Anti-asteroid laser

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Anti-asteroid laser
Manufacturer	Usea
Function	Asteroid interception
Creation	Post-1994
Operators	Usean Rebel Forces
Deployment	Usean coup d'état
Destruction	August 30, 1998

The anti-asteroid laser system was one of the defensive weapons created by the nations of Usea to combat the threat of the Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid. It was designed to destroy asteroids outside Earth's atmosphere and was also capable of engaging targets on the planet's surface. It was destroyed by the Usean Allied Forces during the Usean coup d'état.

History

Conception

Development of the anti-asteroid laser system began sometime after the news of Ulysses's impending collision with Earth was made public in 1996. When the Federation of Central Usea's plans for a National Missile Defense network fell through, the member states of the Central Usea Treaty Organization likely threw their backing behind the system. Five laser modules were completed by 1998; it is unclear of the project was abandoned at this point in favor of Stonehenge, but the laser components would remain active and in storage at the Comona Islands.

Usean coup d'état

At the outbreak of the Usean coup d'état, the Usean Rebel Forces seized control of key areas across the continent, including the Comona Islands. The rebel forces raided the space center's equipment stores and acquired the laser components, which they planned to launch into orbit. From space, the rebel forces could inflict massive damage on the Usean Allied Forces, allowing them to win the war in short order. Four laser weapons were stored in separate hangars around the facility, and the fifth was loaded onto a shuttle.

The weapon was also stored in shipping containers

On August 30, 1998, the rebel forces made preparations to launch the first laser module into orbit. The Allied Forces responded by dispatching Scarface Squadron to the Comona Islands to interdict the launch. Despite anti-aircraft guns and numerous rebel defense fighters, the squadron destroyed each of the facilities that housed a laser weapon. The rebels then hastily attempted to launch the fifth module into space, but the shuttle in which it was stored was quickly destroyed.

This engagement was the last known mention of the laser weapon.

Trivia

• In Ace Combat 2, the shuttle being launched from the Comona Islands is a required target for the mission, but is never stated why. The mission in question, Toy Box, focuses on destroying the experimental XB-10 bomber rather than a laser weapon.