Advanced Dominance Fighter
Advanced Dominance Fighter[1][2] is a series of aircraft developed and produced by Gründer Industries. The designations for aircraft in this series are preceded by the letters ADF. Experimental or prototype ADF aircraft are instead called Advanced Dominance Fighter Experimental (ADFX).[2]
Advanced Dominance Fighter aircraft feature distinctive traits that separate them from other modern aircraft. The engine and cockpit designs are similar between all ADF aircraft and they feature powerful superweapons in addition to conventional weaponry.
History
20th century
The program was initiated in 1985 by Gründer's predecessor, the South Belka Munitions Factory. The first two aircraft developed under the program were the ADFX-01 and ADFX-02 Morgan. Due to economic difficulties, their development lasted ten years and they were not completed in time for the Belkan War's end. A World With No Boundaries commandeered the South Belka Munitions Factory in late 1995; the company agreed to provide the ADFX-02 to the rebel organization on the condition that a skilled pilot fly it in order to gather combat data. Larry Foulke flew the aircraft over Avalon Dam and was shot down by Cipher in a duel. Belka successfully retrieved the flight data from the aircraft's remains. The ADFX-01 was not completed until the Allied Forces took control of the South Belka Munitions Factory.[3]
When South Belka was reformed into North Osea, the factory was renamed to Gründer Industries and continued developing the ADF program. The company used the ADFX-02 flight data to determine which aspects needed improvement,[3] such as downsizing the Tactical Laser System, adding advanced sensors, and implementing stealth capabilities.[4] By 1998, the first ADF-01 FALKEN was completed with these parameters. The Zone of Endless artificial intelligence was also developed and installed on the FALKEN. This model eventually made its way to the Usean continent during the coup d'état. At the end of the conflict, Phoenix shot down the ZOE-equipped FALKEN.[5]
21st century
Sometime within the next 10 years, Gründer improved the ADF-01's blueprints and offered them to Yuktobania, leading the country to develop its own copy of the airframe. Development was split between several facilities across Yuktobania, including one large development plant, but they could not complete a working model before Osea raided the facilities during the Circum-Pacific War.[6]
Gründer continued to work on the ADF program into the 2010s as technology continued to advance. Gründer supplied, among other weapons, new drones to Erusea for the country to use in the Lighthouse War. This included drone-controlled versions of the F/A-18F Super Hornet and Su-35S Flanker-E powered by data gathered by Mihaly A. Shilage under the supervision of Gründer's chief researcher, Dr. Schroeder.[7] They eventually developed the experimental ADFX-10 and deployed it in a mock battle, where attached to a RAW-F as an ADFX-10F Prototype Raven, it defeated 10 MQ-99s in a record 2 minutes. It was later deployed for unknown reasons in August 2019 in Usea's northeast. Cyclops Squadron chased down the drone before Spare Squadron's Trigger shot it down over Bulgurdarest.[8]
Despite the ADFX-10's destruction, Schroeder continued to gather data from Mihaly while Gründer developed the latest fighter in the ADF series, the ADF-11F Raven, based on EASA's demand for "the ultimate in survivability".[9] Two ADF-11Fs were manufactured and installed with the latest of Mihaly's combat data. On October 31, 2019, they arrived at the International Space Elevator and engaged the Osean and Erusean coalition forces in the area, forcing surviving pilots to retreat.[10] The drones waited for the space elevator to power up again following the events of Operation Daredevil in order to mass-produce ADF-11Fs across Usea. The following day, the surviving coalition forces mounted an assault to destroy the two drones, and Trigger eventually destroyed both of them before they could send their data.[11]
Aircraft
The ADA-01A and ADA-01B ADLER, as variants of the ADF-01 FALKEN, are considered to be related to the series. However, since their designations start with ADA instead of ADF, they are not officially part of the series.
References
- ↑ File:ADF-11F Raven Blueprints.png
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://youtu.be/bubsFU4znlE
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Aces At War: A History 2019, page 18.
- ↑ Aces At War: A History 2019, page 48.
- ↑ Fighter's Honor, Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy.
- ↑ Four Horsemen, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 16: "The New System", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
- ↑ Mission 10: "Transfer Orders", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
- ↑ Aces At War: A History 2019, pages 120–121.
- ↑ Mission 19: "Lighthouse", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
- ↑ Mission 20: "Dark Blue", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
