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| X-02 Wyvern |
X-02 WyvernThe X-02 is a fictional stealthy multirole fighter aircraft in the games Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat 5. The X in the name hints towards that it could be an experimental aircraft.
X-02: Multirole Fighter
The in-game description of the X-02 is as follows: "A Stealth aircraft built with the pinnacle of Erusian military technology. Boasts total air-to-air and air-to-ground combat capability." In Ace Combat 5, the aircraft is called the Wyvern.
The X-02 is regarded as the overall best airplane you can purchase in the PlayStation 2 game Ace Combat 4. It is the most agile plane in the game and also one of the fastest. While it has an only average defensive rating, its extremely high mobility should allow its pilots to avoid taking too much damage.
Aircraft Statistics
The X-02 costs 1,414,000 credits to purchase its first and second paint schemes. It costs 1,838,000 to purchase its third paint scheme. The X-02 carries 950 rounds of ammunition for its vulcan cannon, and 82 standard missiles. The aircraft also comes equipped with Advanced Long Range Air-to-Air (XLAA) missiles as its secondary weapon. A Bomblet Dispenser (BDSP) can be purchased for 240,000 credits and Quick Maneuvering Air-to-Air (QAAM) missiles can be purchased for 160,000 credits. The X-02 can carry 26 XLAAs, 24 BDSPs, and 16 QAAMs.
The X-02's second paint scheme can be unlocked by clearing the game on the Hard difficulty setting with an "S" rank on every mission. The third paint scheme is unlocked by clearing the game on Expert difficulty with an "S" rank on every mission.
The aircraft's top speed (level flight) is approximately 1550 miles per hour (2494 kilometers per hour). Speeds in excess of 1600 mph (2575 km/h) can be achieved during steep dives.
Aircraft Configuration
The wing design of the X-02 is a very unique "W" shape. It consists of traditional rearward-swept wings with smaller forward-swept portions at the wings' edge (see Grumman X-29). The aircraft has canards and rear ruddervators; two angled wing sections instead of a conventional control surfaces. The X-02 also features 3-D thrust vectoring for added mobility.
The most interesting aspect of the X-02 is its "switchblade wings:" as their function is similar to that of a switchblade knife. During high speed flight (+380 mph, +612 km/h), the outer, forward-swept portion of the wing folds inward, leaving just the rearward-sweeping wings. Also, the twin ruddervators, normally in a "V" shape, fold down; so they are level with the aircraft's other wings.
The X-02 stores all of it missiles and rockets in 3 internal weapons bays. A large bay runs in the center of the aircraft in-between the engines and is used to hold its special weapons. Its standard missiles are carried on two smaller, retractable racks that fold down from the lower engine nacelles.
The X-02 can be used as a carrier based aircraft and has in-flight refueling capabilities.
Note: The game does not specify the units for speed however, altitude is given in feet, so it can be assumed that speed is given in miles per hour.
See also
- Ace Combat 4
- Ace Combat 5
External links
- [http://www.acecombat04.com/ Ace Combat 4 Website]
- [http://www.aerospaceweb.org/question/planes/q0192b.shtml Pictures of the X-02]
Refrences
- [http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/ace_combat_4_d.txt Ace Combat 4 Walkthrough by "Minesweeper"]
- [http://db.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/ace_combat_04_planes.txt Ace Combat 4 Plane Guide by "Gbness"]
Category:Fictional aircraft
ja:X-02 (架空の軍用機)
StealthStealth can refer to several things:
- Stealth technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles
- Stealth aircraft are aircraft using stealth technology
- Stealth (film) (2005)
- "Stealth" is claimed as a trademark by Leo Stoller, who threatens to sue anybody who uses it in a product or company name, domain name, or even in the text of a Web site.
- Dodge Stealth (car)
ja:ステルス
Ace Combat 04
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.
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 country 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 is also 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. 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.
Game play
During the course of the game, the player has the opportunity to buy approximately 20 different planes, from those that actually exist to prototypes, and their weaponry. Every plane has two alternate looks, 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 take. On the hardest difficulty level a single missile from the enemy will down the player's airplane, whereas on the easiest level it takes 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 better than others for certain types of missions. Once the mission objectives are complete, the player is awarded bonus money for performing above and beyond the requirements of the mission objectives. In order to purchase all planes and weapons in the game, the game must be completed at least 3 to 4 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:
- Hairpin turns are possible at Mach 2
- Some airplanes can carry up to 100 missiles
- Planes can drop weapons such as napalm or unguided bombs while inverted
- air-to-air missles are as equally effective against ground targets as air-to-ground missles and unguided bombs.
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.
| 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 |
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) |
List of missions
#Sitting Duck - Six enemy bombers must be destroyed before they bomb Allenfort Air Base, the last line of defense before Northpoint, the ISAF headquarters.
#Imminent Threat - Enemy bombers at Rigley Air Base must be destroyed before they can threaten the ISAF.
#The Northern Eye - Erusian radar is making it hard for allied forces to retreat, the radar must be taken out.
#Blockade - Transport planes supplying the enemy Aegir fleet must be destroyed, but two E-767's are jamming radar and must be taken out first.
#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.
#Invincible Fleet -The Aegir fleet must be destroyed, as well as supporting defenses.
#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.
#Shattered Skies - ISAF is launching a new satellite but there are a large number of enemy fighters preventing its mission -- they must be destroyed.
#Operation Bunker Shot - A command post needs to be established as the invasion of Usea takes full force. Ground support is needed heavily.
#Tango Line - Istas Fortress, an enemy stronghold, needs to be taken out so ground troops don't encounter much resistance later.
#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.
#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.
#Safe Return - A recon plane is flying back, but radar jammers are preventing its safe return. A sufficient number of these jammers must be destroyed.
#Breaking Arrows - Cruise missiles have been launched at ISAF troops invading the Usea mainland, they must be destroyed.
#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.
#Whiskey Corridor - Large tank columns must be destroyed in order to help the ground forces invade the capital city of the Erusians.
#Siege of Farbanti - The enemy headquarters must be destroyed. The Yellow Squadron's elite forces must be destroyed here. Yellow 13 dies.
#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 formed, 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.
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 destruction of Stonehenge. 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. Flies a Su-37, along with the rest of the Yellow Squadron. Shoots down a plane that crashes into the storyteller boy's house.
- Yellow 4 - Wingwoman 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 is killed, 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.
- 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.
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 doesn't return to the old numbering scheme, as the game starts in the year 2010.
External links
- [http://www.acecombat04.com Official Website]
- [http://shatteredskies.net/ Fan Site]
Category:PlayStation 2 games
Category:2001 computer and video games
Category: Simulation computer games
Category: Namco games
Ace Combat 5
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War 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: Squadron Leader.
Game premise
With the campaign mode the player takes on the role of the trainee Blaze of the Osea Air Defense Force (OADF). After a routine training mission resulted in the death of two instructors and numerous trainees, Blaze is bumped up to being an active member of the Wardog squadron that includes Kei Nagase (Edge), Alvin Davenport (Chopper), and squad leader Jack Bartlett (Heartbreak One). Strange recon activities by an unknown nation, believed to be the nearby Yuktobania, a massive superpower that cannot be defeated easily. Tensions rise between Osea and Yuktobania, and the Wardog squadron is sent to investigate. Soon, The Union of Yuktobanian Republics declares war on the Osean Federation. But, this war was not instigated by Yuktobania, as is believed early in the game. The fallen nation of Belka , which was defeated by the united nations of Osea and Yuktobania in the Great War of 1995, sought revenge and pitted the two nations against each other.
With the arcade mode the player takes on the role of Mobius 1 from Ace Combat 04 in a more fast-paced game with different missions and objectives than the campaign mode.
Game play
During the course of the game, the player has the opportunity to buy 53 different planes, from those that actually exist to prototypes to fantasy planes. Many planes have alternate paint jobs, gained by meeting certain goals in missions. There are a total of 32 missions in the campaign mode.
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 take. On the hardest difficulty level a single missile from the enemy will down the player's airplane, whereas on the easiest level it takes several missiles.
The player ultimately gains control of a squadron of their own, and must purchase planes for squadron members. When preparing for a mission, the player gets to pick each airplane that each squad member will use. During missions some orders can be given to wingmen, such as whether to actively engage enemies, spread out, and use special weapons.
The player must purchase all airplanes and weapons they want to use — up to 4 (one for each squad member).Players gain money by destroying enemies. Once the mission objectives are complete, the player is awarded bonus money for performing above and beyond the requirements of the mission objectives. With missions that require landing or refueling in mid-air, bonus money can be earned by doing them quickly
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:
- Hairpin turns are possible at very high speed
- Some airplanes can carry nearly 100 missiles
- One airplane has a high powered laser (Note that the Falken is a prototype plane from a corporation in the game)
Differences between Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat 5
There are a number of key differences between Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat 5. These include:
- AC5 does not have support for more than one player
- AC5 added the ability to arm and control your wingmen
- AC5 does not allow the player to rearm their airplane during missions
- AC5 awards medals for accomplishing various goals
- AC5 does not allow the player to choose their secondary weapon on planes
- AC5 unlocks some planes by forcing the user to "level up" planes by using them repeatedly
- AC5 awards credits to the player even if their wingmen shoot enemies
- AC5 wingmen will destroy mission objective targets
- AC5 allows the user to choose between two missions at points in the game
Aircraft
The following aircraft are pilotable. Other aircraft are in the game, but are not pilotable.
List of missions
1. Shorebirds - Wardog squadron (Heartbreak One, Edge, Chopper, and Blaze) intercepts a damaged SR-71 recon plane. While guiding it back to their base, escort fighters arrive and engage Wardog squadron.
2. Open War - Wardog squadron destroys a flight unmanned recon drones and is once again engaged by Yuktobanian fighters. Heartbreak One is shot down. Yuktobania officially declares war on Osea.
3. Narrow Margin - Blaze becomes the squad leader of Wardog squadron. They are called upon to help the aircraft carrier Kestrel escape the harbor it is stationed in, as it has come under attack by Yuktobania.
4. First Flight - Sand Island, home of Wardog squadron, is attacked by Yuktobanian bombers. Hans Grimm (Archer) joins Wardog squadron.
5. Rendezvous - Wardog Squadron escorts three aircraft carriers, including the Kestrel, to the inland sea, but just as forces are leaving, enemies arrive. A subsequent Ballistic missile attack destroys two of the aircraft carriers, but the Kestrel survives.
6. White Bird (Part I) - Yuktobanian forces attack the Osean Space Center during supply launch to the Arkbird, a maneuvering orbital spacecraft, with Airborne Tank forces and cruise missiles. Wardog squadron destroys most of the attackers, the launch is successful.
7. Front Line - Wardog squadron leads a trainee flight against an attacking fleet of Yuktobanian ships, led by the Yuktobanian submerisble carrier Scinfaxi.
8. Handful of Hope - Wardog Squadron assists a damaged C-5, on a Top Secret mission, through the Osean Anti-Air Defense network. After encountering mechanical trouble, the C-5 is forced to make an emergency landing. A squadron known as the 8492nd protects the cargo until the crew is rescued.
9. Lit Fuse - Plans to take a foothold of Yuktobania are completed, and ground forces advance on the Bastok Peninsula to establish a beachead. The operation is successful and a forward base is established to continue operations within the country.
10. Blind Spot - Retreating planes from the previous mission are the primary targets in this mission. Escorted by E-767 jammer aircraft, they are successfully destroyed by Wardog. However, an engineering college is attacked when the 8492nd Squadron comes on the radio. Wardog squadron is believed to be the only Osean unit operating in the area and are blamed for the incident. It is later revealed that there is no squadron with the number 8492.
11a. Chain Reaction - Wardog squadron protects Apito International Airport, in Osea, which is under attack by Yuktobanian attack aircraft. Military transport planes are found on the runway, which release a battalion of tanks and SAMs to destroy the airport and any civilian planes in the air.
11b. Reprisal - Gas has been spread in the town of Bana in Osea. Wardog squadron flies specially fitted airplanes with a neutralizing agent. Afterwards, the terrorists try to escape via a lengthy car chase to reach their dust-off site, Marvin Bridge. AH-64 helicopters descent to pick them up and are shot down by Wardog.
12a. Powder Keg - Wardog squadron destroys a series of underground muntions depots while dodging guerilla fire from the surrounding forest.
12b. Four Horsemen - Wardog squadron attacks a large Yuktobanian munitions factory protected by a sophisticated radar network.
13. Demons of Razgriz - Attack preparations are underway to advance on Cinigrad, the Yuktobanian Capital, but the submersible carrier Hrimfaxi is threatening the ground forces with its burst missiles. Wardog is sent to the icy waters of Razgriz Straits, where they launch a surprise attack on the Hrimfaxi and sink it.
14. Ice Cage - Sea Goblin helicopters arrive to liberate a prisoner of war camp. After Wardog squadron takes out the surrounding defenses, Edge gets shot down.
15. White Noise - Wardog Squadron conducts a Combat Search and Rescue for Edge.
16a. Desert Arrow - An Osean tank brigade, and a flight of B-52 Bombers assault a Headquarters installation and a weapons depot in the Jilachi Desert. Wardog Squadron provides Close Air Support.
16b. Desert Lightning - Osean Army forces assault a Yuktobanian air field and an oil refinery in the Jilachi Desert, and Wardog squadron provides Close Air Support for both.
17. Journey Home - Wardog squadron flies in formation over a stadium where the Vice President of Osea gives a speech. The stadium is attacked by multiple waves of fighters. Reinforcements were signalled, but are sent home after the 8492nd Squadron says it was a drill. After a lengthy air battle, Chopper takes a hit on his plane. Unable to eject, in order to avoid civilian casualties he crashes his plane into the center of the stadium and dies. Remaining enemy forces withdraw from the fight when Osean reinforcements return.
18. Fortress - Cruik fortress, on the way to the capital of Yuktobania, is assaulted by Osean ground forces with the help of Wardog squadron.
18+. 8492 - Wardog Squadron is intercepted and attacked by the 8492nd Squadron, while returning from the assault on Cruik Fortress.
19. Final Option - Captain Hamilton, the Adjutant Base Commander, has convinced Colonel Perrault that the Wardog Squadron are Yuktobanian spies. Pops and Genette join them in escaping Sand Island with Hawk trainer aircraft. They quickly take off and fly to the ocean. However, above Solo Island, they are intercepted once again by the F-15S/MTDs of the "8492nd" squadron. With Pop's help, Wardog escapes the 8492nd, but are intercepted by Captain Marcus Snow of the carrier Kestrel. However, he fakes your death by shooting down the planes after you bail out. The squadron is rescued by Sea Goblin helicopters.
20. Ancient Walls - Snow, callsign Swordsman, joins the Wardog squadron as they set up with the aircraft carrier Kestrel. They launch to rescue Osean President Harling in an ancient castle and are successful. Harling declares the Wardog survivors and Snow to be an autonomous unit under his direct command. The squadron officially adopts the name "Razgriz."
21. Solitaire - An active mineshaft and airfield are located in Belka. Recon photos taken during the mission reveal tactical nuclear weapons used during the last war. Grabacr and Ofnir, the respective Osean and Yuktobanian aggressor squadrons, scramble to intercept, but are forced to retreat.
22. Closure - Razgriz squadron attacks and destroys the Belkan nuclear weapons stockpile.
23. Ghosts of Razgriz - One of the nuclear weapons from the mine is disarmed by a resistance group. Razgriz squadron secures the surrounding area and takes out four Su-35s of Ofnir Squadron.
24. White Bird (Part II) - After tracking the Arkbird's orbit from the ground, it is revealed that it contains a Belkan nuclear weapon, targetted to attack Okchabursk in Yuktobania. The Arkbird is intercepted and destroyed by Razgriz.
25. Heartbreak One - Bartlett has rescued Yuktobanian Prime Minister Nikanor from prison. He, much like Osean President Harling, was imprisoned by Belka. With help from the Wardog squadron they escape via a nearby airfield.
26. Sea of Chaos - President Harling and Prime Minister Nikanor set out to reveal to the world that the entire war was set up by the Belkans and they should stop fighting. The Yuktobanian naval fleet and the Osean naval fleet are meeting head on. Wardog squadron helps destroy the Yuktobanian naval fleet that is under control of the Belkans.
27. Aces - The Kestrel is sunk by a missile attack, but manages to launch the Razgriz squadron to attack the SOLG (Strategic Orbital Linear Gun) Control Facility, in the Belkan city of Sudentor. The SOLG is a satellite constructed by Osea and abandoned, but was completed by the Belkans to wield a MIRV nuclear missile, the V-2. Captain Hamilton, once stationed at Sand Island, is killed.
27+. The Unsung War - With control cut off from the surface, the SOLG descends. Its landing point is downtown Oured, the capital of Osea. Razgriz launches to destroy the SOLG, but are intercepted by Grabacr and Ofnir squadrons. After destroying the two final aggressor squadrons, the SOLG is destroyed, and Oured is saved. With the war over, the pilots of Razgriz disband and assume normal lives.
List of major characters
- "Blaze" is the callsign of the player, his real name and his appearance are never revealed. Blaze rises from trainee to squad captain of the Wardog squadron after Bartlett is shot down.
- Captain Nicholas Anderson, 61, is the Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier Kestrel.
- Captain Jack Bartlett, 42, callsign "Heartbreak One", is the leader of the Wardog squadron. He has been a Captain in the Osean army for many years. Additionally, he helped Pops after they were both shot down over enemy territory. During the events of AC5 he is shot down but works behind enemy lines to rescue Prime Minister Nikanor.
- 2nd Lieutenant Peter Beagle, 56, a.k.a. "Pops", is a mechanic for the Wardog squadron, but was a very accomplished ace many years prior when fighting for the Belkans.
- Alvin Davenport, 29, callsign "Chopper", is a member of Wardog squadron. He is shot down and killed flying cover for the Osean Vice President's speech in November International Stadium (Journey Home).
- Albert Genette, 32, is a photojournalist assigned to Sand Island. He covers many of Wardog squadron's battles and turns them into living legends.
- Hans Grimm, 19, callsign "Archer", is a trainee pilot who ends up taking the fourth spot in Wardog squadron after Bartlett is shot down. He has a brother who is part of the ground forces.
- Captain Allen Hamilton, 28, is the Adjutant Base Commander at Sand Island. It is revealed that he once flew with the Grabacr Sqaudron, and that he is actually working for the Belkans ( Final Option ).
- Vincent Harling is the president of Osea.
- Kei Nagase, 23, callsign "Edge", is the female pilot in the Wardog squadron. She remains dedicated to protecting Blaze after seeing Bartlett shot down. She is shot down during a mission to rescue Osean POWs (Ice Cage), but is rescued shortly thereafter. (White Noise).
- Seryozha Viktrovich Nikanor is the Prime Minister of Yuktobania.
- Colonel Orson Perrault, 48, is the Commander of the Sand Island base. He is duped into thinking that Wardog squadron are spies, forcing them to escape with Pops' help (Final Option).
- Captain Marcus Snow, 34, callsign "Swordsman", is leader of Kestrels air wing. He joins the Wardog squadron after helping them fake their deaths (Final Option).
- AWACS Thunderhead is the Osean AWACS for Wardog squadron.
- AWACS Oka Nieba (Means 'Eye of the Heavens' in Polish) is the Yuktobanian AWACS for Razgriz squadron's last two missions.
External links
- [http://acecombat5.namco.com Ace Combat 5 official site]
- [http://www.acecombat.net/forums/index.php Ace Combat Series Forum]
- [http://www.acecombat.net Ace Combat 5 Fansite]
Category:2004 computer and video games
Category:PlayStation 2 games
Category: Simulation computer games
Category: Namco games
Ace Combat 5
Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War 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: Squadron Leader.
Game premise
With the campaign mode the player takes on the role of the trainee Blaze of the Osea Air Defense Force (OADF). After a routine training mission resulted in the death of two instructors and numerous trainees, Blaze is bumped up to being an active member of the Wardog squadron that includes Kei Nagase (Edge), Alvin Davenport (Chopper), and squad leader Jack Bartlett (Heartbreak One). Strange recon activities by an unknown nation, believed to be the nearby Yuktobania, a massive superpower that cannot be defeated easily. Tensions rise between Osea and Yuktobania, and the Wardog squadron is sent to investigate. Soon, The Union of Yuktobanian Republics declares war on the Osean Federation. But, this war was not instigated by Yuktobania, as is believed early in the game. The fallen nation of Belka , which was defeated by the united nations of Osea and Yuktobania in the Great War of 1995, sought revenge and pitted the two nations against each other.
With the arcade mode the player takes on the role of Mobius 1 from Ace Combat 04 in a more fast-paced game with different missions and objectives than the campaign mode.
Game play
During the course of the game, the player has the opportunity to buy 53 different planes, from those that actually exist to prototypes to fantasy planes. Many planes have alternate paint jobs, gained by meeting certain goals in missions. There are a total of 32 missions in the campaign mode.
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 take. On the hardest difficulty level a single missile from the enemy will down the player's airplane, whereas on the easiest level it takes several missiles.
The player ultimately gains control of a squadron of their own, and must purchase planes for squadron members. When preparing for a mission, the player gets to pick each airplane that each squad member will use. During missions some orders can be given to wingmen, such as whether to actively engage enemies, spread out, and use special weapons.
The player must purchase all airplanes and weapons they want to use — up to 4 (one for each squad member).Players gain money by destroying enemies. Once the mission objectives are complete, the player is awarded bonus money for performing above and beyond the requirements of the mission objectives. With missions that require landing or refueling in mid-air, bonus money can be earned by doing them quickly
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:
- Hairpin turns are possible at very high speed
- Some airplanes can carry nearly 100 missiles
- One airplane has a high powered laser (Note that the Falken is a prototype plane from a corporation in the game)
Differences between Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat 5
There are a number of key differences between Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat 5. These include:
- AC5 does not have support for more than one player
- AC5 added the ability to arm and control your wingmen
- AC5 does not allow the player to rearm their airplane during missions
- AC5 awards medals for accomplishing various goals
- AC5 does not allow the player to choose their secondary weapon on planes
- AC5 unlocks some planes by forcing the user to "level up" planes by using them repeatedly
- AC5 awards credits to the player even if their wingmen shoot enemies
- AC5 wingmen will destroy mission objective targets
- AC5 allows the user to choose between two missions at points in the game
Aircraft
The following aircraft are pilotable. Other aircraft are in the game, but are not pilotable.
List of missions
1. Shorebirds - Wardog squadron (Heartbreak One, Edge, Chopper, and Blaze) intercepts a damaged SR-71 recon plane. While guiding it back to their base, escort fighters arrive and engage Wardog squadron.
2. Open War - Wardog squadron destroys a flight unmanned recon drones and is once again engaged by Yuktobanian fighters. Heartbreak One is shot down. Yuktobania officially declares war on Osea.
3. Narrow Margin - Blaze becomes the squad leader of Wardog squadron. They are called upon to help the aircraft carrier Kestrel escape the harbor it is stationed in, as it has come under attack by Yuktobania.
4. First Flight - Sand Island, home of Wardog squadron, is attacked by Yuktobanian bombers. Hans Grimm (Archer) joins Wardog squadron.
5. Rendezvous - Wardog Squadron escorts three aircraft carriers, including the Kestrel, to the inland sea, but just as forces are leaving, enemies arrive. A subsequent Ballistic missile attack destroys two of the aircraft carriers, but the Kestrel survives.
6. White Bird (Part I) - Yuktobanian forces attack the Osean Space Center during supply launch to the Arkbird, a maneuvering orbital spacecraft, with Airborne Tank forces and cruise missiles. Wardog squadron destroys most of the attackers, the launch is successful.
7. Front Line - Wardog squadron leads a trainee flight against an attacking fleet of Yuktobanian ships, led by the Yuktobanian submerisble carrier Scinfaxi.
8. Handful of Hope - Wardog Squadron assists a damaged C-5, on a Top Secret mission, through the Osean Anti-Air Defense network. After encountering mechanical trouble, the C-5 is forced to make an emergency landing. A squadron known as the 8492nd protects the cargo until the crew is rescued.
9. Lit Fuse - Plans to take a foothold of Yuktobania are completed, and ground forces advance on the Bastok Peninsula to establish a beachead. The operation is successful and a forward base is established to continue operations within the country.
10. Blind Spot - Retreating planes from the previous mission are the primary targets in this mission. Escorted by E-767 jammer aircraft, they are successfully destroyed by Wardog. However, an engineering college is attacked when the 8492nd Squadron comes on the radio. Wardog squadron is believed to be the only Osean unit operating in the area and are blamed for the incident. It is later revealed that there is no squadron with the number 8492.
11a. Chain Reaction - Wardog squadron protects Apito International Airport, in Osea, which is under attack by Yuktobanian attack aircraft. Military transport planes are found on the runway, which release a battalion of tanks and SAMs to destroy the airport and any civilian planes in the air.
11b. Reprisal - Gas has been spread in the town of Bana in Osea. Wardog squadron flies specially fitted airplanes with a neutralizing agent. Afterwards, the terrorists try to escape via a lengthy car chase to reach their dust-off site, Marvin Bridge. AH-64 helicopters descent to pick them up and are shot down by Wardog.
12a. Powder Keg - Wardog squadron destroys a series of underground muntions depots while dodging guerilla fire from the surrounding forest.
12b. Four Horsemen - Wardog squadron attacks a large Yuktobanian munitions factory protected by a sophisticated radar network.
13. Demons of Razgriz - Attack preparations are underway to advance on Cinigrad, the Yuktobanian Capital, but the submersible carrier Hrimfaxi is threatening the ground forces with its burst missiles. Wardog is sent to the icy waters of Razgriz Straits, where they launch a surprise attack on the Hrimfaxi and sink it.
14. Ice Cage - Sea Goblin helicopters arrive to liberate a prisoner of war camp. After Wardog squadron takes out the surrounding defenses, Edge gets shot down.
15. White Noise - Wardog Squadron conducts a Combat Search and Rescue for Edge.
16a. Desert Arrow - An Osean tank brigade, and a flight of B-52 Bombers assault a Headquarters installation and a weapons depot in the Jilachi Desert. Wardog Squadron provides Close Air Support.
16b. Desert Lightning - Osean Army forces assault a Yuktobanian air field and an oil refinery in the Jilachi Desert, and Wardog squadron provides Close Air Support for both.
17. Journey Home - Wardog squadron flies in formation over a stadium where the Vice President of Osea gives a speech. The stadium is attacked by multiple waves of fighters. Reinforcements were signalled, but are sent home after the 8492nd Squadron says it was a drill. After a lengthy air battle, Chopper takes a hit on his plane. Unable to eject, in order to avoid civilian casualties he crashes his plane into the center of the stadium and dies. Remaining enemy forces withdraw from the fight when Osean reinforcements return.
18. Fortress - Cruik fortress, on the way to the capital of Yuktobania, is assaulted by Osean ground forces with the help of Wardog squadron.
18+. 8492 - Wardog Squadron is intercepted and attacked by the 8492nd Squadron, while returning from the assault on Cruik Fortress.
19. Final Option - Captain Hamilton, the Adjutant Base Commander, has convinced Colonel Perrault that the Wardog Squadron are Yuktobanian spies. Pops and Genette join them in escaping Sand Island with Hawk trainer aircraft. They quickly take off and fly to the ocean. However, above Solo Island, they are intercepted once again by the F-15S/MTDs of the "8492nd" squadron. With Pop's help, Wardog escapes the 8492nd, but are intercepted by Captain Marcus Snow of the carrier Kestrel. However, he fakes your death by shooting down the planes after you bail out. The squadron is rescued by Sea Goblin helicopters.
20. Ancient Walls - Snow, callsign Swordsman, joins the Wardog squadron as they set up with the aircraft carrier Kestrel. They launch to rescue Osean President Harling in an ancient castle and are successful. Harling declares the Wardog survivors and Snow to be an autonomous unit under his direct command. The squadron officially adopts the name "Razgriz."
21. Solitaire - An active mineshaft and airfield are located in Belka. Recon photos taken during the mission reveal tactical nuclear weapons used during the last war. Grabacr and Ofnir, the respective Osean and Yuktobanian aggressor squadrons, scramble to intercept, but are forced to retreat.
22. Closure - Razgriz squadron attacks and destroys the Belkan nuclear weapons stockpile.
23. Ghosts of Razgriz - One of the nuclear weapons from the mine is disarmed by a resistance group. Razgriz squadron secures the surrounding area and takes out four Su-35s of Ofnir Squadron.
24. White Bird (Part II) - After tracking the Arkbird's orbit from the ground, it is revealed that it contains a Belkan nuclear weapon, targetted to attack Okchabursk in Yuktobania. The Arkbird is intercepted and destroyed by Razgriz.
25. Heartbreak One - Bartlett has rescued Yuktobanian Prime Minister Nikanor from prison. He, much like Osean President Harling, was imprisoned by Belka. With help from the Wardog squadron they escape via a nearby airfield.
26. Sea of Chaos - President Harling and Prime Minister Nikanor set out to reveal to the world that the entire war was set up by the Belkans and they should stop fighting. The Yuktobanian naval fleet and the Osean naval fleet are meeting head on. Wardog squadron helps destroy the Yuktobanian naval fleet that is under control of the Belkans.
27. Aces - The Kestrel is sunk by a missile attack, but manages to launch the Razgriz squadron to attack the SOLG (Strategic Orbital Linear Gun) Control Facility, in the Belkan city of Sudentor. The SOLG is a satellite constructed by Osea and abandoned, but was completed by the Belkans to wield a MIRV nuclear missile, the V-2. Captain Hamilton, once stationed at Sand Island, is killed.
27+. The Unsung War - With control cut off from the surface, the SOLG descends. Its landing point is downtown Oured, the capital of Osea. Razgriz launches to destroy the SOLG, but are intercepted by Grabacr and Ofnir squadrons. After destroying the two final aggressor squadrons, the SOLG is destroyed, and Oured is saved. With the war over, the pilots of Razgriz disband and assume normal lives.
List of major characters
- "Blaze" is the callsign of the player, his real name and his appearance are never revealed. Blaze rises from trainee to squad captain of the Wardog squadron after Bartlett is shot down.
- Captain Nicholas Anderson, 61, is the Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier Kestrel.
- Captain Jack Bartlett, 42, callsign "Heartbreak One", is the leader of the Wardog squadron. He has been a Captain in the Osean army for many years. Additionally, he helped Pops after they were both shot down over enemy territory. During the events of AC5 he is shot down but works behind enemy lines to rescue Prime Minister Nikanor.
- 2nd Lieutenant Peter Beagle, 56, a.k.a. "Pops", is a mechanic for the Wardog squadron, but was a very accomplished ace many years prior when fighting for the Belkans.
- Alvin Davenport, 29, callsign "Chopper", is a member of Wardog squadron. He is shot down and killed flying cover for the Osean Vice President's speech in November International Stadium (Journey Home).
- Albert Genette, 32, is a photojournalist assigned to Sand Island. He covers many of Wardog squadron's battles and turns them into living legends.
- Hans Grimm, 19, callsign "Archer", is a trainee pilot who ends up taking the fourth spot in Wardog squadron after Bartlett is shot down. He has a brother who is part of the ground forces.
- Captain Allen Hamilton, 28, is the Adjutant Base Commander at Sand Island. It is revealed that he once flew with the Grabacr Sqaudron, and that he is actually working for the Belkans ( Final Option ).
- Vincent Harling is the president of Osea.
- Kei Nagase, 23, callsign "Edge", is the female pilot in the Wardog squadron. She remains dedicated to protecting Blaze after seeing Bartlett shot down. She is shot down during a mission to rescue Osean POWs (Ice Cage), but is rescued shortly thereafter. (White Noise).
- Seryozha Viktrovich Nikanor is the Prime Minister of Yuktobania.
- Colonel Orson Perrault, 48, is the Commander of the Sand Island base. He is duped into thinking that Wardog squadron are spies, forcing them to escape with Pops' help (Final Option).
- Captain Marcus Snow, 34, callsign "Swordsman", is leader of Kestrels air wing. He joins the Wardog squadron after helping them fake their deaths (Final Option).
- AWACS Thunderhead is the Osean AWACS for Wardog squadron.
- AWACS Oka Nieba (Means 'Eye of the Heavens' in Polish) is the Yuktobanian AWACS for Razgriz squadron's last two missions.
External links
- [http://acecombat5.namco.com Ace Combat 5 official site]
- [http://www.acecombat.net/forums/index.php Ace Combat Series Forum]
- [http://www.acecombat.net Ace Combat 5 Fansite]
Category:2004 computer and video games
Category:PlayStation 2 games
Category: Simulation computer games
Category: Namco games
Ace Combat 4
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.
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 country 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 is also 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. 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.
Game play
During the course of the game, the player has the opportunity to buy approximately 20 different planes, from those that actually exist to prototypes, and their weaponry. Every plane has two alternate looks, 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 take. On the hardest difficulty level a single missile from the enemy will down the player's airplane, whereas on the easiest level it takes 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 better than others for certain types of missions. Once the mission objectives are complete, the player is awarded bonus money for performing above and beyond the requirements of the mission objectives. In order to purchase all planes and weapons in the game, the game must be completed at least 3 to 4 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:
- Hairpin turns are possible at Mach 2
- Some airplanes can carry up to 100 missiles
- Planes can drop weapons such as napalm or unguided bombs while inverted
- air-to-air missles are as equally effective against ground targets as air-to-ground missles and unguided bombs.
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.
| 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 |
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) |
List of missions
#Sitting Duck - Six enemy bombers must be destroyed before they bomb Allenfort Air Base, the last line of defense before Northpoint, the ISAF headquarters.
#Imminent Threat - Enemy bombers at Rigley Air Base must be destroyed before they can threaten the ISAF.
#The Northern Eye - Erusian radar is making it hard for allied forces to retreat, the radar must be taken out.
#Blockade - Transport planes supplying the enemy Aegir fleet must be destroyed, but two E-767's are jamming radar and must be taken out first.
#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.
#Invincible Fleet -The Aegir fleet must be destroyed, as well as supporting defenses.
#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.
#Shattered Skies - ISAF is launching a new satellite but there are a large number of enemy fighters preventing its mission -- they must be destroyed.
#Operation Bunker Shot - A command post needs to be established as the invasion of Usea takes full force. Ground support is needed heavily.
#Tango Line - Istas Fortress, an enemy stronghold, needs to be taken out so ground troops don't encounter much resistance later.
#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.
#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.
#Safe Return - A recon plane is flying back, but radar jammers are preventing its safe return. A sufficient number of these jammers must be destroyed.
#Breaking Arrows - Cruise missiles have been launched at ISAF troops invading the Usea mainland, they must be destroyed.
#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.
#Whiskey Corridor - Large tank columns must be destroyed in order to help the ground forces invade the capital city of the Erusians.
#Siege of Farbanti - The enemy headquarters must be destroyed. The Yellow Squadron's elite forces must be destroyed here. Yellow 13 dies.
#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 formed, 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.
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 destruction of Stonehenge. 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. Flies a Su-37, along with the rest of the Yellow Squadron. Shoots down a plane that crashes into the storyteller boy's house.
- Yellow 4 - Wingwoman 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 is killed, 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.
- 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.
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 doesn't return to the old numbering scheme, as the game starts in the year 2010.
External links
- [http://www.acecombat04.com Official Website]
- [http://shatteredskies.net/ Fan Site]
Category:PlayStation 2 games
Category:2001 computer and video games
Category: Simulation computer games
Category: Namco games
Vulcan cannon
The 20 mm M61 Vulcan is a hydraulically or pneumatically driven, six-barreled, air-cooled, electrically fired Gatling gun with an extremely high rate of fire. It has been the principal cannon armament of United States military aircraft for five decades.
Development
At the end of World War II, the United States Army began to consider new directions for future military aircraft guns. The higher speeds of jet-engined fighter aircraft meant that achieving an effective number of hits would be extremely difficult without a much higher volume of fire. While captured German designs (principally the Mauser MG213C) showed the potential of the single-barrel revolver cannon, practical rate of fire was still limited by ammunition feed and barrel wear concerns. The Army wanted something better, combining extremely high rate of fire with exceptional reliability.
In response to this requirement, General Electric Armament Division resurrected an old idea: the multi-barrel Gatling gun. The original Gatling gun had fallen out of favor because of the need for an external power source to rotate the barrel assembly, but the new generation of turbojet-powered fighters offered sufficient electrical power to operate the gun, and electric operation offered superior reliability to a gas operated weapon. With multiple barrels, the rate of fire per barrel could be lower than a single-barrel revolver cannon while still giving a superior total rate of fire.
The Army issued GE the contract in 1946 for "Project Vulcan," a six-barrel weapon capable of firing 6,000 rounds per minute. Although European designers were moving towards heavier 30mm weapons for better hitting power, the U.S. chose 20 mm ammunition, trading projectile weight for rate of fire and muzzle velocity. The first GE prototypes of the T-171 were ground-fired in 1949.
The first production aircraft to adopt the new cannon was the F-104 Starfighter, which finally entered operational service in 1958.
The development of the F-104 revealed that the Vulcan (later redesignated M61) suffered problems with its linked ammunition, being prone to misfeed and presenting a foreign-object damage (FOD) hazard with discarded links. A linkless feed system was developed for the upgraded M61A1, which subsequently became the standard cannon armament of U.S. fighters. It is likely to remain in service for at least another decade.
Description
The Vulcan is a Gatling gun: each of the cannon's six barrels fires once in turn during each revolution of the barrel cluster. The multiple barrels provide both a very high rate of fire--around 100 rounds per second--and contribute to long weapon life by minimizing barrel erosion and heat generation. Mean time between jams or failures is in excess of 10,000 rounds, making it an extremely reliable weapon. The success of the Vulcan Project and its subsequent progeny, the very-high-speed Gatling gun, has led to guns of the same configuration being referred to as Vulcan Cannons, which can sometimes confuse nomenclature on the subject.
Most aircraft versions of the M61 are electric: the barrel assembly is rotated by an electric motor. The self-powered version, the GAU-4 (called M130 in Army service), is gas-operated, tapping gun gas from four of the six barrels to operate the mechanism. The self-powered Vulcan weighs about 10 lb (4.5 kg) more than its electric counterpart, but requires no external power source to operate.
The initial M61 used linked, belted ammunition, but the ejection of spent links created considerable (and ultimately insuperable) problems. The original weapon was soon replaced by the M61A1, with a linkless feed system. Depending on the application, the feed system can be either single-ended (ejecting spent cases and unfired rounds) or double-ended (returning casings back to the magazine). A disadvantage of the M61 is that the bulk of the weapon, its feed system, and ammunition drum makes it difficult to fit it into a densely packed airframe. The feed system must be custom-designed for each application, adding 300-400 lb (140-190 kg) to the complete weapon. Most aircraft installations are double-ended, because the ejection of empty cartridges can cause a foreign-object damage (FOD) hazard for jet engines.
A lighter version of the Vulcan developed for use on the F-22, the M61A2, is mechanically the same as the M61A1, but with thinner barrels to reduce overall mass to 202 lb (91.6 kg). The rotor and housing have also been modified to remove any piece of metal not absolutely needed for operation and replaces some metal components with lighter weight materials.
The Vulcan's rate of fire is typically 6,000 rounds per minute, although some versions (such as that of the AMX International and the F-106 Delta Dart) are limited to a lower rate, and others have a selectable rate of fire of either 4,000 or 6,000 rounds per minute. The M61A2's lighter barrels allow a somewhat higher rate of fire up to 6,600 rounds per minute.
Until the late 1980s the M61 primarily used the M50 series of ammunition in various types, typically firing a 100 gram (3.5 oz) projectile at a muzzle velocity of about 3,380 ft/s (1,035 m/s). A variety of Armor-Piercing Incendiary (API), High Explosive Incendiary (HEI), and training rounds are available. Around 1988 a new round was introduced, the PGU-28, which is now standard for US Navy and USAF aircraft. The PGU-28 is a "low-drag" round designed to increase muzzle velocity, which rises to 3,450 ft/s (1,050 m/s). It is a SAPHEI (semi armor-piercing high-explosive incendiary) round, providing substantial improvements in range, accuracy, and power over the preceding M-56A3 HEI round. The PGU-28 has not been without problems, however. A 2000 USAF safety report noted 24 premature detonation mishaps (causing serious damage in many cases) in 12 years, compared to only two such mishaps in the entire recorded history of the M56 round. The report estimated that the current PGU-28/B had a potential failure rate 80 times higher than USAF standards permit.
Criticism
Despite its reliability and tremendous rate of fire, the Vulcan has been increasingly criticized in recent years for its limited performance.
The ballistic characteristics of the 20 mm round are relatively poor, with the projectile losing energy quickly, and its killing power and accuracy are lacking compared to the heavier 25-30 mm rounds favored by European and Russian air forces. Efforts to develop a higher-caliber replacement for the M61 have thus far had limited success. The USAF spent a great deal of money in 1970s on the 25 mm GAU-7 cannon for the F-15, using caseless ammunition, but it proved to be a failure and was abandoned in favor of the Vulcan. The five-barrel GAU-12 Equalizer 25 mm gun used in the AV-8B Harrier II is a Vulcan derivative, but despite greater hitting power (since it fires a heavier round at virtually the same muzzle velocity) it has yet to find wide application.
Some experts feel that despite its high rate of fire, the Gatling-type weapon is hampered by the time it takes for the weapon to spin up to its maximum rotation speed (about 0.5 second). As a result, a one-second burst only fires about 70-75 rounds, which some experts feel is not enough of an advantage over revolver cannons like the ADEN/DEFA 30 mm weapons to justify the additional weight and complexity. To aid with this shortfall, the M61A2, with its lower inertia can be powered by a hydraulic motor with 5,000 lbf/in² (34 MPa of hydro power instead of the 3,000 lbf/in² (21 MPa) previously used on the F-15 and F-16.
Applications
The Vulcan was used on the F-104, F-105 Thunderchief, some F-106A Delta Dart models, the Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II, the McDonnell F-4E Phantom II, the General Dynamics F-111, the McDonnell-Douglas/Boeing F-15 Eagle, the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, Boeing/Lockheed/General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18 Hornet and Super Hornet, Italian/Brazilian AMX International AMX, and the F/A-22 Raptor. It was fitted in a side-firing installation on the AC-119 and some marks of the AC-130 gunships, and was used in the tail turrets of the Convair B-58 Hustler and Boeing B-52H Stratofortress bombers.
Two gun pod versions, the SUU-16/A (Army M12) and improved SUU-23/A (Army M25), were developed in the 1960s, often used on gunless makes of the F-4. The SUU-16/A uses the electric M61A1 with a ram-air turbine to power the motor. This proved to cause serious aerodynamic drag at higher speeds, while speeds under 400 mph (644 km/h) did not provide enough air flow for maximum rate of fire. The subsequent SUU-23/A uses the GAU-4 self-powered Vulcan, with an electric inertia starter to bring it up to speed. Both pods eject empty casings and unfired rounds rather than retaining them. Both pods contained 1,200 rounds of ammunition, with a loaded weight of 1,615 lb (733 kg) and 1,720 lb (780 kg) respectively. Unfortunately, during service in the Vietnam War the pods proved to be relatively inaccurate: the pylon mounting was not rigid enough to prevent deflection when firing, and repeated use would misalign the pod on its pylon, making matters worse.
A variant with much shorter barrels, designed the M195 was also developed for use on the M35 Armament Subsystem for use on the AH-1G Cobra helictoper. This variant fed from ammunition boxes fitted to the landing skid and was developed to provide the AH-1 helicopter with a longer ranging suppressive fire system before the adoption of the M97 Universal Turret mounting the M197 cannon.
The M61 is also the basis of the US Navy Mk 15 Phalanx CIWS system and the M163 VADS Vulcan Air Defense System (the M168 variant is used). Both are considered inadequate for current missile and aircraft threats, and are being replaced by surface-to-air missile (SAM) systems like the FIM-92 Stinger and RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile.
The weapon's current contractor is Martin Marietta, so the weapon is now officially the Lockheed-Martin M61.
Specifications (M61A1)
- Type: six-barrel rotary cannon
- Caliber: 20 mm (0.79 in)
- Operation: hydraulically operated, electrically fired
- Length: 73.8 in (1.88 m)
- Weight (excluding feed system): 248 lb (112 kg)
- Rate of fire: 6,000 rounds per minute
- Muzzle velocity: 3,450 ft/s (1,050 m/s) (with PGU-28/B round)
- Projectile weight: (HEI) 3.5 oz (100 g)
See also
- M197 Gatling gun
- GSh-6-23 (the closest Soviet/CIS equivalent of the M61, used on a variety of Russian fighters)
External links
- [http://www.f-16.net/f-16_armament_article5.html M61 A1 Vulcan - 20mm gatling gun system] (F-16.net)
- [http://www.fas.org/man/dod-101/sys/ac/equip/m61.htm M61 database item from FAS' website] (Federation of American Scientists)
- [http://www.nazarian.no/wep.asp?id=400&group_id=25&country_id=181&lang=0 Nazarian`s Gun`s Recognition Guide]
ja:バルカン砲
Category:Rotary cannons
Category:Aircraft guns
CanardsIn aeronautics, canard (French for duck) is a type of fixed-wing aircraft in which the tailplane is ahead of the main lifting surfaces, rather than behind them as in conventional aircraft. The earliest models, such as the Santos-Dumont 14-bis, were seen by observers to resemble a flying duck — hence the name.
The term canard has also come to mean the tail surface itself, when mounted in that configuration.
In English, canard also means hoax (but, in contemporary French usage, it means newspaper as in Le Canard Enchaîné). In the field of computing, it has also acquired the meaning of "confused and mistaken belief".
Canard aircraft characteristics
Advantages
confused and mistaken belief
The canard surface normally produces positive (upwards) lift which adds to the overall lift, whereas a conventional tailplane normally produces a downforce, partially cancelling the lift from the main wings.
Careful design of a canard aircraft can make it effectively "stall-proof" - the canard surface stalls first which tends to pitch the nose down and prevent the main wing from stalling.
Canard designs can sometimes have a more useful range of centre of gravity.
Disadvantages
The wing operates in the downwash from the canard surface, which reduces its efficiency.
It is often difficult to apply flaps to the wing in a canard design. Deploying flaps causes a large nose-down pitching moment, but in a conventional aeroplane this effect is considerably reduced by the increased downwash on the tailplane which produces a restoring nose-up pitching moment. With a canard design there is no tailplane to alleviate this effect. The Beechcraft Starship attempted to overcome this problem with a swing-wing canard surface which swept forwards to counteract the effect of deploying flaps, but many canard designs have no flaps at all.
In order to achieve longitudinal stability, most canard designs feature a small canard surface operating at a high lift coefficient (CL), while the main wing, although much larger, operates at a much smaller CL and never achieves its full lift potential. Because the maximum lift potential of the wing is typically unavailable, and the difficulty of using flaps, takeoff and landing distances and speeds are often higher than for similar conventional airplanes.
Examples of canard aircraft
lift coefficient
lift coefficient
Aircraft that have successfully employed this configuration include:
- Wright Flyer
- Santos-Dumont 14-bis
- IAI Kfir
- Saab Viggen
- Eurofighter Typhoon
- Saab Gripen
- Dassault Rafale
- [http://ibis.experimentals.de RJ.03 IBIS]
- Rutan VariViggen
- Rutan VariEze
- Rutan Defiant
- Rutan Long-EZ
- Cozy MK IV
- Beech Starship
- Grumman X-29A
- Rockwell-MBB X-31
- Sukhoi Su-35
- Sukhoi Su-30
- Sukhoi Su-37
- Sukhoi Su-47
- Sukhoi T-4
- Tupolev_Tu-144
- Atlas Cheetah
- XB-70 Valkyrie
- Peterson 260SE (A Cessna 182 with an added canard for STOL operation.)
- Piaggio P180 Avanti
Category:Aircraft configurations
Category:Aircraft components
Category:French words
Thrust vectoringThrust vectoring is the ability of an aircraft to direct the thrust from its main engine(s) in a direction other than parallel to the aircraft's longitudinal axis. The technique was originally envisaged to provide upward vertical thrust as a means to give aircraft VTOL or STOL capability. Subsequently it was realised that the use of vectored thrust in combat situations enabled an aircraft to perform various maneuvers not available to conventional-engined planes.
Most currently operational vectored thrust aircraft use turbofans with rotating nozzles or vanes to deflect the exhaust stream. This method can successfully deflect thrust through as much as 90 degrees, relative to the aircraft centreline. However, the engine must be sized for vertical lift, rather than normal flight, which results in a weight penalty. Afterburning (or Plenum Chamber Burning in the bypass stream) is difficult to incorporate and is not practical for Take-off/Landing, because the very hot exhaust leaves scorch marks on the ground. Without afterburning it is difficult to reach supersonic flight speeds.
Thrust vectoring is also used as a control mechanism for airships, particularly modern non-rigid airships. In this application, the majority of the load is typically supported by bouyancy and
vectored thrust is used to control the motion of the aircraft.
However designs have recently been proposed, particularly for
Project WALRUS, where a significant portion of the weight
of the aircraft is supported by vectored thrust.
A fluidic nozzle diverts the thrust via fluid effects. Tests have shown that air forced into the exhaust stream can effect deflected thrust of up to 15 degrees. Currently in the experimental stage, fluidic nozzles are desirable for their lower weight, mechanical simplicity (no moving surfaces) and lower radar cross section and will likely be featured on many 6th generation fighter aircraft.
Tilt-rotor aircraft achieve thrust vectoring by rotation of turboprop engine nacelles. The mechanical complexities of this solution are quite troublesome, including the twisting of flexible internal components and driveshaft power transfer between engines.
Most current tilt-rotor designs feature 2 rotors in a side-by-side configuration. If such a craft is flown in a way where it enters a vortex ring state, one of the rotors will always enter slightly before the other, causing the aircraft to perform a rather drastic and unplanned roll.
The best known example of thrust vectoring in an engine is the Rolls-Royce Pegasus engine of the Hawker-Siddeley Harrier (with variants built by McDonnell Douglas). Despite of popular belief, it was not applied against conventional Argentine fighters in the Falklands War. The technique has been used in various experimental and development planes, some with vectored thrust in directions other than upwards.
Currently the
- Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter is being developed. Although this aircraft incorporates a conventional afterburning turbofan (F135 or F136) which facilitates supersonic operation, the US Marine/RAF version also incorporates an (LP) shaft-driven, vertically mounted, remote fan, which is clutched-in during landing. The exhaust from this fan is deflected by a thrust vectoring nozzle, as is the main engine exhaust, to provide the appropriate combination of lift and propulsive thrust during Transition.
Rockets or rocket-powered aircraft can also use thrust vectoring. Many missiles use this technique since at launch they are moving so slowly that to be able to steer effectively they would need massive fins, and they would impose a serious drag penalty once they are moving very fast. In addition, rockets often go very high up into the atmosphere or even beyond it, where aerodynamic surfaces are useless, so they need to use gas-dynamic steering. Examples of rockets and missiles which use thrust vectoring include the S-300P (SA-10) surface-to-air missile, AIM-132 ASRAAM air-to-air missile, UGM-27 Polaris nuclear ballistic missile and RT-23 (SS-24) ballistic missile.
List of vectored thrust aircraft
- Boeing V-22 Osprey (Turboprop)
- General Dynamics F-16 MATV (Multi-Axis Thrust Vectoring)
- Hawker-Siddeley Harrier
- NASA Dryden F-15 ACTIVE
- Lockheed Martin F/A-22 Raptor
- Lockheed Martin F-35 Joint Strike Fighter
- McDonnell Douglas/British Aerospace AV-8B Harrier II
- McDonnell Douglas F-18 HARV (High Alpha Research Vehicle)
- McDonnell Douglas X-36
- Rockwell-MBB X-31
- Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-35 MFI
- Moller Skycar
- Chengdu J-10
- Sukhoi Su-30 (in the MK and MKI versions)
- Sukhoi Su-37
- X-44 MANTA
Category:Jet engines
In-flight refuelingAerial refueling, also called in-flight refueling (IFR) or air-to-air refueling (AAR), is the practice of transferring fuel from one aircraft to another during flight. This allows the receiving aircraft to remain airborne longer, and to take off with a greater payload. Usually, the aircraft providing the fuel is especially designed for the task. The requirement to refuel during a flight is primarily a military requirement, and there are no known regular civilian in-flight refueling operations.
History and development
Some of the earliest experiments in aerial refueling took place in the 1920s, when it was as simple as two slow-flying aircraft flying in formation, with a hose run down from a handheld gas tank on one airplane and placed into the usual fuel filler of the other. It was a very dangerous process until 1935 when brothers Fred and Al Key demonstrated the first spill-free refueling nozzle, designed by A. D. Hunter. Nowadays, specialized tanker aircraft have equipment specially designed for the task of offloading fuel to the receiver aircraft, based on Hunter's design, even at the higher speeds modern jet aircraft typically need to remain airborne.
Aerial refueling systems
The two most common approaches for making the union between the two aircraft are the boom and receiver system and the probe and drogue system. Much less popular was the wing-to-wing system, which is no longer used.
Boom and receiver
The boom is a long, rigid, hollow shaft, usually fitted to the rear of the aircraft. (It almost connects the two lower aircraft in the picture at right.) It usually has a telescoping extension, a valve at the end to keep fuel in and permit it to flow, and small wings, sometimes known as ruddevators depending on design particulars (visible in picture below, in the "V" shape), to enable it to be "flown" into the receiver of the aircraft to be refueled. This receiver is fitted onto the top of the aircraft, on its centerline and usually either behind or close in front of the cockpit. The receiver is a round opening which connects to the fuel tanks, with a valve to keep the fuel in when not being refueled, and dust and debris out. The boom has a nozzle which fits into this opening.
During refueling operations, a tanker aircraft will fly in a straight and level attitude at constant speed, while the receiver takes a standard position behind and below the tanker. Modern tankers have lights which illuminate the areas outside this range, so that if the pilot can see them, he is directed to fly back towards the desired spot. Once in position, the receiver pilot flies formation with the tanker, although this can be complicated by wake turbulence. The crewman operating the boom, called a boomer or boom operator (in the USAF, usually an enlisted sergeant), then unlatches the boom from its stowage position, and directs it towards the receiver by "flying" it with the attached wings. The telescoping section is then hydraulically extended until the nozzle fits into the receiver. When an electrical signal is passed between the boom and receiver, both valves are hydraulically opened, and pumps on the tanker drive fuel through the shaft of the boom, and into the receiver. Once the two are mated up, additional lights on the tanker will be turned on if the receiver flies too far to one side, too low or too high, or too near or too far away, activated by sensing switches in the boom. When fueling is complete, the valves are closed and the boom is automatically retracted. In addition to being used by the US Air Force, the boom method is used by the Netherlands (KDC-10) and Israel (modified Boeing 707). Both nations operate US designed aircraft.
Probe and drogue
The drogue (or para-drogue), sometimes called a basket, is a fitting resembling a plastic shuttlecock, attached to a flexible hose at its narrow end, with a valve where the two meet. The receiver has a probe, which is a rigid, but sometimes jointed and retractable, arm placed usually on the side of the airplane's nose.
Again, the tanker flies straight and level, and the drogue is allowed to trail out behind and below it. The drogue is not controllable other than by flying the tanker, so the receiver pilot must fly his probe directly into the basket, at which point wind drag on the basket forces the probe into the valve, which opens to allow fuel to be pumped through. The receiver maintains his position during refueling, keeping an eye on the hose to make sure he remains in a suitable position. When fueling is complete, he decelerates hard enough to yank the probe out of the basket.
Some boom-carrying tankers have special hoses which can be attached to the nozzle of the boom to allow them to also refuel probe-equipped aircraft. Others may have both a boom and one or more hose-and-drogue assemblies equipped. The U.S. Navy, Marine Corps, and other NATO nations use this system, rather than the boom system.
This system was first used on late models of the KB-29M Superfortress. Its first use in combat occurred on May 29 1952 when twelve F-84s were refueled during a mission from Itazuke, Japan to Sariwon, North Korea.
Wing-to-wing
In this method, the tanker aircraft released a flexible hose from its wingtip. An aircraft, flying beside it, had to catch the hose with a special lock under its wingtip. After the hose was locked, and the connection was established, the fuel was pumped. It was used on a small number of Soviet Tu-4 and Tu-16 only (the tanker variant was Tu-16Z).
Strategic and tactical implications
Strategic uses and considerations
The early development of the KC-97 and KC-135 Stratotankers was inspired by the desire of the United States to be able to keep fleets of B-47 Stratojet and B-52 Stratofortress | | |
