Hostile Fleet

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Hostile Fleet
Mission 10 Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Mission Order
Previous	Siege
Next	Launch
Mission Details
Focus	Air-to-Surface
Objectives	Fleet Attack
Character	William Bishop

"We'll take the minnows while you sink the whale."

― Varona One

Hostile Fleet is the tenth mission in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. It is the only mission in the game where Attacker aircraft can be used.

Plot

The New Russian Federation is holding the Russian Prime Minister hostage on a yacht in the Black Sea, and is transporting him to their fleet stationed there. Navy SEALs and Spetsnaz are preparing a joint-operation to rescue him, but the enemy fleet needs to be destroyed first. Warwolf Squadron is tasked with sinking the enemy ships, while Molot and Varona Squadrons provide cover.

Certain naval vessels in this stage have significantly more health than they do in other Ace Combat games, requiring significantly more missiles to destroy. The ships' AA guns are also capable of doing more damage than they were in previous games. Evading enemy fighters is also more difficult in this mission due to the fact that Bishop flies an Attacker and cannot initiate a Counter-maneuver. Instead, use flares until allies can distract the Flankers. Two of the enemy ships have point-defense networks that are capable of shooting down any missiles fired at them. In order to overcome this, Air Strike Mode must be entered and every plane must fire on the ship at once, thereby overwhelming the Gatling guns.

Top Rank

Earning the top Clear Rank (S Rank in Japanese, A Rank in other languages) on this mission requires a total score of 2,000 or more.

Trivia

• Before the saturation attack against Admiral Braginsky, Magic mistakenly says "Verona flight" instead of "Varona flight".
• In the second saturation attack, Warwolf 4 shouts "Bombs away". The playable A-10 in the game has no bomb special weapon, though it can carry bombs in real life.
• While Bishop defends Hammer 1 and Zoya 1 attacking the ships, Guts says "Another For Davy Jones' Locker" in reference to the pirate legend.
• This mission is the only one in the game's campaign where the player can use an attacker.