The product of Darkness of Enigma, the X-49 Night Raven is General Resource's ultimate weapon: a fighter plane on a level of advancement so high, even 5th- and 6th-generation craft cannot match it in effectiveness.
Its appearance is highly unconventional: there are no vertical stabilizers, stabilators or ordinary fuselage; the main structure is a large circle with 2 long, rectangular wings extending out of it. There are 2 of these, arranged in a staggered fashion with the top wing being positioned further forward than the bottom wing, and both are attached at their ends with large struts keeping equal distance between their horizontal surfaces, making the X-49 a biplane flying wing in its design. Due to this design, it is both extremely maneuverable and stealthy.
Its propulsion sources are 2 aeon engines that emit green particulates mounted in the top wing behind a single, large air intake, and 6 auxilary jet engines in the bottom wing complemented by a long, rectangular intake in front of them.
The COFFIN-enabled cockpit is as unconventional as the rest of the plane, being mounted in between and above the aeon engines on a large pillar. Inside it, the pilot is seated facing backwards and makes use of an Opto-Neuron-Synapse-Interface system to fly the plane, as opposed to a standard Electro-Neuron-Synapse-Interface system. The ONSI system artificially accelerates the brain's neural network through light stimulation, thus increasing its activity. Due to the increased mental activity, ONSI allows significantly greater combat performance compared to ENSI, however; the increased mental load can cause brain damage to the pilot, as seen in the X-49's one human pilot Rena Hirose, who was de-assigned from flying the plane due to the harm ONSI caused her nervous system.
The X-49's main weapon is a large Laser Cannon mounted in the top wing above the air intake, that can completely obliterate anything in its path, including entire cities (Megafloat was destroyed by it). It also features a concealed missile bay in the front of the bottom wing's circular area.
The Night Raven in the Infinity universe differs from its Strangereal counterpart in its differently-shaped engine nozzle [3] as well as its use of a conventional gun instead of a laser cannon.
History
Strangereal
The X-49 Night Raven was the product of Darkness of Enigma, a secret General Resource project that performed military research into advanced pilot-vehicle neural connections and next-generation fighter aircraft technology.[4]
Rena Hirose, 9 years old at the time, was recruited by the company on Abyssal Dision's suggestion,[citation needed] and was used as a test subject for DOE technologies. On July 21, 2032, Rena successfully flew the X-49 for the first time.[5] However, the upper management in General Resource disagreed with using Rena,[4] especially since the X-49 could only be controlled by someone who had undergone artificial nerve surgery specifically to fly it.[1] As a result, General Resource dissolved the program and ended the X-49's development in 2033.[6]
Following the cancellation of the project, the entire X-49 development team was subsequently absorbed by Neucom Incorporated.[4] They brought some of their data from GR, and this research was later used to produce the XR-900 Geopelia, a similar-looking combat drone.[1]
In the early days of the armed confrontations between General Resource and Neucom, Rena and Nemo followed an A/F-117X scout plane to a General Resource Defense Force base at the Hatties Ravine near the Amber Mountains, where a DOE research facility was erected. After entering the ravine, Rena suffered flashbacks of her involvement with the project and commented on her faint memories of the Night Raven.
On all branches of the simulation, Ouroboros would seize the Night Raven during their uprising, which would be given to a brainwashed Rena on Dision's orders. Towards the end of the war, it would be responsible for the destruction of Megafloat, after which she would escape with Dision. Regardless of Nemo's decisions, the X-49 would be destroyed or otherwise disabled in all routes.[7]
Infinity universe
The X-49 was the product of the Darkness of Enigma project, just like the Strangereal version. It was developed by General Resource, and the plans were sold to Wernher and Noah Enterprises for its use among UNF mercenaries.
Game Analysis
Ace Combat Infinity
"A next-generation aircraft which is the result of "DOE" (Darkness of Enigma), a secret project conducted by General Resource. It features a box wing configuration, a new type of engine and a high output laser weapon. As its nickname (Night Raven) suggests, its appearance on the battlefield is an omen of ill fortune for the enemy.
*The in-game screen display for this aircraft is based on the design from "Ace Combat 3."
Just like the R-101 Delphinus #1, when flying this aircraft, the player's HUD will look similar to the one from Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere in all three camera views. The sound effects for locking on and firing a missile are replaced by those from Ace Combat 3. The "Destroyed" display is also replaced by "Bingo" or "Bullseye", complete with the female voice-acted line from Ace Combat 3 for each.
"An aircraft which had been undergoing research and development by General Resource in the past. Due to the complexity of the unique design and changes in governmental state of affairs, research was halted, and it was believed the experimental craft was destroyed. However, it suddenly revealed itself along with the coup d'etat forces. Detailed data is highly classified, and detailed performance figures of the craft are shrouded in mystery."
In Ace Combat 3, once the aircraft surpasses 3,920 km/h, it will start vibrating violently (but not enough to shake it apart), probably a warning for Nemo to slow down, as in the Su-43, RF-12A2 Blackbird II, XR-900 and UI-4054. This could also possibly indicate that the plane is approaching hypersonic speed (Mach 5+).
