Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies

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Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
Developer(s)	Namco
Publisher(s)	Namco
Release date(s)	October 23, 2001 February 8, 2002
Genre(s)	Simulation
Mode(s)	Single player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	ESRB: Everyone (E)
Platform(s)	PlayStation 2
Media	DVD

Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies is a game for the PlayStation 2 developed by Namco. It is a semi-realistic fighter pilot simulation. It is part of the Ace Combat series of games.

In Europe this game was released under the title Ace Combat: Distant Thunder.

Contents 1 Game premise 2 Story 3 Letter to Mobius 1 (Interlude Transcription) 4 Gameplay 5 List of Planes and Armament 6 Non-Playable Aircraft 7 List of missions 8 List of characters 9 Named Pilots 10 Music List 11 Series 12 Superweapons 13 Trivia 14 See also 15 External links

[edit] Game premise

The player takes on the role of the top fighter pilot, Mobius 1, of the Mobius Squadron in the air force of the Independent States Allied Forces (ISAF), fighting against the Erusians who have occupied almost all of the Usea continent after an apocalyptic event in 1999. A massive asteroid, codenamed Ulysses 1994 XF-04 struck Usea, killing 500,000 people and turning many into refugees. Erusea used this as an opportunity to occupy the continent after a prolonged military buildup. The Erusians have achieved supremacy via the superweapon Stonehenge, a battery of railguns which was originally designed to destroy asteroids but has been found to be effective against airplanes as well due to the massive shockwave it produces. Consequently, ISAF has been pushed back to the eastern coast of Usea.

Between the missions the story is told through letters written to Mobius 1, from a boy whose parents were killed when a fighter jet crashed into their house in San Salvacion. The fighter jet was shot down by Yellow 13, the Erusians top fighter pilot, and a member of their Yellow Squadron (the Erusian equivalent of the ISAF Mobius Squadron). As he is forced to move into a nearby occupied town, he befriends Yellow 13 after meeting him and the other Yellow Squadron members in a bar.

[edit] Story

The following is a historical account of the ISAF/Erusea fictional war.

Erusea, having recognized Stonehenge's potential as a military weapon, took control of the facility despite ISAF agreements, and began to open fire on various Usean forces. The Erusian military then began its sweep across the Usean continent. The Independent States Allied Forces (ISAF) was caught completely by surprise, and was easily pushed back by the sudden onslaught. Despite many attempts to destroy Stonehenge through air strikes, the ISAF Forces were inevitably forced to retreat towards the Usean eastern coast. ISAF General Headquarters (GHQ) was moved from Los Canas to the neutral territory of North Point, off the Usean northeastern coast. It would be several months before ISAF regrouped enough to launch a counterattack. The first Erusian facility to fall was Rigley Air Base, a former ISAF facility taken over by Erusian forces to service long-range bombers. This attack ruined Erusea's only opportunity to easily assault North Point. In response, Erusian high command dispatched the mighty Aegir Fleet to the east coast in preparation for an all out invasion of North Point and ISAF GHQ.

ISAF followed with an attack on "The Northern Eye," a large radar facility situated atop Mount Schezna in the northern area of Usea. This radar facility had been monitoring all ISAF movements and assisting Erusian air and ground forces in effort to further delay the ISAF withdrawal from the continent. The ISAF strike force successfully destroyed the radar facilities and withdrew from northern Usea.

Around this time, Erusea's Aegir Fleet reached Comberth Harbor to resupply and prepare for their push north towards North Point. ISAF command knew that the 7th fleet guarding North Point could not defeat the Aegir Fleet in open waters, so resupply routes were targeted instead. The first such attack was on an air supply corridor which, though successful, was not enough to halt the Fleet's advance.

ISAF then executed a bold move, attacking and rendering inoperable the main petroleum plant supplying the Aegir Fleet, effectively immobilizing them inside Comberth Harbor. The invasion of North Point was delayed indefinitely. Seeing a prime opportunity, ISAF ordered a large scale air strike against the "Invincible" Aegir Fleet. The Fleet was destroyed to a ship with considerable damage caused to surrounding facilities, landing a significant blow to Erusea's military might and morale.

Having noted the shift in momentum, ISAF GHQ committed yet another bold move by attacking a large inland solar power plant supplying Erusian forces. The attack was successful, but many aircraft were lost when Stonehenge unexpectedly opened fire, a grim reminder that Erusean forces still controlled the skies over the mainland.

ISAF forces regrouped at North Point and prepared for an invasion of the mainland. To facilitate this, a military satellite needed to be launched from the Riass Space Launch Facility in the Comona Islands located in the south eastern sea of Usea, out of Stonehenge's range. Naturally, Erusian high command also recognized the importance of this launch and ordered all available land- and sea-based fighters to destroy the launch facilities. The largest air battle in recorded history occurred on this day with some 200 aircraft from both sides reportedly involved. Included in the Erusian forces was the legendary Yellow Squadron, a squadron of aces said to be the best of any air force on the planet. However, Yellow Squadron contributed relatively little to the battle (by their standards at least), as the squadron leader, Yellow 13, was damaged approximately midway into the battle. The Erusians also tasked a group of 6 B-2s intended to bomb the launch facilities after the Erusean Air Force cleared the skies. ISAF forces proved uncooperative in this regard and destroyed the bombers before they could cause any damage.

The air battle ended in ISAF's favor and their satellite was launched successfully. ISAF's invasion plans were initiated and Erusian forces went on high alert. The ISAF invasion force successfully gained a foothold on the southern coast via an amphibious landing on three beaches despite heavy resistance by artillery embedded in coastal bunkers as well as standard air and ground forces. Immediately after this, ISAF Command sent ground forces to reclaim Los Canas, a vital city outside of Stonehenge's effective range. At the same time air strikes against Istas Fortress began. Istas Fortress, a network of bunkers and hangars embedded in a mountain range, proved nigh-impervious to shelling and high-altitude bombing and thus required a conventional air attack. The ISAF air strike successfully destroyed the fortress, though more losses than perhaps expected were incurred when Stonehenge again opened fire. As well, ISAF forces successfully captured Los Canas and a forward HQ was established to support further inland advances.

Shortly afterwards, ISAF was contacted by the creators of Stonehenge, who, having defected from Erusea, requested amnesty for themselves and their families. ISAF granted their request and allowed the two civilian airliners being used to ferry the fugitives into ISAF territory. The airliners were attacked en route by Erusian fighters, but fortunately ISAF had a fighter, callsign Mobius 1, in the area, who dispatched the pursuing fighters allowing the airliners to land safely at an ISAF base. The defectors then assisted ISAF High Command in drawing plans to destroy Stonehenge. ISAF concluded that a small group of fighters, flying a high-speed, low-altitude, and irregular course, could penetrate Stonehenge's defense shield and launch an attack, though estimated casualties constituted the majority of the strike force. The plan was approved and launched.

The flight to Stonehenge went smoothly, allowing the force to close and attack. However, at that range, they could no longer conceal themselves. The barrage from Stonehenge was terrible and the anti-air defenses filled the sky with missiles and AA rounds. Nonetheless, ISAF again carried the day, destroying the railguns and freeing the ISAF Air Force to act at will. Yellow Squadron, tasked with defending Stonehenge, arrived too late to save the cannons. Amazingly, they too were driven off, suffering their first loss of personnel of the war in the process.

• (Author's note: Interestingly, after-action reports indicate that all of the railguns and the Yellow Squadron pilot were destroyed by one pilot, callsign "Mobius 1." This pilot had established himself well prior to the Stonehenge offensive, though it was this battle that garnered him fame among ISAF and infamy among Erusea. This will not be the last mention of this extraordinary pilot.)

No longer constrained by Stonehenge, ISAF forces began advancing on Erusian positions with ever greater intensity. Concurrently, ISAF spyplanes had been returning with intelligence regarding a new superweapon being built off the coast of Erusea. ISAF HQ, understandably alarmed, realized that they needed more than ever to end the war quickly lest this superweapon, known only as "Megalith," be completed. With this in mind, a landing force was dispatched from North Point to secure northern Usea, only to be attacked by Erusian cruise missiles. The missiles were destroyed in flight, however, along with a single nuclear cruise missile; a desperate measure indicating how threatened Erusian High Command was feeling. Regardless, with that crisis averted, ISAF was free to continue their plans to liberate the city of San Salvacion.

The battle took place at 0000hrs, or midnight Usea Central Mean Time. The fighting was fierce as ISAF forces, aided by local resistance members, fought street-by-street to retake the city. In the air, the Yellow Squadron along with other Erusian squadrons fought tooth and nail for control of every area of operations. However, their forces were steadily losing ground to the ISAF onslaught and were eventually forced to flee the city. During the withdrawal, Erusian High Command, apparently having adopted a scorched earth policy, ordered a wing of 6 Tu-160 bombers to level the entire city. Thankfully, the aircraft were shot down* and ISAF ground forces successfully captured the city. San Salvacion was free once again.

• (A transcript of a resistance-friendly radio broadcast indicates that Mobius 1 was responsible for this heroic act.)

Forced on the defensive, Erusian High Command amassed their remaining troops at the Whiskey Corridor, a stretch of desert situated between the Lambert and Amber mountain ranges. The geography presents a classic "bottleneck," corralling advancing forces into a relatively small and easily defended area. This was the only route to the Erusian capital of Farbanti logistically available to ISAF. After regrouping at San Salvacion, ISAF had no choice but to order all ground forces to break through the Whiskey Corridor, resulting in one of the largest ground battles in history. Though they fought valiantly, the Erusian forces were routed thanks to a brutal series of close air support sorties by the ISAF Air Force, including Mobius 1 (by now a national hero). The road to Farbanti was open and then end of the war in sight.

Erusian High Command, in a complete panic, ordered all surviving forces to bolster the defenses of their capital. ISAF gathered their remaining air and ground forces and laid siege to Farbanti. The ISAF Air Force faced the brunt of the battle, being assigned to support ground forces, destroy a bridge to cut off Erusian reinforcements, and claim air superiority, all at once. The leader of this grand campaign was none other than Mobius One. Thanks to his and the rest of the ISAF military's efforts, ISAF ground forces penetrated deep into the city and encircled the Erusian GHQ. Realizing the city was lost, high ranking Erusian officers attempted to escape via helicopters; these were destroyed almost as soon as they launched. Yellow Squadron again appeared too late to affect the outcome of the battle.* They were engaged and destroyed by Mobius 1. No bodies were ever recovered.

• (Scattered reports show that the squadron had been plagued with mechanical issues, starting with their assignment to a base in San Salvacion. It is likely that these failures were results of sabotage by resistance members.)

On the ground, with Erusian forces surrendering left and right, members of the ISAF Army discovered the corpse of the Erusian Supreme Commander inside of a helicopter. He had attempted to escape the battle with his family, but he, when it became obvious that the helicopter would be destroyed after liftoff, and not wanting to be captured, committed suicide.

The war should have ended there. Unfortunately, a submarine carrying many younger (and rather more fanatical) Erusian officers and soldiers escaped prior to the battle and seized control of Megalith. Megalith was a huge ICBM rocket launch facility that, like Stonehenge before it, was intended to intercept asteroid fragments. Also like Stonehenge, it doubled as a weapon. While an air strike was being prepared, an ISAF special forces team was sent to infiltrate Megalith and take over the control room. The plan required them to open Megalith's heat vents, allow a fighter to fly inside the vents and destroy its main power generators. Mobius One was chosen for this unearthly task. In his honor, the accompanying flight group was christened Mobius Squadron.

Mobius Squadron attacked Megalith in a full frontal assault. They were met by a newly reformed Yellow Squadron. The battle over Megalith was legendary. It was an extremely tough battle, though the members of Mobius Squadron slowly prevailed. The SF team faced stiff resistance as well, though they too were successful. As the final Yellow members fell to the ocean, Mobius One flew into Megalith and destroyed the power generators. The resultant power loss allowed the SF team to breach the control room and open the hatch to the central silo where an ICBM was being prepped for launch. Mobius 1 again flew inside Megalith, disabled the missile, and escaped. Thus ended the Erusian threat and the ISAF/Erusia war.

[edit] Letter to Mobius 1 (Interlude Transcription)

I was just a child when the stars fell from the skies, but I remember how they built a cannon to destroy them, and in turn how that cannon brought war upon us. War was an abstract idea, nothing more than a show on TV. As a child, I only saw it as something that happened in some far away land… until that final day of summer...One day while on my way to school, I looked up in the skies. A sound like distant thunder in the blue skies far above me contrails drew dizzying circles around in a crazy waltz. A battle in the beautiful skies far away... I could not tear my gaze away from them. A deafening roar and then sharp silhouettes appeared, as if to grazed the hills, and streaked past me. The fighters played the cat or the mouse in turn as they climbed swiftly into the skies. One fleeing plane fell out the skies, spiraling and spewing orange flames to crash by the cape, the same cape where my family lived. Now they only live in my memories of days past. The victor circled around to confirm the kill, and on his craft, there was a large number "13" emblazoned in yellow. I will never forget this. The Allies retreated across the ocean before the onslaught of the enemy. Our little town in the heart of the mainland fell into deep isolation.

The war seemed to unfold in the blink of an eye. I don't remember exactly when the forces from the west occupied my town; I was too busy scanning the skies day after day, waiting for "Yellow Thirteen" to reappear. Before I knew it, everything changed. The language they taught us at school... Our friendly local sheriff "disappeared" and was replaced by foreign MPs. In the beginning, some people secretly tuned into broadcasts from North Point on their parabolic antennas, but as time passed, the broadcasts no longer came in; maybe the satellites were destroyed. All non-military computer networks were shut down. Gasoline was rationed to civilians. Though we lived in the 21st century, we were reduced to using crystal radios and horse-drawn carts.

I moved in with my uncle in town who used to be a taxi driver. Out of gasoline and out of work, my uncle did nothing but to drown himself in drink. I earned my keep by playing the harmonica in the town bar. The one thing I was good at. I'd play for sullen occupation soldiers in exchange for their charity in loose change, and used the money to support my uncle and myself. My uncle trash talked the barkeep who catered to the enemy soldiers, but he never refused the money I brought home. As for myself, I had a crush on the barkeep's only daughter, who was a little older than me. Another day passed, yet still no sign of the fighter plane, Yellow Thirteen, in the skies above our town.

One night, a spirited group made their way into the bar; chased out the sullen army grunts and commandeered the place. Even I knew who they were. The patch on their sleeve was the mark of the proud air force. A loud-mouthed middle-age man went around, announcing each pilot's result for the day, and his running kill record. For those who exceeded five kills, a thorough toasting - and soaking followed. I believe it was their custom to call a pilot an "Ace" once he shot down five planes. After completing the day's review, the same guy - the squadron adjutant - went on to announce, "And now, for our leader's results!" Everyone turned around to look at the quiet man who sat alone, strumming a guitar. I found myself drawn to the music of his guitar "Our Yellow Thirteen bagged three more today, bringing his new tally up to sixty-four kills." With a tentative smile, the man with the guitar turned to me and asked me to accompany him on my harmonica. I brought it up to my lips and he started a new song. I had finally found "him". But by some fluke, it was my father's favorite song, the one he used to play at the end of each day.

A freeway under construction in a wheat field outside of town... When they started construction, I remember how the mayor bragged about it, even though it would completely bypass our town. The freeway became the occupation force's makeshift runway, and the unfinished tunnels, their bunkers. This was their base. They were the elite flight squadron, chosen to protect the cannon. Ironically, the same cannon who was created to shoot down the asteroids, became a catalyst to the war, but when the Allied attacks no longer came, the Squadron was assigned long-range missions that took them to distant battlefields.

I got a knife with intend of using it against yellow 13. I even ripped off pistol of drunken enemy soldier. I thought of the words I would use to confront him and bided my time. Although I harbored these feelings within me, I could never get close to him. His wingman was always by his side. Despite having a gentle demeanor, I could tell that the wingman would never allow danger to get near Yellow Thirteen, even on land. The pillar of their group, Thirteen exuded an air of invincibility. He always chose to fly a five-plane formation. He was a man who prided himself not on his kill record, but on his record of never losing a squadron member. It's difficult for me to describe just how good Yellow Thirteen's flying was, but I witnessed once from the ground. The lead plane of the five-plane formation should have turned the same arc with the same timing as the others... Yet only his plane drew sharp contrails. His heart felt compassion towards the weaker enemies he downed. Some day, if an equal appeared and challenged the limits of his skills in a fight, he would bear no resentment about being shot down. He said this himself, and so as time passed, I found the goodness of a home in their company. Leaving them was no longer an option for me now...

At some point, I realized my uncle, my would be guardian, had vanished. Maybe the secret police dragged him off for some drunken comment he made; maybe he chose to disappear. I didn't have anyone to turn to, so I found myself living as if I was a member of the Yellow Squadron. Everybody in town scorned the barkeep for doing business with the enemy. In reality, he and his family were members of the Resistance, gathering up intelligence information from enemy customers. His daughter protected me... But that was only because of my tender age. The barkeep and his family were the real heroes, while I, on the other end, found a haven among the enemy.

“It won't be long now, it won't be long 'til it begins,” the barkeep's daughter confided to me. As a member of the Resistance, she eagerly awaited the Allied counterattack on the mainland. "What will happen to these people when the Allies come?” I asked, to which she frowned. "We'll run them out... This is our town!" But I knew she didn't mean that from the bottom of her heart. Thirteen had captured her heart. I knew this from the way she shot jealous glances at his wingman. As other pilots rotated out of Yellow Squadron, Yellow Four, Thirteen's wingman, always stuck by his side, even on land. The only female pilot in the Squadron, she had Yellow Thirteen's absolute trust as his wingman. Yellow Thirteen seemed oblivious to all this, and instead reviewed the "promising" enemy pilot's performance from yesterday skirmish. "He is so close. If he manages to stay alive for just a while longer, that pilot could be a worthy opponent.” But when there were no such enemies to look forward to, Thirteen's eyes were sad.

Bombs were delivered to their base. This meant that an enemy who had to be fought by those means, was close at hand. The Resistance blew up the Squadron's runway. Yellow Four suffered light shrapnel wounds. Though the runway could be fixed, the complete loss of reserve supplies was a heavy blow. Logistics support became infrequent following the Allied operations. I knew this because Yellow Squadron's crew chief bellyached about this all the time to me. "I won't complain if I buy the farm while I'm airborne, but I can't stand being taken out while I'm grounded." Now I understand Thirteen's feelings. Reports of the Stonehenge air raid came in. Yellow Four went up with the others. With no bombs, her plane was light, but her plane was in bad shape. It needed an engine replacement badly.

Though he lost Four, Thirteen never openly showed his sorrow, but I found out. He was alone, quietly gazing at the handkerchief Yellow Four left behind. When he felt my eyes upon him, he said, "No matter what, she can't complain. She went up with her plane in disrepair. Pilots are responsible for their planes." He then when on and spoke of the time when they first met. He spoke of when she was just a girl, before he trained her, before she became a fighter pilot. His words weren't directed at me in particular; he was keeping a precious memory alive by speaking those words; the hint of perfume on her keepsake handkerchief.

Yellow Squadron's pilot turnover ran high. The skilled ones went in to shore up other units while rookies with little air time transferred in. Yellow Thirteen posted an Allied paper faxed over by Headquarters. It praised the pilot who destroyed Stonehenge. Thirteen said to everyone, "Look! Here is something worthy of praise. Even among the enemy there are men like this. Not all of them are despicable bastards who rob our wings through cowardly sabotage." I stared at the barkeep's daughter as she winced at those words. The Allies were coming to our town...

As the Allies advanced, the retreating Erusian Forces from the east filled our town. The AA gun crew set up their positions atop the hospital, and Yellow Thirteen smoldered with quiet anger over their tactics. Nights were long with the town's mandatory blackouts. The barkeep's daughter tried to plant laser transmitters for detonating explosives. She got caught. It was Yellow Thirteen. He knew she was responsible for planting the bomb on their runway as well. The face of the enemy whom he hated belonged to someone close to him. "Get out of our town, you fascist pig!" Those were the words from my mouth. I've never seen his face twist so painfully. "Do you hate us that much?" We couldn't shake or nod our heads in reply. It seemed like an eternity passed before he said, "Go!" and released us. The next day, there was no change in his attitude. As usual, he made his requests to the squadron crew chief. "The poor fuel quality is affecting thrust." As soon as the Allied Forces drew near, the Resistance would end the blackouts over the city.

Singing... The town was free at last. During the night raids, the AA gunners had strafed the town in an attempt to shoot down low flying aircraft. The town militia now rounded up these gunners. "They" retreated as well, and now their quarters stood empty. After what seemed like a long absence, Allied aircraft soared overhead. I wondered if the fateful enemy Ace, the one Yellow Thirteen longed to meet, was among them. What would happen if they ever came face to face? I fell in with the routed Erusians and followed after the Squadron.

Yellow Thirteen's body vanished into the blue skies, never to return to earth. Only a single handkerchief fluttered down from the sky where he disappeared. The faint scent of perfume. The barkeep's daughter and I had followed the Squadron this far. Each of us had our own thoughts as we buried that handkerchief. It no longer matter to me whether that was Thirteen's or Four's grave. Their memories blurred together as one and left the realm of reality like a dream. The terms of surrender were accepted that day and the war was over.

The once familiar scent of burning jet fuel has long since faded away. What was once Yellow Squadron's runway is now just a local highway again. I write this letter to you now... I know it must have brought him unexpected joy to have an opponent like you, at the end of that meaningless war. At least that's what I want to believe. Only you...the pilot who shot him down, can confirm this. And so I write to you...

[edit] Gameplay

During the course of the game, the player has the opportunity to purchase 21 different planes, from models that actually exist to prototypes or relatively new aircraft that were in-development (at the time of game production), and their weaponry. Every plane has two alternate paint schemes, gained by achieving a superior, or S, ranking on a stage in hard difficulty mode, by shooting down the ace pilots which are on each stage, or by completing the challenge modes.

The difficulty mode affects how many enemies are in a stage, how smart/accurate the enemies are, how much damage the enemies can take, and how much damage the player's airplane can sustain in total. On the hardest difficulty level, a single missile from the enemy will down the player's airplane, whereas on the easiest level it would take several missiles.

The player must purchase all airplanes and weapons they want to use, but only once. Identical weapons for different types of planes cannot be used interchangeably. Players gain money by destroying enemies, or selling aircraft/weapons between missions. Only the default aircraft, the F-4 Phantom, cannot be sold. It is sometimes advantageous to buy/sell different combinations of planes & weapons depending on the mission requirements outlined in the briefing, as some planes are more suitable than others for certain of missions. Once all of the mission objectives are complete, the player is awarded bonus money for performing above and beyond the requirements of the mission objectives (neutralizing extra targets and assorted enemy fighters, etc.). In order to purchase all planes and weapons available in the game, the game must be completed at least three to four times.

The game is only semi-realistic in the sense that the abilities of the airplanes are greatly exaggerated. Some of the most noticeable issues are:

• There are 2 aircraft that have an actual subsonic speed limit, but supersonic speed is possible to achieve. They are the A-10A and F-117A.
• Some airplanes can carry up to 100 missiles (the armaments reappear on the plane several seconds after being fired)
• Air-to-air missiles are as effective against ground targets as air-to-ground missiles and unguided bombs.

[edit] List of Planes and Armament

Here is a list of planes and armament in the game. Planes always have guns and missiles, and the player may choose one additional piece of weaponry at the outset of the mission. When refueling, the player can change weapons.

Notice that some of the ending aircraft are actually real prototypes that have yet to enter production or actual use.

Name	Normal Cost	Alternate Cost	Strengths (Max. 20)	Weaknesses (Max. 20)	Guns	Missiles	Weaponry
F-4E	76,000	99,000	Defense (11)	Speed, Air-to-Ground, Mobility, Stability (7)	650	52	Medium Unguided Bombs (6), Napalm Bombs (6)
F-5E	52,000	68,000	Stability (12)	Speed, Air-to-Air, Mobility, Defense (7)	650	48	Small Unguided Bombs (12), Rocket Launcher (64)
F-16C	97,000	126,000	Air-to-Air, Mobility (12)	Stability (4)	700	52	Small Unguided Bombs (14), Advanced Air-to-Ground Missiles (12)
A-10A	123,000	160,000	Air-to-Ground, Defense (20)	Speed, Air-to-Air (2)	850	56	Large Unguided Bombs (12), Advanced Air-to-Ground Missiles (16), Cluster Bombs (12)
MIR-2000	111,000	143,000	Speed (15)	Stability (2)	700	52	Small Unguided Bombs (16), Long-range Air-to-Ground Missiles (10)
F-14A	188,000	244,000	Air-to-Air (17)	Air-to-Ground (6)	750	64	Long-range Air-to-Air Missiles (16), Medium Unguided Bombs (10)
TND-IDS	172,000	224,000	Defense (18)	Mobility (6)	750	58	Bomblet Dispenser (12), Precision Guided Bomb (8), Long-range Air-to-Ground Missiles (12)
F/A-18C	170,000	221,000	Defense (14)	Stability (10)	700	60	Medium Unguided Bombs (10), Long-range Air-to-Surface Missiles(14), Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (14)
F-15C	272,000	354,000	Air-to-Air (16)	Air-to-Ground (6)	800	68	Medium Unguided Bombs (12), Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (16)
MIG-29A	259,000	337,000	Speed (16)	Stability (7)	750	64	Small Unguided Bombs (18), Rocket Launcher (72)
F-117A	386,000	502,000	Defense (17)	Air-to-Air (2)	650	54	Large Unguided Bombs (14), Precision Guided Bombs (14), Cluster Bombs (14)
EF-2000	351,000	456,000	Speed, Air-to-Air, Mobility (16)	Air-to-Ground (7)	800	56	Advanced Long-range Air-to-Air Missiles (16), Medium Unguided Bombs (14)
R-MO1	370,000	481,000	Defense (17)	Air-to-Ground (12)	800	64	Standoff Dispenser (14), Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air Missiles (18), Long-range Air-to-Ground Missiles (16)
F-15E	505,000	657,000	Air-to-Air, Defense (16)	Stability (12)	850	72	Large Unguided Bombs (14), Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air Missiles (10), Cluster Bombs (14)
F-2A	505,000	657,000	Air-to-Ground, Mobility (17)	Stability (9)	800	68	Medium Unguided Bombs (16), Long-range Air-to-Ground Missiles (18), Rocket Launcher (80)
Su-35	589,000	766,000	Mobility (19)	Air-to-Ground (7)	850	72	Advanced Long-range Air-to-Air Missiles (18), Medium Unguided Bombs (16)
F-22A	643,000	836,000	Air-to-Air (19)	Air-to-Ground (10)	850	74	Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air Missiles (22), Precision Guided Bombs (16)
Su-37	618,000	803,000	Speed, Mobility (20)	Air-to-Ground (8)	850	78	Quick-maneuvering Air-to-Air Missiles (8), Large Unguided Bombs (16), Long-range Air-to-Ground Missiles (20)
F-15 ACTIVE	620,000	806,000	Mobility (20)	Air-to-Ground (13)	900	78	Advanced Medium-range Air-to-Air Missiles (22), Fuel-Air Explosive Bombs (8)
S-37A	889,000	1,560,000	Air-to-Air (19)	Air-to-Ground (7)	900	78	Quick-maneuvering Air-to-Air Missiles (10), Large Unguided Bombs (18)
X-02 Wyvern (Fictional)	1,414,000	1,838,000	Air-to-Air, Mobility (20)	Defense (11)	950	82	Advanced Long-range Air-to-Air Missiles (26), Bomblet Dispenser (24), Quick-maneuvering Air-to-Air Missiles (16)

[edit] Non-Playable Aircraft

AH-64A Apache - Gunship Helicopter

AV-8B Harrier II - V/STOL Fighter-Bomber

B-2 Spirit - Stealth Bomber

Boeing 767-200 - Airliner

C-17 Globemaster III - Tactical Transport

C-130 Hercules - Tactical Airlifter

CH-47 Chinook - Transport Helicopter

E-767 - AEW platform / Jammer Craft

Ka-25 Hormone-A - Naval Helicopter

Ka-50 Hokum-A - Attack Helicopter

KC-10 Extender - Tanker Plane

Mi-24 Hind-D - Gunship Helicopter

MiG-21bis Fishbed-L - Interceptor

SR-71 Blackbird - High-speed Recon Plane

Tu-95 Bear-G - Strategic Bomber

Tu-160 Blackjack - Supersonic Strategic Bomber

U-2 Dragon Lady - High-altitude Recon Plane

V-22 Osprey - Tilt-rotor aircraft

XB-70 Valkyrie - Experimental bomber

[edit] List of missions

1. Sitting Duck - Six enemy bombers (Tu-95s) must be destroyed before they bomb Allenfort Air Base, the last line of defense before Northpoint, the ISAF headquarters.
2. Imminent Threat - Enemy bombers (again, Tu-95s) at Rigley Air Base must be destroyed before they can threaten the ISAF.
3. The Northern Eye - Erusian radar is making it hard for allied forces to retreat, the radar must be taken out.
4. Blockade - Transport planes (C-17s) supplying the enemy Aegir fleet must be destroyed, but two E-767's are jamming radar and must be taken out first.
5. Lifeline - Destroy the petrochemical plants that supply oil for the Aegir Fleet. Afterwards, a hasty escape will be necessary from the enemy's elite Yellow Squadron.
6. Invincible Fleet -The Aegir fleet must be destroyed, as well as supporting defenses.
7. Deep Strike - Solar power plants that supply power for the enemy must be destroyed. Stonehenge, the enemy's superweapon initially built to take out asteroids, is used for the first time against allied fighters.
8. Shattered Skies - ISAF is launching a new satellite but there are a large number of enemy fighters preventing its mission -- they must be destroyed.
9. Operation Bunker Shot - A command post needs to be established as the invasion of Usea takes full force. Ground support is needed heavily. A flight of Erusian A-10s attempt to destroy the landed forces.
10. Tango Line - Istas Fortress, an enemy stronghold, needs to be taken out so ground troops don't encounter much resistance later.
11. Escort - Engineers who built Stonehenge are defecting to the ISAF's side and are taking planes to ISAF territory. The Erusians must be stopped from shooting down the passenger aircraft.
12. Stonehenge Offensive - The enemy superweapon Stonehenge must be destroyed. Afterwards, the Yellow Squadron and allied forces square off, with Yellow 4 (Yellow 13's wingwoman) being shot down and killed.
13. Safe Return - A recon plane (U-2) is flying back, but radar jammers are preventing its safe return. A sufficient number of these jammers must be destroyed as well as the interceptors following the U-2.
14. Breaking Arrows - Cruise missiles have been launched at ISAF troops invading the Usea mainland, they must be destroyed.
15. Emancipation - The city of San Salvacion is to be liberated (this is where the little boy who is telling the story lives). Air and ground support is necessary.
16. Whiskey Corridor - Large tank columns must be destroyed in order to help the ground forces invade the capital city of the Erusians.
17. Siege of Farbanti - First, the enemy headquarters must be destroyed. Then the Yellow Squadron's elite forces, including Yellow 13 himself, must be destroyed.
18. Megalith - With the headquarters destroyed, the enemy resorts to using Megalith, a superweapon with even more devastating capabilities than Stonehenge. A newly formed Yellow Squadron with triple the numbers has been created, and they must be dealt with before destroying the three generators inside Megalith, as well as several giant missiles.

The mission structure is based on sets of six. That is, the 6th, 12th, and 18th missions are major milestones in the story of the game, and are relatively difficult. Cut scenes are shown after these missions.

[edit] List of characters

• Mobius 1 - Call sign of the player-controlled hero of the game. Achieves legendary status amongst both allies and enemies following his single-handed destruction of all the Stonehenge railguns. Shoots down Yellow 4 (during the Stonehenge Offensive) and Yellow 13 (during the Siege of Farbanti).

• Yellow 13 - Enemy ace pilot and leader of the Yellow Squadron. Known for never losing a wingman in combat, and for always flying in the 5 plane formation. Flies an Su-37, along with the rest of the Yellow Squadron. Shoots down a plane that crashes into the storyteller boy's house.

• Yellow 4 - Wingman of Yellow 13. Trained by Yellow 13. She is the only Yellow Squadron casualty at the Stonehenge Offensive.

• Storyteller boy - He tells the story through a sequence of letters he is writing to Mobius 1 after the war is over. His family is killed at the beginning of the war after a plane shot down by Yellow 13 crashes into his home, and he moves into San Salvacion with his uncle. Eventually his uncle disappears (it is unknown why, believed to be because of a drunken comment), so he begins hanging around the Yellow Squadron at a bar in San Salvacion, and he befriends Yellow 13.

• Barkeep's daughter - Older than the storytelling boy, but still a young teenager, she watches over him and helps tend the bar. She also helps relay information about the Yellow Squadron to her father, who is a member of the resistance. She is revealed to be the one who bombed the air base of the Yellow Squadron late in the war.

• Barkeep - Owner of the bar where the Yellow Squadron hangs out. Although he takes a lot of flak from the townsfolk for being nice to the Yellow Squadron, he is really a member of the underground resistance and gathers information to help the ISAF.

• Jean-Louis - Leader of the Yellow Squadron after Yellow 13 dies. He can be killed at Megalith.

• Gene - Field promoted to the leader of the Yellow Squadron if Jean-Louis is killed in the battle at Megalith.

• Esther - Pilot in the Yellow Squadron during the siege on Megalith.

• Mihael - Pilot in the Yellow Squadron during the siege on Megalith.

• Risto - Pilot in the Yellow Squadron during the siege on Megalith. Only mentioned if shot down.

• Kenneth - Pilot in the Yellow Squadron during the siege on Megalith. Risto's death is reported to Kenneth.

• SkyEye - Field tactician and commanding officer of Mobius 1. Operates one or more stations of an AWACS. Calls missile shots and lock-ons for Mobius 1. His birthday is on the same day, September 19, that the missions "Sitting Duck" and "Siege of Farbanti" take place.

[edit] Named Pilots

Throughout Ace Combat 04, there are numerous named pilots that the player can find and shoot down, when a named pilot is shot down, that pilot's special paint scheme for his respective aircraft is unlocked.

• Wang (F-5E), Mission 1

• Cliffred (A-10A), Mission 2

• Tempel (F-16C), Mission 3

• Rigaux (Mir-2000), Misson 4

• Mrkos (MiG-29A), Mission 5

• Levy (F-14A), Misson 6

• De Vico (TND-IDS), Mission 7

• Vrisala (F/A-18C), Mission 8

• Tuttle (F-15C), Mission 9

• Faye (R-M01), Mission 10

• Neujmin (Su-35), Mission 11

• Urata (F-2A), Mission 12

• Gunn (F-15E), Mission 13

• Abell (F-22A), Mission 14

• Olmstead (EF-2000), Mission 15

• Kwee (F-117A), Mission 16

• Halley (F-15 ACTIVE), Mission 17

• Smirnova (S-37A), Mission 18

• Yellow 13 (Su-37), Unlocked after all other special paint schemes have been acquired.

[edit] Music List

01. Shattered Skies

02. ISAF

03. Gateway

04. Operation

05. Stardust

06. The Hangar

07. Scramble

08. Sitting Duck

09. Imminent Threat

10. The Northern Eye

11. Blockade

12. Lifeline

13. Aquila

14. Invincible Fleet

15. ISAF National Anthem: Hymn

16. Echo

17. Deep Strike

18. Stonehenge's Attack

19. Comona

20. Operation Bunker Shot

21. Tango Line

22. Escort

23. Stonehenge

24. Requiem

25. Second Strike

26. Prevail

27. Safe Return

28. Enemy Attack

29. Breaking Arrows

30. Breaking Arrows 2

31. Emancipation

32. Whiskey Corridor

33. Farbanti

34. Silent

35. Mobius

36. Rex Tremendae

37. Megalith - Agnus Dei

38. Heaven's Gate

39. Victory

40. Blue Skies

41. North Point

42. Megafloat

43. Prelude

44. Sadly

45. ZIGZAG

46. Una Limosnita Por Amor de Dios

47. The Bird Spread it's Wings

48. Session

[edit] Series

This game is the fourth in the series of Ace Combat games, the first three being Air Combat, Ace Combat 2, and Ace Combat 3. The game is called Ace Combat 04 because the 04 in the title stands for the time period in which the game mostly takes place — the year 2004. The next title in the series, Ace Combat 5 returns to the old numbering scheme, as the game starts in the year 2010. Ace Combat Zero takes place 15 years before Ace Combat 5 in the Belkan War.

[edit] Superweapons

The two main superweapons are Stonehenge and Megalith. Stonehenge is a battery of railguns that have remarkable range of fire. The massive shockwave produced by firing them, used primarily to destroy asteroids, are able to take down airplanes as well. The next superweapon is Megalith. Housed on an island, probably hundreds of miles from the mainland, is primarily used as a ballistic missile launch platform to shoot down asteroid fragments in orbit. It has a remarkable ground range that can reach the entire Usea continent. To destroy Megalith, the player (Mobius 1) must fly inside the two tunnels and below the central silo to destroy three generators, then you must destroy the large, 900 pt. missile. After flying through the closing panels to escape, a cut scene will commence showing Megalith exploding after your narrow escape.

[edit] Trivia

• The Yellow squadrons plane paint scheme is based upon the 3 Bf-109G G-10 models. Each plane had yellow on the tip of the tail, nose, wings, with the rest gray. Each plane also had a big yellow '13' on the each side.
• Yellow's 13's aircraft is an unlockable paint scheme in Ace Combat 04, Ace Combat 5 and Ace Combat Zero.
• The named pilots are named after comets.
• The F-15 ACTIVE appears in the game as the F-15S/MTD with 2D thrust-vectoring control nozzles instead of the 3D thrust-vectoring control nozzles found on the ACTIVE aircraft.
• The superweapon Stonehenge is named after the site Stonehenge in Britain.
  • Stonehenge's massive railguns are arranged to resemble to the positions of the megaliths in the real Stonehenge in the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
  • The superweapon Megalith is named after the stones that made the real Stonehenge, called megaliths.
  • Some believe that the actual Stonehenge site was used for astronomical reasons, this could be the reasons for the following.
• The First Officer's last name on the damaged civilian flight carrying the Stonehenge designers was 'Nagase'. It is not confirmed whether this pilot may be the mother of Kei Nagase, who is your trusted wingman in Ace Combat 5.
• In the Invincible Fleet level there is a building that appears to be similar to one of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center.

[edit] See also

• Aircraft of Ace Combat

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Ace Combat series
Video games
Air Combat | 2 | 3 | 04 | 5 | Zero | Advance | X: Skies of Deception
Objects and locations
Countries / Organisations: A World With No Boundaries | Aurelia | Belka | Erusea | Gründer Industries | ISAF | Leasath | Osea | Sapin | Usea | Ustio | Yuktobania
Planes: ADF-01 Falken | ADFX-01 Morgan| X-02 Wyvern | R-100 Delphinus | XFA-27 | XFA-36A | R-311 Remora | X-49 Night Raven
Superweapons: Arkbird | Excalibur | Hrimfaxi & Scinfaxi | Megalith | SOLG | Stonehenge | XB-0 Hresvelgr | Gleipner | Meson Cannon | Fenrir
Other
Aircraft of Ace Combat | Characters of Ace Combat | Ace Combat X Super Aircraft

[edit] External links

• Official Website
• Fan Site and Forum - Acecombatskies
• Fan Site - Shatteredskies
• The Electrosphere - the largest AC Database on the net