Weapons of Mass Destruction

For the general term, see weapon of mass destruction.

This article is about an in-game mission. For the in-universe event, see Fort Norton infiltration.

Weapons of Mass Destruction
Campaign Mission 12 Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
Other Names	Boiling Point An Evil Deep within the Enemy Lines
Mission Order
Previous	The Moloch Desert
Next	The Liberation of Gracemeria
Mission Details
Focus	Air-to-Ground
Objectives	Prevent the WMD catalyst from reaching Gracemeria.
Time Limit	20 minutes
Character	Talisman
Focus	Escape
Objectives	Cross the Return Line to the west.
Time Limit	60 minutes
Character	Talisman
Focus	Air-to-Air
Objectives	Shoot down all aircraft.
Time Limit	60 minutes
Character	Talisman

"Weapons of Mass Destruction" is the twelfth campaign mission in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. The player must avoid radar detection in order to eliminate the enemy transport squad and keep weapons of mass destruction from reaching Gracemeria.

Briefing

Garuda Team, I've got some good news. The chemical agent used as a catalyst for their WMD is being transported to our shores from the Estovakian mainland. This catalyst has already been carried into the outskirts of Gracemeria. As a measure of caution against any attempts to destroy it, it has been concealed at Fort Norton in Gracemeria's north. If we start advancing again, the enemy will most likely bring the catalyst into Gracemeria at a faster pace. If in fact weapons of mass destruction are used on the population of Gracemeria, the resulting devastation can't be expressed in enough words. It will lead to unspeakable tragedies. We've used this intelligence to come up with a solid proposal on how to prevent this scorched earth policy from being executed in our capital.

Just a minute ago, we received a letter of approval for our prevention plan from the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The proposal we put on the table for our scorched earth prevention policy is really quite simple. While the enemy transport unit is stationed at Fort Norton, we'll ambush them. We like to call it our tactic for pre-emptive victory. The enemy has loaded this catalyst into their transport vehicles and is able to send them into Gracemeria at any time. This plan will be carried out by a handful of our top pilots under absolute secrecy. Fly through Fort Norton's canyon at an extremely low altitude to avoid radar detection, and take out those transport vehicles. We've determined that a high-risk mission of this magnitude could not be executed by anyone other than Garuda Team. We're counting on a flawless execution here.

Objectives

The initial part of the mission is a typical canyon flight. Talisman and Shamrock are the only two Emmerian planes (aside from AWACS Ghost Eye) in the area, so the Allied Support feature is unavailable. The airspace above the canyon (2000+ feet) is guarded by Estovakian ESM, so the player needs to stay below 2000 feet.

Along the way, there are three communication centers, each with a number of tanks, watch towers, and AA guns. Once the player is spotted by a center, they have 60 seconds to take out all its units before it contacts the convoy and causes a mission failure. There is also a gunboat in between the second and third communication groups, and the player will have 20 seconds to sink it before it contacts the convoy.

Once the convoy is in sight, the player will have to destroy all of the vehicles and anti-air weaponry. There is no time limit on the convoy, but it must be destroyed before it leaves the combat zone.

After the convoy is destroyed, the player must turn around and exit the combat area. The player is free to go above 2000 feet, and can take out the radar facilities on the return trip, but at certain points, large groups of enemy fighters will appear and engage Garuda Team. The player may return fire, but enemies will constantly respawn.

When the player approaches the edge of the map, an entire battalion of enemy fighters with ESM and (on Hard difficulty) jammer support appears. The player is then ordered to destroy all enemies. After a certain number of planes are downed, Windhover, Avalanche, Sky Kid, Snake Pit, and other allied planes appear and assist Garuda. The Allied Support gauge is completely filled up immediately, allowing the player to request assistance as normal. The mission is completed once all of the enemy planes are shot down.

Aces

• F-2A "FLYUGER" - When the player reaches the transport unit in the canyon, FLYUGER will approach the player from behind and fire Rocket Launchers, and will continue to pursue the player during the Mission Update.

S Rank

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An S rank on this mission requires earning 27,900 points.

Debriefing

Mission accomplished. The WMD catalyst has been destroyed, and we have evaded the scorched earth threat to Gracemeria. As a result, your suspension has been officially lifted, and from this point on we will be dispatching you into various missions again. This war is almost over. All forces resume advancing. We're about to free Gracemeria once and for all.

Trivia

• At approximately 1 minute and 38 seconds, the briefing for this mission is regarded as one of the longest and most drawn-out briefings in all of Ace Combat (it ties with Heavy Command Cruiser as the longest briefing in the game).
• In the northeastern corner of the map, the insignia of Project Aces can be found in the ground.
• It is possible to destroy just the first group of targets at the beginning of the canyon and then rush through the canyon to take out the convoy. This requires very high speed and skill to pull off.
• If aimed correctly, the Allied Support gauge will fill up completely every time it's used due to the number of planes in the mission.