Shock Cannon

Before the two planes take off, capture both of them in one shot. Got it?

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Shock Cannon
Manufacturer	Leasath
Function	Energy-based superweapon
Operators	Leasath
Deployment	Aurelian War
Destruction	Battle of Santa Elva (Gleipnir) Battle of Archelon Fortress (Archelon Fortress)

"Look! The disc on the bottom of it has started to glow! What's it goi-"

― Aurelian ground unit

The Shock Cannon was an energy-based superweapon developed by Leasath prior to the Aurelian War. It was the secondary non-conventional weapon of the airborne fortress Gleipnir, but was used rarely during battles involving the aerial warship, with it instead favoring the Shock Wave Ballistic Missile. A stand-alone version of the cannon was also equipped to the military complex Archelon Fortress as a last line of defense, but never saw use.

The Shock Cannon was deployed during the Aurelian War aboard the Gleipnir, and was used during the Battle of Santa Elva to attack Aurelian ground troops. It would later be used near the end of the engagement in an attempted attack on Santa Elva itself, but the Gleipnir was destroyed by Gryphus 1 before it could fire. The Archelon Fortress cannon remained unused during the final battle of the war, but was destroyed along with the facility itself at the end of the conflict.

Design

The Shock Cannon was a meson-based air-to-surface superweapon powered by a cyclotron-type particle accelerator. The energy was delivered through a disc-shaped device and was designed to operate under the same fuel-air explosive principle as the Shock Wave Ballistic Missile, so as to avoid damage to the structure or aircraft utilizing the device. The non-indicative name of "cannon", reflecting its great power, was used by Leasath personnel as a term of convenience, despite it not being an artillery emplacement or laser weapon.

Prior to firing, the cannon spread a cloud of explosive gas. The cyclotron accelerator—which was unable to produce enough energy to act as a weapon by itself—would then send a directed meson discharge through the firing disc, igniting the cloud and causing a huge lateral explosion. Unlike the SWBM, the weapon's energetic output could be modified to allow it to operate in adverse weather and within many different operational parameters, making it more versatile than its missile-based counterpart. However, the immense amount of energy required to fire the cannon prevented it from being used simultaneously with the Gleipnir's optical camouflage, leaving a loophole for attacks. Additionally, the cannon required a significant amount of time to charge, giving a window to attack both the Gleipnir's cannon and the one mounted on Archelon Fortress.

History

The Shock Cannon was developed by Leasath prior to the Aurelian War, being installed on the Gleipnir as its primary non-conventional short-range weapon. A second cannon was installed on the command building of Archelon Fortress; this model was capable of faster recharging, likely because of an internal power source within the base itself.

Gleipnir

During the Aurelian War, the Shock Cannon was infrequently used by the Gleipnir, which instead favored SWBM attacks against the Aurelian military, leading its existence to be known only by small numbers of troops.

During the battle of Santa Elva, the Gleipnir utilized the cannon and its optical camouflage to quickly destroy Aurelian ground troops advancing on the city. However, after the warship's cloaking system was disabled by Gryphus 1, the Gleipnir turned its attention to the Aurelian Air Force and attacked them using the SWBM, rather than utilizing the Shock Cannon. After all SWBM ports were destroyed, the captain of the critically-damaged Gleipnir ordered the nose be raised and the Shock Cannon prepped to fire, aiming to obliterate the city. However, Gryphus 1 destroyed the cannon before the Gleipnir got within effective range of the city, preventing the cannon from being fired. The Gleipnir crashed into the Lenal River following the destruction of the cannon.

Archelon Fortress

The cannon on Archelon Fortress did not see use during the battle above Sentry Island, and was destroyed along with the fortress itself at the conclusion of the battle.

Alternate events

The information in the following section is sourced from Mission 06A: The Midnight Sun, Mission 07A: Standoff in the Skies I, and Mission 15A: End of Deception I.

Ace Combat Wiki considers Standoff in the Skies II: Leasath Side and Eugene Solano's Memoirs as evidence that Mission 07B: Standoff in the Skies II is canonical, and considers the XFA-33 -Alect- as evidence that Mission 15B: End of Deception II is canonical. As such, Ace Combat Wiki considers the following information non-canon to the Strangereal timeline. Refer to the canon policy for more information.

"We've got no choice! Prepare the fortress defense weapon! To all allied aircraft: All remaining aircraft, withdraw! I take no responsibility for anyone that gets caught up in the blast!"

― Archelon Fortress commander

Gleipnir

Rather than assisting ground troops at Stand Canyon, Aurelia instead opted to ambush the Gleipnir near Terminus Island using both air and naval units. At the onset of the ensuing battle, the Gleipnir ambushed and annihilated the Aurelian Second Fleet using its Shock Cannon before turning its attention to the rest of the Aurelian naval forces. The Gleipnir was unable to complete its mission, however, as its optical camouflage system was disabled by Gryphus 1. Its captain subsequently ordered a tactical retreat to Santa Elva for repairs. While it managed to escape, its SWBM ports were also destroyed, leaving it crippled.

Prior to the repairs being finished, Aurelian forces began an air attack on the city, aiming to destroy the airborne fortress once and for all. Against the captain's wishes, the Gleipnir once more took to the skies, lacking both its SWBMs and optical camouflage. Gryphus 1's attacks quickly disabled its conventional weaponry, however, leaving it defenseless. In an act of suicidal desperation, the captain subsequently seized the controls from the Gleipnir's pilots and managed to flip the fortress completely inverted, before prepping the Shock Cannon for firing. Despite the captain's efforts, however, Gryphus 1 destroyed the Shock Cannon, leading to the Gleipnir's descent into the Lenal River.

Archelon Fortres

During the battle of Archelon Fortress, the facility's commander ordered the activation of the Shock Cannon, and for the retreat of all remaining Leasath aircraft. The cannon managed to fire a single shot, destroying the aircraft of Aquila 3, but was ultimately destroyed by Gryphus 1. The cannon's destruction caused a chain reaction, destroying the fortress itself with it.

Gallery

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  Shock Cannon facility at the top of the Archelon Fortress

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Trivia

• The Spiridus, another airborne fortress which is featured in Ace Combat: Joint Assault, features many similarities with the Gleipnir. It uses a railgun named Balaur, which can be considered a direct analog to the Shock Cannon. A stand-alone version of the Balaur was also built in Romania, similar to the Shock Cannon mounted on Archelon Fortress.