Spiridus
- "The Spiridus is the pride of Valahia! It won't be stopped!"
- ― Spiridus commander
The Spiridus[a] was a class of aerial warships designed under the Golden Axe Plan. One vessel was procured by the Plan for use by the Valahia, an eastern European terrorist organization, during their armed uprising.
After causing severe damage to Tokyo in the opening battle of the Valahia Crisis, the Spiridus was eventually destroyed over London by mercenaries of the International Union Peacekeeping Force. A second Spiridus was later built by the Golden Axe Plan Private Army for use in a terrorist attack on San Francisco. This Spiridus was shot down over Lake Tahoe, preventing it from participating in the upcoming attack.
Etymology
A Spiriduș is a legendary creature in Romanian folklore. Demonic familiars that often take the form of birds, they serve as messengers between the Devil and the human who summoned them. Their master can send requests to the Devil using the spiriduș as an intermediary, in exchange for the Devil receiving their soul in the afterlife.
In Ace Combat, the Spiridus is a massive aerial warship—in effect, a giant bird—gifted to a terrorist organization by a sinister third party. Said terrorist organization, Valahia, is fittingly named after Wallachia, a historical region of Romania.
Design
The Spiridus was a massive aerial warship focused on destructive power over aircraft-carrying capabilities, as opposed to the Orgoi, its lightly armed counterpart. It utilized a box wing biplane design with large upward-canted winglets, which granted it a high degree of lift. A second pair of winglets was present on the tail to provide additional wing area. It had 42 massive engines distributed between five clusters, with seven on each of its upper wings, five on each lower wing, and a large group of eighteen near its tail. It also had at least two command bridges.[1]
While it could not carry aircraft like the Orgoi could, the Spiridus made up for this weakness with sheer firepower. Its primary weapon was an aerial version of the Balaur railgun, which was used to great effect in anti-surface attacks.[2] However, the Balaur also served as the Spiridus's greatest weakness. Due to the extreme amount of energy required to fire, the aircraft had a built-in heat vent that dispersed excess thermal energy during the weapon's charging process. Damage or destruction of the heat vent would severely damage the ship, as shown during the first battle of Tokyo and the battle of London.[1][2]
The Spiridus had a total of four electrolaser cannons, weapons that used lasers to ionize the air and guide massive electric discharges to an intended target, effectively weaponizing artificial lightning. Three of these weapons were positioned on the ventral fuselage for air-to-surface attacks,[1] while a fourth was positioned amidships atop the upper wing, acting as a powerful anti-air weapon that was even capable of destroying ballistic missiles in flight.[1][3] For defensive purposes, the fortress could also deploy infrared countermeasure shells, which were capable of disrupting the tracking systems of enemy missiles and even damaging enemy aircraft at close range. These shells were often deployed behind the Spiridus to dissuade enemy fighter aircraft from launching attacks.[1][3]
Aside from its unconventional weaponry, the Spiridus boasted numerous anti-aircraft weapons—most prominently anti-air guns and surface-to-air missiles—along its wing surfaces, clusters of which were controlled by central fire control units. Damage or destruction of these units would render the weapons inoperable, however, rendering their automation an exploitable weakness.[1][3]
Spiridus II
After the original Spiridus was shot down over London, the Golden Axe Plan Private Army commissioned a second vessel, one with improved weaponry over its predecessor. The successor model boasted READS, a powerful electromagnetic shield that protected the upper half of the fortress from enemy fire. The employment of READS allowed for safe operation of the Hi-TASM thermobaric missile, whose launch ports were protected by the shield. Despite this, however, READS was capable of being disabled for a short time by the use of strong impacts, such as long-range ballistic missiles. Additionally, a fire control unit was needed to guide the missile to its target; damage to the unit would cause the missile's guidance to fail.[3]
History
Spiridus I
Tokyo invasion
- "Show them the power of the Spiridus! Ready the main cannon!"
- ― Spiridus commander[2]
Built prior to the Valahia Crisis by the Golden Axe Plan, the first Spiridus was given to the Valahia as part of the Plan's objective to sow worldwide terror. It was first deployed in the Valahia's assault on Tokyo on November 15, 2010, an attack which signaled the start of the Valahia Crisis. The aircraft began its attack on the capital by firing the Balaur railgun, doing massive damage to Tokyo Bay's harbor facilities. Soon thereafter, Martinez Security's Antares and Rigel Squadrons soon arrived to the area, and assisted by the Japan Self-Defense Forces, fought off the Valahia's attack. Thanks to a structural analysis conducted by AWACS Canopus, they were able to exploit an internal weakness in the aircraft's design. During the Balaur's recharge sequence, Antares managed to destroy the Spiridus' rear heat vent, causing the Balaur's fire control system to experience a malfunction and rendering it inoperable. The Spiridus subsequently fled Tokyo airspace, its escape screened by Valahian fighters.[2]
Two months after the Tokyo incident, the Spiridus was sighted flying over the Nile River in Egypt. Subsequent searches did not find any traces of the aircraft's presence, instead revealing a Valahia base set along the river.[4]
London assault
- "They've underestimated us. It's time to teach them that size does matter!"
- ― Spiridus commander[1]
The Spiridus remained out of the spotlight until March 21, 2011, where it spearheaded the Valahia's promised attack on London. Antares Squadron was subsequently dispatched to the capital to destroy the fortress once and for all. By the time they got there, the Spiridus had revealed the existence of its air-to-surface electrolaser cannons and used them to attack the city, causing multiple fires within urban areas. Before the cannons could fire again, however, they were destroyed by Antares.[1]
Ceasing its assault on London, the Spiridus redirected its efforts toward aerial suppression, aiming to destroy Antares before resuming the attack on the city and using its AA weaponry—including its anti-air electrolaser cannon—to attack the PMC aces. Nevertheless, Antares managed to destroy the fortress's air-to-air weaponry, rendering it defenseless. Its commander therefore ordered the Spiridus to begin ascending and prepare to fire the Balaur, intending to level London. Despite his crew's protests that the cannon hadn't been repaired since the damage it received over Tokyo, the recharging sequence was initiated anyway. This proved to be fatal, as Antares Squadron destroyed the Balaur's heat vent, causing a chain reaction that ultimately doomed the ship. Its engines disabled and its fuel tanks burning, the Spiridus began rapidly losing altitude. Despite its commander ordering the Balaur to be aimed at the Westminster Palace, the doomed Spiridus fell out of the sky and crashed into the River Thames.[1]
Spiridus II
- "All crew, we've got a warmup exercise before our strike on San Francisco. Get rid of these pests!"
- ― Spiridus II commander[3]
A second Spiridus with upgraded weapon systems was—at some point before June 20, 2011—completed by the Golden Axe Plan Private Army, and was planned to be part of their attack force for an assault on the city of San Francisco. The fortress was hidden near Lake Tahoe, while the main force was stationed at an old airport in Nevada. Now operating outside the IUPF's jurisdiction, Antares Squadron intercepted the Spiridus over the lake on June 20, intending to destroy the ship before it was able to join the main attack force. Despite its improved weaponry and EM shield, Antares was able to disable both READS and its Hi-TASM launch ports in conjunction with ballistic missile attacks from Martinez Security's Dog Bear unit.[3]
Its commander ordered a retreat to the west, attempting to regroup and re-engage Antares. The PMC aces managed to damage its engines, however, preventing the retreat. Backed into a corner, the Spiridus deployed its AA electrolaser cannon in a last stand, but it was quickly disabled. A final missile was fired by Dog Bear, and despite the electrolaser cannon briefly being brought back online, the missile nevertheless struck its target, dealing fatal damage to the fortress. The impact resulted in complete engine failure and a total loss of control, leading to the Spiridus plummeting into the Sierra Nevada mountains.[3]
Trivia
- The Spiridus bears a striking visual resemblance to 'Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere's X-49 Night Raven.
- The Spiridus possesses the highest number of unconventional weapons among the aerial warships featured in the Ace Combat series, with a total of five.
- The original Spiridus's descent into the Thames River is reminiscent of the Gleipnir's near-identical crash-landing into Santa Elva's Lenal River, an event featured in Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception.
- The original Spiridus has the strange ability to perform a maneuver similar to a Pugachev's Cobra.[1]
Gallery
The Spiridus over Egypt
The Spiridus employing an anti-surface electrolaser cannon
The Spiridus aiming its anti-air electrolaser cannon
The apex of the Battle of Tokyo
The Spiridus releasing IRCMs
Spiridus firing the Balaur
Concept art of the Spiridus
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Mission 12B: "Nightwatch", Ace Combat: Joint Assault.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Mission 02: "Bird Hunt", Ace Combat: Joint Assault.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 Mission 20: "Ghost Hunt", Ace Combat: Joint Assault.
- ↑ Mission 06: "Desert Dawn", Ace Combat: Joint Assault.
Footnotes
- ↑ Spiridus (スピリダス Supiridasu)