Mission 07: First Contact

Operation Two Pairs

For this mission, bring your most agile/ powerful AA weapon like the SASM, HVAA, QAAM, etc. There are a handful of ground targets in the first part of the mission that you can deal with standard Missiles while the second part will require you to go toe-to-toe against some drones and the enemy ace.

The operation area has heavy thunderclouds looming about with the ground targets scattered in treacherous terrain. If you get hit by a lightning, your plane with lose power in a split second so avoid sticking close to the terrain. Your systems will also suffer a temporary glitches, like problems with the HUD, radar, tracking, etc. You can still fly and use your weapons though you’ll have to compensate with the erratic system until it recovers from the lightning strike. It is possible to get hit by lightning 2-3 times during the entirety of the mission.

For the first part of the mission, you’ll have to deal with the scattered priority targets and the AA emplacements protecting them. The terrain’s rocky formations also causes spots of unstable turbulence which makes flying a bit challenging so carefully navigate around the rocks as you destroy various targets. Some of the targets are also below cloud cover so make sure to carefully go to a lower altitude to have solid lock to your target with your standard or air-to-ground missile.

After destroying the ground targets, allied aircraft will enter the airspace. They’ll also be chased by drones so you have to quickly go to their aid and shoot down the drones. Be careful not to chase them especially when they fly towards the rock formations below. Wait for them to fly back up to engage them again. Continue chasing after the drones and take them out to save your allied aircraft.

Once all drones have been shot down, Mister X will appear in his SU-30SM. A couple of SU-30M2 will also arrive but you’ll have a hard time shooting them down, even if you have a good plane to use and you land multiple hits at them. After a short while, both planes will disengage and you’ll be facing Mister X alone.

You need to actively pursue Mister X but like the drones, avoid following him in the rocky terrain. He has incredible maneuverability that seems to ignore the powerful gusts of wind that can send you crashing if you’re not careful. If he tries to use the rock formation as cover, just stay above and track his movements. Once he flies out of the terrain, continue your engagement. You won’t be able to shoot him down in this battle so you just need to do your best in taking his attention and avoid getting shot down yourself. After landing some hits, Mister X will finally retreat. Mission complete.

Completing this mission unlocks the Queen’s Custom upgrade part. This magnificent campaign-exclusive part increases your aircraft’s acceleration, max speed, maneuverability, and stability. Make sure to equip it to your aircraft of choice for the next mission.

ACE

Thibault Besson “FAUCON” (Typhoon)

Destroy all other hostiles first other than the ones marked as “TGT”. FAUCON will spawn to the middle-northern part of the map. If he’s not spawning, make sure to scan all targets since there might be an optional target (such as an AA emplacement) hiding in plain view.

Mission 07: FAUCON Spawn

RANK S TIPS

It’s possible to score a Rank S even if you don’t have the end-game planes at this point. You just need to clear the phases quickly. For the first phase against ground targets, you can take out all enemy group clusters (unless you’re hunting for the enemy ace)

For the second phase, you have to shoot down all UAVs as fast as you can. For the third phase, it will be tough to shoot down the other SU-30M2 escorts since they’re quite agile and they’ll leave the combat area immediately. Once they leave, you have to deal with Mister X. You may not be able to shoot him down at this point but you have to land as much hits as possible to drive him away. If you end the mission around the 10 minutes, 50 seconds mark or better, you’ll still get a Rank S.

Mission 07: First Run, Rank S