Sol Squadron

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"Their jackets all bore the same patch. A relic from a nation that was long gone."
― Dr. Schroeder[1]

Sol Squadron, officially the 68th Experimental Squadron,[2][3] is a former Erusean experimental unit that once served as part of the Erusean Air and Space Administration. The squadron saw deployment during the Lighthouse War, but after the events of Operation Giant's Step, they defected to a Voslagian independence movement and declared themselves to be members of the Voslagian Air Force.

Mihaly A. Shilage, the squadron's leader, accepted his Erusean status; however the other Sol pilots continued to wear the Voslagian Air Force emblem on their flight suits,[1] and several were members of independence movements for their home country of Voslage, which had long been annexed by Erusea.[4] After Mihaly was shot down, Sol Squadron flew alongside the Long Range Strategic Strike Group during Operations Daredevil[5] and Hush.[6]

Sol Squadron was featured as the main antagonist squadron for the majority of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown's campaign.

Etymology

In real-world mythology, Sol can refer to...

  • ...the solar deity from ancient Roman religion, Sol Invictus ('Unconquered Sun').
  • ...the Norse sun goddess, Sól.
  • ...the Latin word for "Sun".

History

Lighthouse War

At the onset of the war, Sol Squadron was formed to support Mihaly on his combat sorties.[1] On May 30, 2019, Mihaly flew solo during Osea's Operation Dual Wielder to check on the Erusean drones deployed on the front lines. He shot down Gargoyle 1 and Golem 2 before retreating from the airspace.[7] The combat physically strained him, so the squadron did not deploy again for over a month.[8]

Champ chasing Mihaly

On July 12, Mihaly, Wit, and Seymour joined a formation of Erusean MQ-99s that were pursuing the Osean reconnaissance squadrons Cyclops and Strider, who were on their way back from surveying Stonehenge. The three Sol pilots caught up with the action in Yinshi Valley, where Spare Squadron was attempting to escort the two squadrons to safety. Mihaly engaged and killed Spare 8 as well as two other aircraft before Trigger engaged him in a dogfight through the valley. Tabloid engaged Wit and Seymour simultaneously to prevent them from chasing Trigger or the other Oseans. All of Sol Squadron eventually retreated from the area after heavy thunderclouds continued to roll in. Despite the efforts of Spare, however, Sol managed to shoot down three of the six remaining recon aircraft, leaving only three survivors.[9]

The squadron remained grounded for another two months while Dr. Schroeder ordered a new flight suit for Mihaly to support his flying style.[10] When the new flight suit arrived and was tested, Schroeder was instantly amazed by Mihaly's control on his aircraft while using the new suit; the other Sol members couldn't keep up with their leader.[10]

During the time in which they were absent, however, multiple Eruseans expressed a desire to request Sol's assistance during pivotal battles of the war, such as the surprise Osean raid on the Njord Fleet. These soldiers' wishful thoughts were rebuked by their comrades, however, who believed that they might as well be praying to the heavens for aid.[11]

Mihaly attacking an Osean Ticonderoga-class Aegis cruiser

Osea launched a large-scale invasion of Erusea's capital, Farbanti, on September 19. Erusea called on the entirety of Sol Squadron to provide backup; the squadron arrived after Osea had already captured the majority of Farbanti's territory and had surrounded the Erusean military's general headquarters. Mihaly managed to sink multiple Osean ships, prompting Osean mission command to order Cyclops and Strider Squadrons to shoot him down. Trigger and Wiseman jointly engaged Mihaly after he shot down Fencer. Wiseman drew Mihaly through Farbanti's submerged district as a distraction until Mihaly killed him. Trigger continued to engage Mihaly, but Mihaly retreated after both sides lost communications, leaving Farbanti in Osean hands.[12]

Defection

After the collapse of Erusea's government, Sol Squadron chose to defect from Erusea and instead joined a joint Shilage-Voslage independence group headquartered at Shilage Castle; the squadron reformed itself as part of the Voslagian Air Force. When Strider Squadron arrived on October 24 with the intention of taking Shilage's stockpiled supplies for themselves, Sol deployed and attempted to defend the area. Trigger shot down Roald and Hermann—their subsequent fates are left unexplored—before Mihaly arrived in an experimental X-02S Strike Wyvern. Mihaly ordered Wit and Seymour to flee and to stay alive for the sake of their homeland, to which they obliged. Trigger engaged Mihaly in an extended dogfight until the Erusean ace finally fell in battle. Mihaly asked on an open channel for Trigger to "put a stop to the drone production" before his radio cut out;[13] he survived his injuries but was crippled and could no longer fly.[14]

One week later, Avril Mead put out a call for those looking to end the war to help retake the International Space Elevator from the Erusean radicals. Wit and Seymour responded under the Voslagian flag to support the Osean and Erusean coalition force in fighting the radicals. The two proved useful to their former rivals; they revealed that Erusea's drones were flying in slave mode alongside radical pilots, and Wit provided a way to destroy the Arsenal Bird by explaining where to attack it.[5] After two ADF-11F Ravens entered the airspace to shoot down the coalition forces, Wit and Seymour retreated to a friendly airbase until the coalition returned the next day. The two pilots joined the others in fighting the Ravens, observing that they flew precisely like Mihaly.[6]

Seymour always survives the final battle against the Ravens, but Wit's fate depends on the player. If the player manages to shoot down both Ravens at around the same time, Wit will survive the fight. Otherwise, the second Raven will shoot down Wit, prompting Seymour to attempt to avenge him during the fight with the first ADF-11.[6]

Postwar

Replica Sol aircraft on an Osean runway behind the aircraft of Strider Squadron

On June 30, 2020, replica Sol Squadron aircraft, including an X-02S Strike Wyvern, were showcased on a runway at Redmill Air Force Base alongside the likes of Strider Squadron, Mobius Squadron, Yellow Squadron, Garuda Team, Avalanche Squadron, Strigon Team and Galm Team at an Osean-hosted ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the end of the Belkan War.[15]

Gallery

Trivia

  • Upon Ace Combat 7's release, Sol Squadron erroneously lacked weapon systems officers in the rear seat of their aircraft. This was fixed in a later update.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Cutscene 06: "The Rose Emblem", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  2. ↑ Aces At War: A History 2019, page 101.
  3. ↑ https://famigeki.tumblr.com/post/177274762471/ace-combat-7-skies-unknown
  4. ↑ https://ace7.acecombat.jp/clm/column03.php
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mission 19: "Lighthouse", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Mission 20: "Dark Blue", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  7. ↑ Mission 03: "Two-pronged Strategy", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  8. ↑ Cutscene 04: "Salty Lake", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  9. ↑ Mission 07: "First Contact", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Cutscene 10: "King of the Heavens", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  11. ↑ Mission 11: "Fleet Destruction", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  12. ↑ Mission 15: "Battle for Farbanti", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  13. ↑ Mission 18: "Lost Kingdom", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  14. ↑ Cutscene 16: "The New System", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
  15. ↑ File:GAZE - ACES at WARS 2020.jpeg
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