correct cockpit argument indices and draw-arg numbers for an aircraft, use the DCS ModelViewer or community documentation for the module.

---

Contributing

Contributions are welcome — especially new aircraft entries in aircraft_data.lua.

1. Fork the repository
2. Add your aircraft entry
3. Test in DCS and DRSM or other UDP listener
4. Open a pull request

---

License

MIT License — see LICENSE for details.