Amidst of the eternal waves of time. From a change of ripple shall the storm rise Out of abyss peer the eyes of a demon Behold the Razgriz, its wings of black sheath The demon soars through dark skies Fear and death trail the shadow beneath Until men united wield hallowed saber In final reckoning, the beast is slain As the demon sleeps, man turns on man His own blood and madness soon cover the earth From depth of despair awaken the Razgriz Its raven wings ablaze in majestic light ================================================================================ __ ___ __ __ _ _____ __ /\ / | / / \ /\/\ |_) /\ | /_ /--\ | |-- | | | / \ | \ /--\ | \ / \ \__ |___ \__ \__/ / \ |_/ / \ | __/ T H E U N S U N G W A R ================================================================================ D E V E L O P E D B Y : P R O J E C T A C E S P R O D U C E D B Y : N A M C O F A Q B Y : H I M M E L K R I E G -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION I : TABLE OF CONTENTS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I : Table of contents II : Introduction and Disclaimer III : Cast of Characters IV : The Planes of Ace Combat 5 V : Campaign Mode Walkthrough VI : Secret Stuff -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION II : INTRODUCTION AND DISCLAIMER -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ACE COMBAT 5 : THE UNSUNG WAR is the fifth in a series of action flight simulation games produced by Namco. The emphasis of these games has always been presenting an involved and detailed storyline, set in a well-planned and developed world, in which the player assumes the role of a combat fighter pilot. What Namco has been able to do is to seamlessly blend fast-paced aerial combat with an accurate flight physics engine to produce a simply amazing game, every time. ACE COMBAT 5 does not disappoint. What sets AC5 apart from the rest of the series is an improved wingman AI which responds to orders which you give on-the-fly (pun intended). AC5 has over 30 missions and more than 50 true-to-life planes (along with a few, not so true-to- life ones). I'll admit, the voice acting could have been better, though with voice actors like Steven Blum (Roger Smith in 'The Big O'; Spike Spiegel in 'Cowboy Bebop'), and Beau Billingslea (Jet Black in 'Coboy Bebop') it at least stays bearable. Not to mention that the cutscenes rock. Also, a few of the missions are incredibly frustrating, but thats why I'm here now, writing this FAQ, right? If you happen to have an extra $130 and you can find it, go for the flight stick bundle. You will not be disappointed. In addition to a beautifully made WARDOG squadron patch (that is back-of-jacket size, by the way), the joystick and throttle made by HORI are absolutely awesome, and really make a difference in the "feel" of the game. Plus its USB, and with a little bit of digging on the internet for the drivers, yes, you can use it with your PC. NOTE! - Using the Flight Stick 2 with your PC may cause calibration issues when you go back to playing AC5. You can fix this problem by using the 'game controllers' section of Windows, located in the control panel. If you've experienced trouble with this, e-mail me and I'll be happy to help you out. I've been a fan of the Ace Combat series since number 2, and have played each game until I earned an 'S' ranking on every mission on Ace mode. I've also built models and painted them in squadron and ace colors from different games (there's a 1/32 SU-35 painted as "Yellow 13" on my workbench right now). I'm absolutely in love with being a die-hard fan of the series. As I'm still playing through AC5 trying to unlock everything, this FAQ will probably go through several updates (hey, school is hard, man...). Please bear with me... I'm also going to make an attempt to keep this FAQ as spoiler-free as possible. Oh, and in addition to all that, this is my first FAQ, so please feel free to offer suggestions, constructive criticism, and help... Legal Bits : No part of this FAQ may be reproduced, in whole or in part, without my prior consent or authorization. However, feel free to e-mail me anytime and ask me. As long as you give me proper credit and don't try to put your name on it and claim it as your own, we shouldn't have any problems at all. THANKS GO OUT TO - Everyone who reads this FAQ. You're why I wrote it in the first place. Everyone who has e-mailed me with advice, support and praise. =) NAMCO/Project Aces, for making this game so damn good. God, for giving me the will, drive, and desire to see this project through This FAQ is copyright 2004-2005 Himmelkrieg / Jeffrey R Kirby E-mail - Himmelkrieg2@yahoo.com I can also be reached on yahoo messenger using this ID. Version 1.00 Approved for use by - GameFAQs IGN SuperCheats - Updated 11/14/2004 - Added to 'Mission 1 - Shorebirds' walkthrough Added to 'Mission 6 - White Bird Part I' Walkthrough (Thanks to everyone who wrote in to inform me of B-2s) Added missions 7-13 to Walkthrough Added the actual 'trees' to the planes section Fixed minor discrepancies throughout - Updated 12/7/2004 - Corrections and additions throughout New information added to several mission walkthrough's Added missions 14 - 22 Added Arcade Mode Walkthrough section - Updated 2/4/2005 - Thanks to everyone who confirmed the mission 20 'bug'. It appears that there are some issues with the AI not being turned off after mission completion on some levels, so watch your asses out there... Officially Version 1.0 Finished Campaign mode Walkthrough (missions 23-27+) Added Operation Data to SOME missions minor corrections and additions made throughout FAQ Revisions made to this FAQ in the future will be S-L-O-W in coming. I'd like to thank all of my regular readers and those who have e-mailed me with their support and praise. I have enjoyed writing this FAQ immensely, and will continue to work on in despite school and other hindrances (incidentally, I've spent the last 2 months without internet access, if that help explains my absence) - Updated 2/17/05 - Added much-needed information to 'Secret Stuff' section. - Updated 3/22/05 - FINAL! Well folks, this is it. after a few minor corrections and additions throughout, this FA is finished. At least, to me it is. I want to apologise for people who have written me but I have not gotten back to, I'm working on it. And for everyone who wrote me with support and praise, Thank you very much. "So why won't it get completely finished?" Well honestly, I've moved on. Between school and the move, RE4, MGS3 and World of Warcraft, I'm not really playing AC5 anymore, and I think I've provided all of the information I can after having logged almost 70 hours of flight time. MY e-mail is still open to any who wish to contact me. Good hunting. =] Enjoy the FAQ! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION III : CAST OF CHARACTERS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (MOST of This section unabashedly stolen from Namco's official website) - JACK BARTLETT - AGE: 42 HEIGHT: 5'10" WEIGHT: 154 lbs HAIR COLOR: Black/Gray EYE COLOR: Brown BLOOD TYPE: O Leader of the 108th Tactical Fighter Squadron stationed on Sand Island, Jack would give his life for his wingmen. His rash mid-air descisions have prevented him from advancing beyond the rank of captain. - PETER BEAGLE - AGE: 56 HEIGHT: 5'7" WEIGHT: 161 lbs HAIR COLOR: Black EYE COLOR: Blue BLOOD TYPE: B A career aircraft mechanic with the 703rd Maintenance Company, Beagle knows virtually everything about the planes and pilots stationed at Sand island. He is affectionately known as 'Pops'. He also has a black Lab named Kirk. - ALVIN DAVENPORT - AGE: 29 HEIGHT: 6'1" WEIGHT: 196 lbs HAIR COLOR: Black EYE COLOR: Blue BLOOD TYPE: B Nicknamed 'Chopper', Davenport is the 108th Tactical Fighter Squadrons most talkative pilot. His non-stop radio chatter never fails to amuse - or exasperate - his fellow airmen. - ALBERT GENETTE - AGE: 32 HEIGHT: 5'8" WEIGHT: 132 lbs HAIR COLOR: Brown EYE COLOR: Blue BLOOD TYPE: O A cameraman covering the 108th and the greater Osea-Yuktobania conflict. Turned freelance after a stint as a photographer for a local Sand Island newspaper. - HANS GRIMM - AGE: 19 HEIGHT: 5'4" WEIGHT: 115 lbs HAIR COLOR: Brown EYE COLOR: Green BLOOD TYPE: AB The unassuming Grimm displays nerves of steel in the cockpit as one of the 108th Tactical Fighter Squadrons ace pilots. He enjoys tinkering with machines in his spare time. - KEI NAGASE - AGE: 23 HEIGHT: 5'6" WEIGHT: 104 lbs HAIR COLOR: Black EYE COLOR: Brown BLOOD TYPE: A Nagase is the 108ths only female pilot. Cool under pressure and absolutely dedicated to her squadron, she is an exceptional dogfighter. Her callsign is 'Edge'. - ALLEN HAMILTON - AGE: 28 HEIGHT: 5'10" WEIGHT: 143 lbs HAIR COLOR: Blonde EYE COLOR: Green BLOOD TYPE: AB Sand Islands second-in-command and Captain in the 596th Squadron, Osea Air Defense Force. Good-natured despite his cool demeanor, this elite officer rarely associates with the airmen. - ORSON PERRAULT - AGE: 48 HEIGHT: 5'11" WEIGHT: 233 lbs HAIR COLOR: Brown EYE COLOR: Green BLOOD TYPE: O Lieutenant Colonel in the 596th Squadron, Osea Air Defense Force, and Commander of the Sand Island base. His egotism and arrognace have not endeared him to his junior officers. - NICHOLAS A ANDERSON - AGE: 61 HEIGHT: 5'8" WEIGHT: 158 lbs HAIR COLOR: Gray EYE COLOR: Blue BLOOD TYPE: A Captain of the Osean Aircraft Carrier 'Kestrel' - MARCUS SNOW - AGE: 34 HEIGHT: 6'2" WEIGHT: 187 lbs HAIR COLOR: Black EYE COLOR: Brown BLOOD TYPE: A Callsign 'Swordsman' -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION VI: THE PLANES OF ACE COMBAT 5 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New to ACE COMBAT 5 is the 'Family Tree' system of upgrading your planes. Once a certain number of kills has been reached using a specific place (as is indicated by the green bar under the fighters name in the hangar), it opens up a new level of advanced models. Presented here are all of the aircraft, grouped together by 'Family Tree'. Okay, here's the deal with this section- I only feel it necessary to outline the basic stats of each plane. I'm not going to comment on them, because it's better if you try out each one on your own and get a feel for it yourself. I'm also not going to include the information on them because you can find that out in-game as you get each subsequent plane. Also, ShibuyaYakuza has already written an excellent FAQ focusing on the planes in this game, so if you want a more detailed outline and analysis, go check out it out on GameFAQs. ================================================== F-5 FAMILY ================================================== ------ ------- ------- | F-5E | ---> | F-20A | ---> | X-29A | ------ ------- ------- F-5E 'Tiger II' -------------------------------- SPEED - 62 MOBILITY - 32 STABILITY - 60 DEFENSE - 43 AIR ATTACK - 22 GROUND ATTACK - 47 MISSILES - 52 SPECIAL - UGB - 12 (free-fall UnGuided Bomb) F-20A 'Tigershark' -------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 43 STABILITY - 60 DEFENSE - 46 AIR ATTACK - 60 GROUND ATTACK - 25 MISSILES - 60 SPECIAL - SAAM - 10 (Semi-active Air-to-Air Missile) X-29A -------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 71 STABILITY - 47 DEFENSE - 49 AIR ATTACK - 76 GROUND ATTACK - 40 MISSILES - 60 SPECIAL - QAAM - 10 (Quick-maneuver Air-to-Air Missile) ================================================== MIG-21 FAMILY ================================================== ----------- ----------- | MIG-21bis | --> | MIG-21-93 | ----------- ----------- -------------------------------------------------- MIG-21bis 'Fishbed' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 35 STABILITY - 29 DEFENSE - 42 AIR ATTACK - 22 GROUND ATTACK - 47 MISSILES - 56 SPECIAL - RCL - 08 (Rocket Launcher pod) -------------------------------------------------- MIG-21-93 -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 74 STABILITY - 59 DEFENSE - 63 AIR ATTACK - 82 GROUND ATTACK - 46 MISSILES - 72 SPECIAL - QAAM - 12 (Quick-maneuver Air-to-Air Missile) ================================================== F-4 FAMILY ================================================== ------ ------ ------ | F-4E | --> | F-4G | --> | F-4X | ------ ------ ------ -------------------------------------------------- F-4E 'Phantom II' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 63 MOBILITY - 32 STABILITY - 46 DEFENSE - 56 AIR ATTACK - 25 GROUND ATTACK - 50 MISSILES - 62 SPECIAL - NPB - 10 (Napalm Bomb) -------------------------------------------------- F-4G 'Phantom II' "Wild Weasel" -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 63 MOBILITY - 25 STABILITY - 55 DEFENSE - 68 AIR ATTACK - 17 GROUND ATTACK - 63 MISSILES - 64 SPECIAL - LAGM - 10 (LAser Guided Missile) -------------------------------------------------- F-4X -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 83 MOBILITY - 54 STABILITY - 61 DEFENSE - 60 AIR ATTACK - 73 GROUND ATTACK - 37 MISSILES - 70 SPECIAL - XMAA - 10 (Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air missile) ================================================== A-6 FAMILY ================================================== ------ ------- | A-6E | --> | EA-6B | ------ ------- -------------------------------------------------- A-6E 'Intruder' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 44 MOBILITY - 25 STABILITY - 51 DEFENSE - 68 AIR ATTACK - 15 GROUND ATTACK - 61 MISSILES - 60 SPECIAL - UGBL - 10 (free-fall UnGuided Bomb, Large) -------------------------------------------------- EA-6B Prowler -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 49 MOBILITY - 54 STABILITY - 60 DEFENSE - 60 AIR ATTACK - 50 GROUND ATTACK - 55 MISSILES - 66 SPECIAL - ECMP - 05 (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) ================================================== F-16 FAMILY ================================================== ---------------- --> | F-16C Block 60 | | ---------------- | ------- | -------- | F-16C | -------------> | F-16XL | ------- | -------- | | ------ ------------> | F-2A | ------ -------------------------------------------------- F-16C 'Fighting Falcon' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 44 STABILITY - 46 DEFENSE - 46 AIR ATTACK - 30 GROUND ATTACK - 55 MISSILES - 60 SPECIAL - UGB - 14 (free-fall UnGuided Bomb) -------------------------------------------------- F-16C Block60 'Fighting Falcon' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 65 STABILITY - 60 DEFENSE - 49 AIR ATTACK - 76 GROUND ATTACK - 40 MISSILES - 68 SPECIAL - XMAA - 12 (Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air missile) -------------------------------------------------- F-16XL -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 66 MOBILITY - 52 STABILITY - 64 DEFENSE - 61 AIR ATTACK - 34 GROUND ATTACK - 80 MISSILES - 68 SPECIAL - XAGM - 14 (Advanced Air-to-Ground Missile) -------------------------------------------------- F-2A 'Viper-Zero' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 63 MOBILITY - 55 STABILITY - 70 DEFENSE - 62 AIR ATTACK - 40 GROUND ATTACK - 85 MISSILES - 72 SPECIAL - LASM - 12 (LAser-Guided Air-to-Surface Missile) ================================================== F/A-18 FAMILY ================================================== --------- --------- -------- | F/A-18C | --> | F/A-18E | --> | EA-18G | --------- --------- -------- -------------------------------------------------- F/A-18C 'Hornet' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 68 MOBILITY - 44 STABILITY - 53 DEFENSE - 57 AIR ATTACK - 27 GROUND ATTACK - 62 MISSILES - 64 SPECIAL - LASM - 10 (LAser-guided Air-to-Surface Missile) -------------------------------------------------- F/A-18E 'Super Hornet' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 78 MOBILITY - 58 STABILITY - 63 DEFENSE - 61 AIR ATTACK - 68 GROUND ATTACK - 43 MISSILES - 68 SPECIAL - XMAA - 12 (Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air missile) -------------------------------------------------- EA-18G 'Growler' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 78 MOBILITY - 75 STABILITY - 74 DEFENSE - 52 AIR ATTACK - 65 GROUND ATTACK - 69 MISSILES - 74 SPECIAL - ECMP - 06 (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) ================================================== MIRAGE 2000 FAMILY ================================================== ---------- ----------- | MIR-2000 | --> | MIR-2000D | ---------- ----------- -------------------------------------------------- Mirage-2000 -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 86 MOBILITY - 44 STABILITY - 31 DEFENSE - 46 AIR ATTACK - 59 GROUND ATTACK - 23 MISSILES - 60 SPECIAL - SAAM - 08 (Semi-active Air-to-Air Missile) -------------------------------------------------- Mirage-2000D -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 86 MOBILITY - 54 STABILITY - 38 DEFENSE - 59 AIR ATTACK - 36 GROUND ATTACK - 60 MISSILES - 64 SPECIAL - UGBL - 14 (free-fall UnGuided Bomb, Large) ================================================== MIG-29 FAMILY ================================================== -------------------------------------------------- MiG-29A 'Fulcrum' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 45 STABILITY - 39 DEFENSE - 49 AIR ATTACK - 30 GROUND ATTACK - 55 MISSILES - 60 SPECIAL - UGB - 14 (free-fall UnGuided Bomb) ================================================== A-10 FAMILY ================================================== ------- -------- | A-10A | -- > | YA-10B | ------- -------- -------------------------------------------------- A-10A 'Thunderbolt II' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 39 MOBILITY - 34 STABILITY - 65 DEFENSE - 94 AIR ATTACK - 17 GROUND ATTACK - 74 MISSILES - 64 SPECIAL - XAGM - 14 (Advanced Air-to-Ground Missile) Also more commonly known as the "WARTHOG" -------------------------------------------------- YA-10B -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 39 MOBILITY - 59 STABILITY - 83 DEFENSE - 99 AIR ATTACK - 37 GROUND ATTACK - 93 MISSILES - 71 SPECIAL - FAEB - 14 (Fuel-Air Explosive Bomb) ================================================== F-14 FAMILY ================================================== ------- ------- ------- | F-14A | --> | F-14B | --> | F-14D | ------- ------- ------- -------------------------------------------------- F-14A 'Tomcat' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 68 MOBILITY - 46 STABILITY - 56 DEFENSE - 59 AIR ATTACK - 72 GROUND ATTACK - 26 MISSILES - 68 SPECIAL - SAAM - 10 (Semi-active Air-to-Air Missile) -------------------------------------------------- F-14B 'Bombcat' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 78 MOBILITY - 54 STABILITY - 61 DEFENSE - 60 AIR ATTACK - 47 GROUND ATTACK - 61 MISSILES - 70 SPECIAL - GPB - 12 (Guided Penetrating Bomb) -------------------------------------------------- F-14D 'Super Tomcat' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 87 MOBILITY - 58 STABILITY - 64 DEFENSE - 61 AIR ATTACK - 81 GROUND ATTACK - 35 MISSILES - 72 SPECIAL - XLAA - 14 (Advanced Long-range Air-to-Air missile) ================================================== TORNADO FAMILY ================================================== --------------- --> | TORNADO- GR.4 | | --------------- | -------------- | ------------ | TORNADO-GR.1 | --------> | TORNADO-F3 | -------------- | ------------ | | ------------- ----> | TORNADO-ECR | ------------- -------------------------------------------------- Tornado-GR.1 -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 63 MOBILITY - 40 STABILITY - 63 DEFENSE - 90 AIR ATTACK - 27 GROUND ATTACK - 73 MISSILES - 68 SPECIAL - BDSP - 10 (Bomblet Dispenser) -------------------------------------------------- Tornado-GR.4 -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 63 MOBILITY - 51 STABILITY - 71 DEFENSE - 92 AIR ATTACK - 37 GROUND ATTACK - 82 MISSILES - 72 SPECIAL - SOD - 12 (Stand-Off Dispenser) -------------------------------------------------- Tornado-F3 -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 59 STABILITY - 60 DEFENSE - 91 AIR ATTACK - 74 GROUND ATTACK - 37 MISSILES - 68 SPECIAL - XMAA - 10 (Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air missile) -------------------------------------------------- Tornado-ECR -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 68 MOBILITY - 67 STABILITY - 69 DEFENSE - 80 AIR ATTACK - 59 GROUND ATTACK - 63 MISSILES - 70 SPECIAL - ECMP - 05 (Electro-Magnetic Pulse) ================================================== MIG-31 FAMILY ================================================== -------- --------- | MIG-31 | --> | MIG-31M | -------- --------- -------------------------------------------------- MIG-31 'Foxhound' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 97 MOBILITY - 53 STABILITY - 49 DEFENSE - 85 AIR ATTACK - 77 GROUND ATTACK - 30 MISSILES - 70 SPECIAL - SAAM - 14 (Semi-active Air-to-Air Missile) -------------------------------------------------- MIG-31M -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 97 MOBILITY - 63 STABILITY - 56 DEFENSE - 87 AIR ATTACK - 84 GROUND ATTACK - 37 MISSILES - 74 SPECIAL - XLAA - 14 (Advanced Long-range Air-to-Air missile) =================================================== F-15 FAMILY =================================================== ------- ------- | F-15C | ---------> | F-15E | ------- | ------- | | ----------- --> | F-15S/MTD | ----------- --------------------------------------------------- F-15C 'Eagle' --------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 83 MOBILITY - 54 STABILITY - 61 DEFENSE - 60 AIR ATTACK - 73 GROUND ATTACK - 37 MISSILES - 70 SPECIAL - SAAM - 10 (Semi-active Air-to-Air Missile) -------------------------------------------------- F-15E 'Strike Eagle' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 55 STABILITY - 77 DEFENSE - 75 AIR ATTACK - 42 GROUND ATTACK - 87 MISSILES - 76 SPECIAL - SFFS - 14 (Self-Forging Fragment Submunitions, cluster bomb) -------------------------------------------------- F-15S/MTD -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 83 MOBILITY - 89 STABILITY - 81 DEFENSE - 66 AIR ATTACK - 94 GROUND ATTACK - 58 MISSILES - 80 SPECIAL - XMAA - 14 (Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air missile) ================================================== SU-27 FAMILY ================================================== ------- ------- | SU-27 | -----> | SU-32 | ------- | ------- | | ------- ------- --> | SU-35 | --> | SU-37 | ------- ------- -------------------------------------------------- SU-27 'Flanker' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 57 STABILITY - 55 DEFENSE - 61 AIR ATTACK - 74 GROUND ATTACK - 38 MISSILES - 72 SPECIAL - SAAM - 10 (Semi-active Air-to-Air Missile) -------------------------------------------------- SU-32 'Strike Flanker' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 63 MOBILITY - 67 STABILITY - 79 DEFENSE - 78 AIR ATTACK - 51 GROUND ATTACK - 96 MISSILES - 80 SPECIAL - XAGM - 16 (Advanced Air-to-Ground Missile) -------------------------------------------------- SU-35 'Super Flanker' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 83 MOBILITY - 85 STABILITY - 73 DEFENSE - 66 AIR ATTACK - 93 GROUND ATTACK - 56 MISSILES - 80 SPECIAL - XLAA - 14 (Advanced Long-range Air-to-Air missile) -------------------------------------------------- SU-37 'Terminator' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 83 MOBILITY - 93 STABILITY - 76 DEFENSE - 66 AIR ATTACK - 96 GROUND ATTACK - 59 MISSILES - 82 SPECIAL - QAAM - 14 (Quick-maneuver Air-to-Air Missile) ================================================== F-117 FAMILY ================================================== -------------------------------------------------- F-117A 'Nighthawk' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 39 MOBILITY - 38 STABILITY - 81 DEFENSE - 75 AIR ATTACK - 39 GROUND ATTACK - 91 MISSILES - 54 SPECIAL - GPB - 16 (Guided Penetrating Bomb) =================================================== JAS-39 FAMILY =================================================== --------------------------------------------------- JAS-39C 'Gripen' --------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 78 MOBILITY - 68 STABILITY - 61 DEFENSE - 60 AIR ATTACK - 40 GROUND ATTACK - 75 MISSILES - 68 SPECIAL - RCL - 12 (Rocket Launcher pod) ================================================== TYPHOON FAMILY ================================================== -------------------------------------------------- EF-2000 'Typhoon' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 86 MOBILITY - 85 STABILITY - 69 DEFENSE - 65 AIR ATTACK - 91 GROUND ATTACK - 54 MISSILES - 78 SPECIAL - XLAA - 14 (Advanced Long-range Air-to-Air missile) Though not mentioned in the game, this fighter is also known by the designation "EF-2000", for 'Eurofighter' ================================================== RAFALE FAMILY ================================================== ---------- ---------- | Rafale M | --> | Rafale B | ---------- ---------- -------------------------------------------------- Rafale M -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 71 MOBILITY - 79 STABILITY - 68 DEFENSE - 63 AIR ATTACK - 50 GROUND ATTACK - 84 MISSILE - 74 SPECIAL - LASM - 14 (Long-range Air-to-Surface Missile) -------------------------------------------------- Rafale B -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 71 MOBILITY - 81 STABILITY - 70 DEFENSE - 65 AIR ATTACK - 51 GROUND ATTACK - 86 MISSILES - 76 SPECIAL - SOD - 14 (Stand-Off Dispenser) ================================================== F-35 FAMILY ================================================== -------------------------------------------------- F-35C -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 68 MOBILITY - 87 STABILITY - 79 DEFENSE - 66 AIR ATTACK - 57 GROUND ATTACK - 91 MISSILES - 76 SPECIAL - LASM - 14 (Long-range Air-to-Surface Missile) Though not mentioned in the game, this fighter is also known as the "Joint Strike Fighter" ================================================== YF-23 FAMILY ================================================== -------------------------------------------------- YF-23A 'Black Widow II' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 83 MOBILITY - 83 STABILITY - 80 DEFENSE - 66 AIR ATTACK - 94 GROUND ATTACK - 58 MISSILES - 80 SPECIAL - QAAM - 12 (Quick-maneuver Air-to-Air Missile) ================================================== F-22 FAMILY ================================================== --------- ------- | F/A-22A | --> | FB-22 | --------- ------- -------------------------------------------------- F/A-22A Raptor -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 83 MOBILITY - 88 STABILITY - 82 DEFENSE - 66 AIR ATTACK - 96 GROUND ATTACK - 59 MISSILES - 82 SPECIAL - XMAA - 16 (Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air missile) -------------------------------------------------- FB-22 CONCEPT -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 73 StABILITY - 89 DEFENSE - 78 AIR ATTACK - 54 GROUND ATTACK - 99 MISSILES - 82 SPECIAL - SOD - 18 (Stand-Off Dispenser) ================================================== SU-47 FAMILY ================================================== ------- ------ | SU-47 | --> | S-32 | ------- ------ -------------------------------------------------- SU-47 'Berkut' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 83 MOBILITY - 91 STABILITY - 75 DEFENSE - 66 AIR ATTACK - 96 GROUND ATTACK - 59 MISSILES - 82 SPECIAL - SAAM - 14 (Semi-active Air-to-Air Missile) -------------------------------------------------- S-32 -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 98 STABILITY - 64 DEFENSE - 67 AIR ATTACK - 97 GROUND ATTACK - 60 MISSILES - 82 SPECIAL - QAAM - 14 (Quick-maneuver Air-to-Air Missile) ================================================== MIG-1.44 FAMILY ================================================== -------------------------------------------------- MIG-1.44 MFI -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 76 MOBILITY - 96 STABILITY - 70 DEFENSE - 61 AIR ATTACK - 64 GROUND ATTACK - 88 MISSILES - 80 SPECIAL - UGBL - 18 (free-fall UnGuided Bomb, Large) ================================================== HAWK FAMILY ================================================== -------------------------------------------------- HAWK -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 73 MOBILITY - 41 STABILITY - 34 DEFENSE - 42 AIR ATTACK - 51 GROUND ATTACK - 16 MISSILES - 56 SPECIAL - QAAM - 06 (Quick-maeuver Air-to-Air Missile) ================================================== X-02 FAMILY ================================================== -------------------------------------------------- X-02 'Wyvern' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 78 MOBILITY - 99 STABILITY - 90 DEFENSE - 67 AIR ATTACK - 94 GROUND ATTACK - 67 MISSILES - 84 SPECIAL - XLAA - 14 (Advanced Long-range Air-to-Air missile) ================================================== FALKEN FAMILY ================================================== -------------------------------------------------- 'FALKEN' -------------------------------------------------- SPEED - 83 MOBILITY - 99 STABILITY - 82 DEFENSE - 67 AIR ATTACK - 99 GROUND ATTACK - 93 MISSILES - 84 SPECIAL - TLS - 14 (Tactical Laser) Fun Fact - In the 1983 movie 'Wargames' starring Matthew Broderick, the main character finds a back door into a military central computer in which reality is confused with game-playing. The game is called 'Global Thermonuclear War'. The designer of the supercomputer and its programming was named Professer Falken... Hmmm... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION V : CAMPAIGN MODE WALKTHROUGH -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is the walkthrough portion of the FAQ for Camapign Mode. Each mission will be as detailed as possible, and I'll try and go step-by-step and still remain reatively spoiler-free. Some missions, especially later on, get to be really incredibly frustrating. Try not to let it get to you, just keep trying, and have faith in your flying abilities. Always remember that to get the higher scores ('A' and 'S' rankings), you will need to take out as many of the enemy as you can, on your own. This means going after not-targets such as aircraft, AA guns, SAMs, etc. Your wingmen can be counted on to take out whatever you attack, but remember that if they do, you don't get the points for it, and higher points means a higher score. Learn to use your wingman commands. It can make a difference. This FAQ was written based on a playthrough in NORMAL mode. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 1 : SHOREBIRDS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation : LAGOON Date : 9/24/2010 Time : 0854 Hrs Area : Cape Landers Your first mission is pretty straight-forward. Your briefing tells you that there is an aircraft of unknown origin penetrating into Osean airspace, a long- range recon plane. Your mission is to intercept and make contact. Follow Captain Bartlett, designated as 'Heartbreak One'. Listen to his instructions and keep an eye on your wingmates. Don't fly up someones tailpipe. Once contact with the SR-71 is made, 4 enemy fighters will apear on your radar. You'll notice that when you see them, they have green X's over them instead of the usual missile lock-on box. Once they open fire on you, Bartlett will give the order to engage. Take them out. Once the first four are toast, 4 more fighters will appear from the east. Take them out, too. The more of them you can bag yourself, the better your score will be. Once the second wave of bogeys has been taken out, it's end of mission. Make sure you don't fly off-course, listen Bartlett's instructions, and it's mission accomplished. ALUCARD450 says- If you manage to kill all 4 planes of the first wave YOURSELF (trust me its not easy, edge or chopper will almost always kill 1 while you were killing the first three), a hawk GIGANTOR will appear with the second wave of 4; and if you managed to kill all 9 planes that have appeared so far YOURSELF(ive only been able to do this 2 times) a third wave of planes will appear which will make not getting S rank for this mission impossible. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 2 : OPEN WAR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation : GYRE Date : 9/27/2010 Time : 1030 Hrs Area : Sand Island Enemy UAVs have been sighted near Sand Island, and it's up to Wardog Squadron to take them out. Do not, at any point, attempt to attack the ship. This is actually another straight-forward mission. Check your radar and head for the UAVs, and take them down, one missile each. After the last set of UAVs have been blasted, an enemy squadron of four fighters will move in. Bartlett will give the order to pull out, and then eventually give the order to engage. Take out as many of the fighters as you can, and once they're done for, it's mission accomplished. ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 3 : NARROW MARGIN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No Operational Data Available- Follow In-Flight Briefing Funtime is over Nuggets, Yuktobania has officially declared war on Osea, and are attacking the naval fleet! This is the first mission where you will be in control of the rest of your squadron, and able to give commands. If you're not about how this works, that's okay. Chopper will ask you if you understand how to give commands, and if you tell him 'no', he will explain it for you. This is also the first mission where we are introdiced to Captain Snow, aka 'Swordsman'. Your primary objective is to protect the Kestrel from the enemy attackers. Try and stick close to the carrier and shoot down anything that gets close to it. The enemies here are primarily A-6's, and are easy targets for your guns (you are after that medal, right?), and even easier targets for your missiles, if you decide to go that route. Eventually, the Kestrel will reach open water... ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** Okay, now you're over open waters, and the Kestrel is facing a blockade. No sweat. Take out the NIMROD bombers first. These can also be easily taken out with your guns, if you're trying up your kill rate with them. Just watch out for their crazy 90-degree turns. Then, go after the ships. The frigates will take three missiles each, and the destroyer will take four. Bombs are not very effective here, since the ships are cutting through the waves pretty fast. If you can line up a shot head-on, you may have some success. Once the Kestrel is in the free and clear, it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 4 : FIRST FLIGHT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- No Operational Data Available- Follow In-Flight Briefing Wow, those Yukes have some big ones attacking Sand Island like that, don't they? You're to launch immediately and take out all the indicated targets. Hop in your fighter and get ready to take off, or just skip the take-off and jump right into the battle. Your call. Once in the air, the mission is unusually simple. Shoot down as many incoming enemy fighters as you can. Eventually a group of B-1 bombers show up, take them out as well. The bombers are slow, and not very maneuverable, but will take 3 missiles each to destroy. ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** Continue clearing out the skies of fighters until the next wave of bombers come in, and then take them out. Once you do, it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 5 : RENDEZVOUS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Man, these Yukes sure are persistent, aren't they? Now all 3 aircraft carriers are under attack, and it's up to good old Wardog squadron to come to the rescue. Well, lets get to it... The attackers here are Harrier jets. These guys are zippy, so watch out. They also like to stop in mid-air, which can be a real pain. Don't let it get to you, just make another pass and take them out. The Harriers will just keep coming and coming until eventually Thunderhead (Thats your AWACS, remember?) informs you of incoming anti-ship aircraft. Check your radar and head for their direction as fast as you can and take them out. There should be three F-35c's, which shouldn't be a problem for you. ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** Climb. Climb now. Fast. Get to 5,000+ feet. ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** Are you still alive? Good... Mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 6 : WHITE BIRD (PART I) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Yuktobania has begun an attack on the Mass Driver facility that delivers supplies to the orbiting space-plane 'Whitebird'. Can you blame them? Besides sounding really freakin cool, an orbital laser emplacement would be a massive help to the Oseans. Well, Wardogs not gonna let this mission fail. So you're going to have to protect that mass driver until the SSTO launches. Take out as many c-130 cargo planes as you can as fast as you can, and try to destroy the tanks that do get deployed whiles they're still in the air. If any do happen to reach the ground (which will most likely be the case), try and take them out as quickly as possible. Now the fun really begins, as the Yukes have begun launching cruise missiles at the mass driver facility. If too many missiles hit the facility, the mission will end in failure, so try to take out as many as you can. The cruise missiles are fast and maneuverable, but not impossibly so. Your best bet is to stick near the mass driver, and try and attack the missiles head-on (I've believe I've heard this maneuver referred to as a 'Stiffarm' before). There are four B-2 Bombers, one in each corner of the map, that are launching the missiles. It will help immensely to afterburner out to them and take them out, as this will decrease the number of missiles you have to worry about. I reccomend going after the two over the ocean first, as they're closest, then going after the ones over the mountains. Eventually, the countdown will reach zero, the SSTO will launch, and it's mission accomplished. ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 7 : FRONTLINE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hmm... I think Yuktobania might be slightly irked now... this doesn't look good. They've sent a rather large invasion force, and a fleet to back them up with heavy firepower. Time for Wardog to launch... Not a whole lot to this mission really, just use your missiles to take out the AH-64's, and hovercraft (one missile each), landing ships (three missiles), and work your way back to the frigates (three missiles) and destroyers (four missiles). Don't let even one enemy, at any point, cross over the line and off the map. This is a good time to practice your missile-and-gun combo. Line yourself up with a good angle of attack (either head-on, from the rear, or level with the side) Once you get a lock, fire two missiles and lay on with your guns until the target is destroyed. This maneuver will come in handy several times during the course of the game. If you take out the primary invasion fleet quickly enough, you will see several more enemy ships appear to the East. Take them out for added points. Eventually, Thunderhead will give you the cruise missile warning. The first two times you won't have to worry about it, Arkbird will take out the missiles. Once the Scinfaxi launches multiple missiles, then you need to climb to 5,000+ feet, and do so every other launch thereafter. At times, this gets annoying, having to pause in your destruction of the enemy every so often to dodge the missiles, but don't ever get caught below 5,000 feet, because you and your plane WILL go 'boom'. If you take out the primary invasion fleet quickly enough (before the sonobouy update), you will see several more enemy ships appear to the East. Take them out for added points. Eventually the Arkbird will fire it's laser into the ocean. ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** There are several methods of taking out the Scinfaxi. The best by far (At this point in the game, at least) is to take the F/A-18C, use missiles and guns for the first part of the mission, and then use the LASM to deal with the Scinfaxi. You can also take the A-6E and save your bombs for the Scinfaxi. If you find yourself stuck using only missiles, well, this could take a while and become very frustrating in the process, but it is possible. Just make sure you target the launchers first, and then the Scinfaxi itself, and make multiple passes. Fly-by at full speed if possible. If you have enough missiles in reserve, and they're causing too much hell for you, you can take out the AA guns and SAMs, but I find it easy to simply avoid the enemy fire and focus on sinking the Scinfaxi itself. Whatever your method, once the Scinfaxi is destroyed, it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 8 : HANDFUL OF HOPE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Guide a transport plane through your own air defense system. That's a new one. The first part of this mission is really just pure flying skill. Make your way through the radar without passing into any of the larger circles. 'Mother Goose 1' is very good about following your flight path, but listen to his commentaries as your make your way through, they'll be helpful. Don't worry if the transport takes a few hits from the smaller, tiny circles along the way. They're almost impossible to avoid, and don't do too much damage. The big deal here is to not allow the transport to cross over into the large circles. Once you're out of the radar zone, Chopper and Grimm will rejoin the squadron. I think the message behind AC5 might be 'Yukes are persistant'. When the enemy fighters show up, your priority is to protect 'Mother Goose 1'. In other words, shoot down as many of the enemy as you can! When 'Mother Goose 1' goes to make it's emergency landing, take out the windmills to clear a path for it. They will appear first as a group of three, and then a few moments later, as a group of two. Make sure to take them all out. Once 'Mother Goose 1' lands successfully, it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 9 : LIT FUSE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This mission reminds me a lot of a certain mission from AC4... Well, anyway, your objective here is to protect the ground assault forces as they land on Yuktobanian soil. There's not a whole lot of srategy to it. Take out everything the enemy throws at you, and spare nothing. Try to focus your attacks on the ground moreso than the air, and of course make all indicated targets (you know, the ones with the red TGT on them) a top priority. You will have to make multiple passes against the bunkers, as your attacks don't destroy them, but merely silence them for a short period of time. Bunkers will take two missiles each. Eventually, your allied forces will break through and secure the base. Just make sure you give them good cover and take out all the targets. Once they do, it's mission accomplished. On a side note, I almost ALWAYS run out of both missiles and special weapons on this mission, there's just so much stuff to attack! Hope you're a good shot with your guns... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 10 : BLIND SPOT -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is one of my favorite missions, and yet another one thats strikingly similar to one in AC4. Yuktobania is attempting a mass withdrawl. Cowards... Ah, well, let's do this properly. Take out the f-14 first, and proceed on to the transports... Whoa... what the hell? Man, that's creepy, there's way too many hits on radar, and on top of that, my missiles are going all wonky! At this point, you CAN still see the real targets if you can get close enough to get visual confirmation, OR you can cycle through the targets and hold down the Triangle button to zoom in on them, The enemy transports will take three missiles each to destroy. Again, these are slow-moving and perfect targets if you're looking to up your guns kill rate. Once Grimm figures out whats going on, climb to about 20,000 feet and take a look around. The E-767 jamming planes should be pretty easy to track down, and will take four missiles each to down. There should be two escorting each group of transports. Once the jammers have been taken out, drop back down and go after the transports and, if you have time, the escort fighters. Don't get so caught up taking out the fighters that you let the transports escape. Continue with this pattern of jammers then transports until all enemies on the map are neutralized. When the sky is clean, it's mission accomplished. Note- How you answer Choppers question at the beginning of the mission is what decides the path of your next two missions. Answering 'yes' will lead you down the 'A' path, answering 'no' will take you to the 'B' path. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 11A : CHAIN REACTION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This mission is not very hard, as long as you remain focused and don't get sloppy. Your first objective is simple, secure the skies over the airport. That means take out all the enemy fighters. This part's easy-peasy. Once you get the call that the airport is under attack, things get a little trickier. Your first priority should be the SAMs and Tanks. The SAMs will only take one missile each but the Tanks will take two. These are the most important targets, as they are the ones that will be attacking the airport. If you slack off and let them cause too much damage, the mission will end in failure. Once you've taken the ground forces out, focus your attacks on the c-5's which will take 3 missiles each to destroy. Use your missile-and-gun combo that we discussed before. Clean out the skies of the remaining enemy fighters, and it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 11B : REPRISAL -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hatred only begets more hatred, and this mission is a perfect example of that age-old euphemism. Gas bombs, how cowardly. War really is hell. Actually this mission fairly simple if you're good with bombs. If you're not, then you're definitely in for some good practice. The trick here is to attack from an angle that will allow you to drop the bomb directly onto the dispersing gas. It's not hard, just tricky. Just keep going until you can't see any more rising green gas. The radio will also be effective at telling you where the gas is, and when you're done. Okay... I want to shoot the truck... I really, really do... But don't. At this point, you can either just fly around, or, as I like to do for practice, chase the truck through the city. Just don't crash. Eventually the truck will come to a halt on the bridge, and you'll learn that enemy choppers are inbound to retreive the terrorists. Gun practice! There are 8 choppers in all. Don't attack head-on, or you're liable to be hit with a missile. Just relax, line up your shots and as Wyatt Earp said, 'Take your time in a hurry.' Once the choppers are all downed, it's mission accomplished. Alucard450 wrote me again with some interesting information. It seems that these guys are environmental terrorists as well, as they seem to throw stuff out of the back of their van as they go. You can shoot these items for extra points. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 12A : POWDER KEG -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I don't really care for this mission all that much, but it's more for what you hear over the radio coming from the Yuktobanians than the mission itself. Nobody deserves that... Anyway, looks like the plan it to take out Yuktobanias weapons dump and deal a blow to their supply lines. This is a good mission to rack up the points and add to your kill bar. This is a killing mission, so take out everything. Not really a whole lot of strategy or technique here. Every ground target will only take one missile to destroy, just remember that the bunkers (targets) have to be hit dead-on to destroy it. Just take out all the indicated targets before time runs out and it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 12B : FOUR HORSEMEN -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now here's a mission that REALLY despise. Luckily, it's a little more forgiving on NORMAL mode. I recommend you take something with bombs for this mission. Fly towards the white target on your radar. You'll have to afterburn about 60% of the way in order to make it in time. Timing is CRITICAL here, so I'll explain both methods in as much detail as I can. Once Nagase starts her countdown from 10, you should be at about 10,000 feet(?) from your target at an altitude of about 2,000 feet. Line up, set your descent angle to 2-3 degrees, and keep your speed steady at about 750 knots. When Nagase hits 2, you should be about 2,000 feet away, and you're gonna fire at 1. In Normal mode, like I said, it's a little more forgiving, and it seems to me that if if you hit anywhere between the counts of 3 and 0, everything is fine. Just DON'T GO OVER or you will fail the mission. The second method is the LAGM or LASM method. You should be at a distance of about 15,000 when Nagase gets to "10" on the count. Launch your missile between the counts of 5 and 4, and you should strike the target right on time. You can take out the control room if you like, but I usually don't worry about it. Fire it up and head for the next one. Use the same strategy against the three other targets, and then head for the base. Get those c-5s first! You may have to chase one or two of them very far south if you're not careful, and if even one gets away, you will fail the mission. Trust me, this isn't one you want to keep doing over and over... Take out all of the indicated targets there, and this is where bombs come in handy... The large storage buildings have weapons inside them, inactive AA guns and SAMs, and if you blow the top off with a missile, and then drop a bomb inside, it will take out everything inside. Handy. Once all of the indicated targets have been neutralized, it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 13 : DEMONS OF RAZGRIZ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- First of all - If you're playing through in campaign mode, take the Tornado GR.1. You'll see why. Hit your afterburners and head towards the center of the circle of targets. Whoops... oh well. You have one minute, so hurry up. Line up your shot and let fly on the Hrimfaxi with your bomblet dispenser. Hrimfaxi dives, take out the support sub and wait. ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** Hrimfaxi surfaces. Line up and let fly with the bomblet dispenser. Go for a second attack if you can. If it launches a burst missile,climb to 5,000+ feet as usual. It should only take three (if you're lucky) to five passes with the bomblet dispenser to annihilate the Hrimfaxi. You will need to take out lots of the UAVs, and several of the picket subs in order to get an 'S' ranking. It's not easy. When the Hrimfaxi is sunk, it's score two for the good guys, and mission accomplished. If you're trying out another plane, there are tons of options available. Just try and pick something with a ground attack weapon as those tend to work best. If you must use missiles, use the fly-by technique; make very fast passes of two missiles per pass. Just make sure you're locked on the the Hrimfaxi TGT. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 14 : ICE CAGE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a mission that be be annoying. Your job here is to take out the enemy fighters before they radio in to the base and discover what's going on. However, The bad weather means that the enemies won't show up on radar until you're very close. It seems to me that most of the time the fighters thend to stick near the middle, southeast andsouthwest protion of the map. Chopper will give you updates based on how many fighters you still have left to shoot down. Just keep looking. Once the fighters are downed, it's time to rescue those POWs. Take out all the ground targets, make sure you're always taking out anything that could get in the way of Sea Goblin. That's really all there is to it. Once the POWs are all in the 'copters, its mission accomplished. ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 15 : WHITE NOISE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is one of the single most frustrating missions in the game, at least, it was for me the first time I attempted it. It takes a while to figure out, but once you get the trick of it down, it's not really all that bad. Nagase is out there and you've got to find her. The locater can be tricky, but you should bet the hang of it very quickly. Nagase's position isn't static, it will change every time you play through the mission. The best course of action, in my opinion, is to lock into her signal and head straight there. Try and ignore the distractions, though you may have to take out some of the fighters along the way. Don't waste too much time. Once you're close to Nagase, take out the E-767 jammer QUICKLY, then get back to locating Nagase. Once you've got her locked in, she'll shout "Blaze!" and the mission will update. PRIORITY - GO SOUTH TO GET TO SEA GOBLIN AS FAST AS YOU CAN! ... I'm gonna repeat that... Go south to get to Sea Goblin as fast as you can. Take out everything that gets in your way. Don't let anything get close to the helicopters, and take out all of the ground targets as well. Eventually, they will get to Nagase, pick her up, and its mission accomplished. Note - At the end of this mission, Chopper will ask you if "now is a good time for that song". Answering yes will take you to mission 16A, no will take you to 16B. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 16A : DESERT ARROW -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A coin again. Nifty. Actually, the two missions are not that different, the only real issue here is what the next plane you're going to walk out of this mission being able to buy will be. This mission is a run-and-gun, as long as you can score at least 10,000 points you're in the clear... Take a fighter. 'Desert Arrow' is primarily an air-to-air campaign, and save your special weapons for later in the mission. Try and use your machine guns on the ground targets and missiles for air-to-air. Make sure that you save at least 8 missiles, and hopefully some SAAM's for near to the end of the mission. It's time to begin the assault on Yuktobania's homeland, the main column of advance will be through the Jilachi desert, and it's up to you to support the ground troops. Eventually, two target clusters will appear on your radar; an airstrip to the northeast and a command post to the west. Blow stuff up! Your mission will be successful if you can score at least 10,000 points before the timer runs out, however, if you can score 18,000 points or higher, you will earn a medal. Once the timer runs out, you will get a mission update. This is why you were keeping ordnance in reserve. Only the two E-767s and the KC-135 are targets, so try and focus on them. The enemy fighters will drive you nuts of course, but keep your eyes focused on the targets. Once you destroy them, it will be mission accomplished for you. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 16B : DESERT LIGHTNING -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This mission is almost exactly the same as 16A, but with a few minor differences. The biggest difference is that the command post to the west is gone, replaced with an oil refinery. Also, near the beginning of the mission, there is a fort to the west that you can take out along the way, as you support the ground troops. Take an attacker or a multi-role this time. The mission update for this mission is different, too. Instead of the AWACs, you get to deal wit ha battlehsip and some mobile artillery that come in along the river from the north. No problem, we know how to deal with ships by now, right? Just take out all the indicated targets and it will be mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 17 : JOURNEY HOME -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a wonderfully done, if somewhat emotional mission. Take a fighter. Formation flying is not that hard, really, just stick close to Edge's tail and follow along. It's once you're done with the formation flying that the mission gets really fun. ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** Fighter Frenzy! There's really not much strategy to this, you have 6 minutes to fly around over the city and rack up the kills. Once the F-117s fly in, make sure to take them all out. The enemy pilots on this level seem (to me, at least) to be better than the ones you've fought before. Don't get frustrated. Once the F-117s have been taken out... **PLOT POINT HAPPENS** Continue killing enemy fighters until time runs out. Also - SAVE NOW! You will NOT be able to save again until AFTER you've completed the next THREE missions! I wish someone had warned me about this in advance. My first time playing through, I started playing 'Fortress' at about midnight. I wasn't able to get to bed until after 4am... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 18 : FORTRESS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This fortress is all that stands in the way between the forces of OSEA and the capital city of Yuktobania. 3 attempts have already been made to overtake it, and have failed. There will not be a fifth. Firstly, take a fighter on this mission. Something fast and maneuverable. You're in for a bit of a nasty surprise after this mission's over, but thats all I'll say for now. The biggest part of this mission is the ground forces. Remember that you're protecting them. When they ask you if it's okay to advance inside, you MUST have all the targets outside the entrance already destroyed. Take out targets inside as they become available. Make sure you get the bunkers, as they're a threat to the ground forces. You're missile-and-gun combo technique will be useful against the bunkers and control towers in this mission. Be wary of the SAM's and AA guns. Don't try to take them out when they're hiding in the bunkers, its a waste of missiles. Take out the JAS-39s as they take off. Try not to let them get airborne, these suckers are mean. Eventually, once you've done enough damage, the fortress falls. Don't let the ground troops leave unprotected. Once you've secured their safety, your mission is accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 18+ : 8492 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This mission is mostly plot. Pay attention. When your screen goes red, get out of the way, fast. Fly low and fast in any direction but the one you were headed in, or you'll suck down the missiles and your mission will be over real quick. How you escape this mission depends on yout plane, really. If you're in something fast like the F/A-18E Super Hornet or the SU-35 Super Flanker, you won't have much of a problem rocketing out of there. If you're in something a little lsower, but maneuverable, like the F/A-22A Raptor or the F-16C Falcon, use it's maneuverability to your advantage. Weave around a bit, changing your direction from East, to NE, to SE constantly. Change altitudes. If they do manage to catch up to you, slam on the brakes, and when they break formation after zooming past you, jam on the afterburners again. If you chose something like the A-6 Intruder for the last mission, and you're stuck in that, well, I'd pray. But with the right mix of speed and maneuvering, you can still escape. Once you cross the return line the mission ends. Now, if you're good, I mean really good, talking 'Ace of Aces' good, or just plain crazy, you CAN take on the 8492nd. It IS possible, given enough skill and luck to take them out, and if you manage to shoot down enough of them (I think 12. I'm not sure. So far, I've only attempted this plan once. I was in the X-02 and I STILL had trouble taking them on), the mission will end successfully, but I don't reccomend it. Better to just run... -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 19 : FINAL OPTION -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Things to keep in mind during this mission - 1: Stick close to Pops 2: Don't fly into Pops and crash 3: Don't fly too close to anything Pops flies too close to, and crash The entirety of this mission consists of following Pops around, and at times through, a nearby island. This mission can get to be fairly tedious, but trust me, it's good practice for what you'll be facing later on in the game. I just wish Namco would have let me save at some point before now! Anyway, near the end of the mission... **PLOT POINT HAPPENS** And it's mission accomplished. And you can finally save again. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 20 : ANCIENT WALLS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Well, that certainly was a lot of plot wasn't it? This game just keeps getting more and more involved every mission. Okay, it's time to find out what's really going on here, and rescue the president so that he can help bring this war to an end! Unfortunately, for this mission, you are limited to a carrier-based aircraft. (side note- It's too bad NAMCO didn't allow for the SU-27K, carrier-based variant... oh well) I like this mission. It's fast-paced and exciting, without being overly difficult. Plus, you get to rescue the president. How cool is that? Anyway... You primary targets in this mission are the tanks threatening the ground crew, but you also need to keep an eye on the fighters and protect Sea Goblin. Not too hard really. Keep an eye out for AA guns and SAMs and have fun tearing down the wall when the teams radios in for help. Once the team leaves with the president, and you've excorted Sea Goblin a certain distance away from the operation are, its mission accomplished. Note- Several times while playing this mission, I've run into a "bug" of sorts. It seems that on this mission, even after you get the "mission accomplished" dialog box, you can still be struck by enemy missiles, and still fail the mission. Watch out for this, and please, if anyone else has had this problem, let me know. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 21 : SOLITAIRE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Avoiding radar again. Great. Actually it's not so bad. The tricky part will be getting the pictures, but we'll get to that. First of all, fly low. The radar circles are smaller at lower altitudes. Plus, zipping along at full afterburn at about 75 feet is really exhilirating. Secondly, for the most part, follow the river. That's pretty much the radar-free zone. It may take you a few tries, but it's really not that hard. Just a few tight spots. Now, for the pictures. You may have to loop around once while you get the explanation of what to do. I'm going to take a nod from the other FAQs and make a bad ASCII pic here to show how the picture should look. Try and line it up like this - | | | | | (X)mine entrance | | | | | | --()-- --()-- | | transports | | | | | Okay... so something like that. Get both transports and the mine netrance in the photo. The second picture is even easier... after you've taken the first, while AWACS is checking it, turn to the east and fly that way. Line your self up with the runway, and as soon as possible, take a picture of the fighter jet taking off. That way, the transport should already be in the frame. If it's not good, immediately turn around and try again. If it is good, you're already in position to head home. Hit the afterburners and head west. You don't need to worry about the radar anymore, either. Cross the return line and it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 22 : CLOSURE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- So, now it's time to ruin Belkas fun. Hopefully. It looks like the nukes have already been moved, but if there's anything left in there, it'll be sealed up for good now. I reccommend an attacker for this mission. Preferably something with big bombs. You're going to have a lot of fun if you end up using missiles to seal the entrance (or heaven forbid, guns only, as I had to do once). This mission is pretty simple. Fly north along the river like you did in the last mission. No radar to worry about this time, though. Once you arrive at the operation area, as you destroy ground targets, more will appear. Take out the fighters as they arrive if you wish. Your primary target is the mine entrance, but remember, a higher score means a higher ranking.The entrance is a fairly obvious target, and not difficult to attack. Once the mine is closed, it's mission accomplished. Side note - It only takes one direct hit from the FALKENs laser to seal the mine entrance... WHEE! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 23 : GHOSTS OF RAZGRIZ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Prerequisite Ace Combat 'Canyon Mission'. Don't we just love these? This is quite possibly my most absolutely despised mission in the entire game. It's diffucult, and it's frustrating. The golden rule here is not to fly above the canyon walls, ever. To do so is to get whammo'd by missiles and that'll make your day real unpleasant, real quick. The enemy Typhoons on this mission will never descend into the canyon, they will only fire missiles from afar. Unfotunately for you, there's almost no room to maneuver in this canyon. I've had no success in trying to take out the Typhoons, either. Sometimes, a lucky shot will land with an XMAA or XLAA, but for the most part, trying to fight them is useless. The two ways that I've found best so far for avoiding missiles are to... 1- Make a full 180-degree U-turn as soon as your missile warning alarm goes off. Take care not to smash into a wall. 2- The other method is to try and complete the mission at as consistently high a speed as possible. I've found that this method coupled with a little careful maneuvering, will help you avoid missiles. They either run our of fuel chasing you, or slam into the canyon wall. Now, for the mission itself, I always go to the left first. From there, with a few changes along the route, the mission is pretty much a straight shot. All indicated targets on this mission take one missile. Just fly through and take out everything. That's it. One you've taken out the last target, then it's showtime... ** PLOT POINT HAPPENS ** Belkan Agressors. Time to show them what it means to be a Ghost of Razgriz. This can be an intimidating fight at first, but there is a trick to it. Head for the center of the combat area (the cove with the island). You'll notice that once the enemy gets to that section of the map, they split up into two groups and begin to fly in a distinctinve pattern. That's your key to winning here. You can either memorise the pattern and line yourself up for a head-on stiffarm attack, or utilise special weapons. One weapon that I've found to be particularly effective is the SAAM. As long as you can keep those Belkans in the aiming circle, they may as well kiss their asses goodbye. Whatever technique you use, with a little patience and good timing, you'll soon make short work of those guys. (Note that on higher difficulty settings, more than one SAAM will be needed in order to score a kill) Once the last Belkan SU-35 is downed, it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 24 : WHITE BIRD (PART II) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation : GAME BIRD Date : 12/19/2010 Time : 1006 Hrs Area : Ceres Ocean No messing around this time, your objective here is to shoot down the Arkbird. The first part of this mission can be a real pain in the ass. Stay focused, keep patient, and you'll be fine. One missile will stop the Arkbirds intial descent. It will then deploy UAVs and its laser cannon. Avoid the laser cannons attacks by staying above the Arkbird as it fires, then dipping down below it and firing. DO NOT get caught in the lasers field of fire. It turns you into powdered toast. Remember you CANNOT let the Arkbird leave the engagement zone, so you will have to be FAST. My advice is to let loose a volley of XMAAs or XLAAs on the laser cannon as soon as possible. As soon as the boosters open up and become targets, take them out! 6 missiles each, and leave about a one second delay between each missile. I usually leave the UAVs for my wingmen to handle, and focus on the Arkbird myself. The Arkbird changes it's bearing and heads south, and two more rocket boosters open up on it's back. Take them out too, again, 6 missiles each. Watch out for the AA gun and missile launcher, and ESPECIALLY that new laser on it's back. Unlike the cannon, this is a pulse model, and it can shred you pretty bad. Zig-zag and make passing attacks and you should be able to avoid it. It takes 8 missiles to put the laser out of commission. The Arkbird then fires it's last engine. Line up and take your shots. Another 6 milles will destroy it for good! Once you've taken it out, it's mission accomplished! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 25 : HEARTBREAK ONE -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation : CROSSROAD Date : 12/22/2010 Time : 2100 Hrs Area : Pobeda Peninsula I like taking the MiG 1.44 for this mission. It's UGBLs make short work of the checkpoint facilities and it's still an exceptional air-to-air fighter. Which will come in handy at the end of this mission. However, take whatever you feel comfortable with, just keep in mind that air-to-air combat capabilites take precedence over air-to-ground, no matter what your wingmen may try and tell you. So, it's time to help Bartlett rescue Nikanor, and maybe put an end to this pointless war once and for all. You'll be escorting Bartlett to the airport, so keep an eye on him. When he asks you what to do, you might as well have him take the shortcuts. It's not that much more difficult, and it keeps the action moving along, rather than just sitting in the air watching Bartlett take the long way around. Your primary targets along the way will be the ones labelled 'checkpoint'. You must destroy these in order for Bartlett to proceed. The first of the mission is an air-to-ground bashing game. Just take out everything. The AH-64s can be annoying to shoot down at times, too, but the SU-32s shouldn't prove to be much trouble. Once you've gotten Bartlett to the airport and he gets airborne with Nikanor, trouble shows up. The Belkans are a persistent lot, and they're GOOD too. The 8492nd makes Yellow Squadron from AC04 seem like pussycats by comparison. There's no real strategy here, you just have to shoot them down. The F-15s/mtd is a damn good fighter, so you'll have to watch out for their very tight turns, and abrupt direction changes. The F-15mtd also has very good thrust and braking, so expect the 8492nd to dive to the deck and break away at high speed, in order to try and shake you. Be persistent, and you'll prevail. Shoot down the 8492nd and it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 26 : SEA OF CHAOS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation : GLORY HORN Date : 12/29/2010 Time : 1731 Hrs Area : Ceres Ocean Oh good, once again you're stuck in a carrier-based aircraft... Oh well, it doesn't really matter, you've got a job to do! This mission can take a while, but it's not that difficult and quite rewarding. Take out the five ships nearest to the defecting Yuke ships first. You will get a higher score if you don't allow any of your new allies to be sunk. After that, it's up to you to engage at your discretion. I usually set my wingmen to disperse and use their special weapons. They'll either start taking out ships left and right or fighters, depending on the aircraft they're piloting. Whatever they go after ,you should go after the opposite. We know how to take out ships by now, so just do your thing, and watch out for SAMs. Once the Osean fleet shows up, you'll need to take them out, too. Man, this is starting to get ridiculous... After the last wave of enemy fighters has been shot down, it's mission accomplished. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 27 : ACES -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sudentor, North Osea, 2210 hrs, Dec 30 2010 No Operational Data Available - Launch Immediately! Okay, this is it! Your last chance to stop the SOLG! Everyone on both sides, regardless of allegiance is going to be throwing everything they've got into this battle, so its sure to be a hell of a fight. Lets get out there and give 'em hell. Your attacks should be focused mainly on the Gun towers at first. Don't let the name mislead you, these things are primarily packing SAMs, and they're going to do their best to shoot you down. Each tower is going to take three missiles to destroy, and rather than using the trusty missile-and-gun combo, I recommend high-speed passes, first with two missiles, then with one to finish it off. Keepan eye on your six and watch for missiles. Once the towers are no longer a threat, take out the rest of the indicated targets, and anything else you may want to let loose on. Eventually, you'll need to take out the pillbox targets to help out the ground team. Once all thats taken care of, they'll open the tunnel... Yup, you've gotta fly down that thing in order to take out the control unit. There's nothing I can really give you in the way of strategy here. You'll have to rely on your own skill. Just keep cool, get a lock on the target once you see it, and destroy it. Try not to crash into anything, and try not to let any doors close on you. Once you're out of the tunnel, you're homefree. One last note on Hamilton - Though I've been hit several times by his gunfire, I've yet to be struck by one of his missiles. I'm pretty sure those are just there to intimidate you. Still, watch out for those guns. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- MISSION 27+ - THE UNSUNG WAR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Operation : ARCADIA Date : 12/31/2010 Time : 0500 Hrs Area : Oured As a final solution, the SOLG has begun descent on the OSEAN capital of Oured. You cannot allow this to happen, the SOLG must be destroyed before it can strike. This can be a tough mission, so pay close attention. Hityour afterburners and head towards the descent point. Once you reach a certain spot, you'll run into Ofnir and Grabacr. These guys are no pushovers, and will take some skill to defeat. Don't worry if you can't get all of them, they'll run off once the descent counter reaches zero. Now your concern is the SOLG. The key here is timing. It's hard, but not as hard as you might think. Get above it, and fire two missiles with a half-second gap between them right as the panel it passing the target. If your position and speed are right, both missiles should hit. It takes between 4 and 6 missiles to destroy a control unit. Once the first two are done, you'll have to fly below the SOLG to get the next two. Watch out for debris! Hit something and you're toast. Use the same timing technique to take out the next two control units, and then... Mission Accomplished, Razgriz. Side note- For a very short mission, take the FALKEN. You shouldn't need more than two shots with the laser to destroy the SOLG. Yahoo! =] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- SECTION VI : SECRET STUFF -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- - The Mission Accomplished bug - Okay, so this isn't really a secret, but I wasn't sure where else to put it. After you have received a 'Mission Accomplished' message, it appears that the AI for the enemy fighters is not always turned off. This can happen on just about any mission, and if you're not careful, you can still be shot down even after the successful completion of a mission. So watch your butt, and if someone has a lock on you or you see and hear gunfire, get the heck outta the way! - Alternate Color Schemes - There are 5 paint schemes for planes in Ace Combat and they are as follows- OS - OSEA colors. Default, all planes come with this paint scheme. RZ - Razgriz colors. Obtained by clearing campagin mode at least once. YK - Yuktobania colors. Obtained by shooting down a Yuktobanian aircraft of that type. Can be done in free mission mode. BL - Belkan Colors. Obtained by shooting down a Belkan aircraft of that type. Can be done in free Mission mode. SP - Ace pilots colors (just plain special colors for the X-02 and FALKEN). You Must shoot down a named enemy ace pilot to unlokc these colors. Ace pilots will only appear in Normal mode or higher after you have cleared campaign mode once. (please note that although there are 5 paint schemes, each plane only has 3) ShibuyaYakuza has written a nicely detailed FAQ on GameFAQs for finding the Aces/named aircraft. Rather than rip it off or attempt my own, I reccommend that you read his. - The X-02 - In order to obtain the X-02 for purchase, you must have at least one of every aircraft in your inventory. to do this you will need to max out the experience bars of your fighters until you have all of the sub-trees available, and then make sure to purchase one of each. (please note that you do NOT have to max out the experience bar for the last fighter in the tree, ie: the F-14D, SU-37. You need only to have at least one purchased for your inventory. Also, you need not have the FALKEN to unlock the X-02) Once you have completed this requirement, the X-02 will be available in the shop after you have flown one more mission. The third paint scheme for the X-02 can be achieved by completing every mission on Hard mode (both A and B missions, where applicable) with an A or S ranking. - The FALKEN - The FALKEN can be obtained by collecting all of the parts to assemble it. These parts are found in the follwing missions/locations - Mission 12A/12B Mission 16A/16B Mission 27 Again, ShibuyaYakuza's FAQ has the exact locations for each of the FALKEN parts, and describes how to find them better than I could. go read it. Since some people have asked, YES, you can get the parts in free mission mode, and you can pick them up on any difficulty, including 'very easy'. The third paint scheme for the FALKEN can be achieved by completeing every mission on Expert mode (both A and B missions, where applicable) with an A or S ranking. - The F-22A - Appears for purchase after in the shop after you have played arcade mode at least once. Clearing arcade mode will unlock the SP color. - MEDALS - GUARDIAN: Awarded for shooting down 10 enemy planes with a missile lock on your wingmen NEEDLE'S EYE: Awarded for scoring perfect (under 20 seconds) on all 6 landings and both mid-air refuelings. GOLD ANCHOR: Awarded for protecting the fleet in mission 3, and not letting a single friendly ship be sunk. LIGHTNING HAMMER: Awarded for not let any allied ground troops be destroyed in mission 9. DESERT EAGLE: Awarded for clearing mission 16A/B. GRAND FALCON: Awarded for shooting down all Aces/Named Aircraft. BRONZE SHOOTER: Awarded for destroying 5 planes using only machine guns. SILVER SHOOTER: Awarded for destroying 15 planes using only machine guns. GOLD SHOOTER: Awarded for destroying 50 planes using only machine guns. BRONZE ACE: Awarded for shooting down 200 enemy planes. SILVER ACE: Awarded for shooting down 500 enemy planes. GOLD ACE: Awarded for shooting down 1000 enemy planes. BRONZE WING: Awarded for earning a Rank of S on all missions on NORMAL mode. SILVER WING: Awarded for earning a Rank of S on all missions on HARD mode. GOLD WING: Awarded for earning a Rank of S on all missions on EXPERT mode. - UNTESTED - Apparently, if you clear all 4 branches of arcade mode, you can play through as any of the fighters you have unlocked in campaign mode. I haven't teasted this theory yet, but will try to confirm it ASAP.