So you can't make a visual approach at night then? (especially if aided by electro-optics). Try telling that to everyone who operates into Kabul.
Before you condemn them, how do you know to what SOP this crew was operating? SOPs and checklists are developed to allow an aircraft to be operated in it's intended role by line crews. When such procedures are being written the lowest common denominator has to be kept in mind - the "average" pilot skill level and a crew who may have only just met. Consequently a high degree of standardization of words and actions is required. Engineering/development test flying does not necesarily take place within such boundaries. Tests are flown using whatever SOPs that those conducting/managing the test deem appropriate. Certain aspects of test flying take place entirely outside any relevant SOP and require a higher level of crew brefing, skill and familiarity. It may not be appropriate for a test crew to overlay airline SOPs onto their test schedule. It seems as if this was an approach being flown for development purposes and, as such, it is entirely reasonable for the crew to be commenting on the performance of the equipment.
A test crew may sound "gash" to a line crew, but they are doing a different job. One of the marks of good flight-test personnel is that they can drop straight back into routine practices as soon as the need to operate outside the SOPs is over.