XFA-33 Fenrir

XFA-33 Fenrir
Role	Multirole
DLC / Special Variants
XFA-33 -Alect-
Appearances
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception Ace Combat: Joint Assault Ace Combat Infinity

"Oh my g...! He just stopped in midair!"

― An Aurelian Air Force fighter pilot commenting on the Fenrir's extraordinary flight patterns

The XFA-33 Fenrir (simply referred to as Fenrir prior to Ace Combat Infinity) is an original next-generation combat aircraft. It was developed in the Strangereal universe by the Leasath Air Force New Weapon Laboratory as an "ultimate weapon," following the directive of Leasath military dictator Diego Gaspar Navarro. Navarro's scheme to improve and market the aircraft was the catalyst for the Aurelian War, during which time the Fenrir saw combat for the first time.

After debuting in the handheld-exclusive Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception and reappearing in its spiritual sequel, Joint Assault, the Fenrir made its first console appearance in Ace Combat Infinity.

Etymology

The Fenrir is named after a legendary wolf from Norse mythology. The mythological Fenrir is the son of Loki and a key player in Ragnarök, being responsible for the death of the god Odin. Odin's son Víðarr subsequently slays Fenrir in battle. This event is referenced by the medal "The Mark of Vioarr" from Ace Combat X, which is earned by completing either "End of Deception I" or "End of Deception II."

In Ace Combat Infinity, the Fenrir was given the designation "XFA-33" for the first time. Presumably, as with other aircraft that share the designation, "XFA" is a generic designation—as opposed to, for example, "ADF"—that stands for "Experimental Fighter Attacker."

Design

The Fenrir has a massive airframe, rivaling even transport aircraft and bombers in its size. Its wings utilize a polyhedral cropped delta configuration with downward-canted winglets, a V-tail, canards, and dual air intakes. The frontal landing gear is housed within a mouth-like pod beneath the cockpit. The Fenrir uses dual thrust-vectoring engines, which are curiously only capable of aiding in yaw performance, similarly to the XFA-27. A tertiary powerplant placed between its two larger engines is capable of swiveling downwards, providing the craft with VTOL capabilities.

The aircraft uses the Connection for Flight Interface (COFFIN) system for control. Its cockpit features a dashboard with a digital interface that displays vital information, along with a 3D render of the aircraft, which acts as a compass.

The Fenrir was primarily designed to operate as a testbed for experimental military technologies researched in Leasath, including a downsized and improved version of the optical camouflage system used by the Gleipnir. The Fenrir's improved camouflage system also reduced its engine noise, further improving its stealth capabilities. Unlike the Gleipnir, the Fenrir's optical camouflage system required a ground-based energy emitter to function. It retained the vulnerability of malfunctioning from damage feedback and, if the Fenrir suffered critical structural damage, would be disabled entirely.

Fenrir's primary armament consists of dual autocannons and short-range missiles. However, it is also capable of mounting various types of air-to-air and air-to-surface missiles, along with a scaled-down version of the Gleipnir's Shock Wave Ballistic Missile.

The aircraft's designers, the Leasath Air Force New Weapon Laboratory, also developed the High-Powered Microwave (HPM) for use aboard the aircraft. This unorthodox weapon system functioned through the intersection of two microwave energy beams—one generated by a nearby ground station, the other by the Fenrir itself—creating a ball of high-intensity microwave energy that, by changing the emission angles of both beams, could home in on enemy aircraft. The energy would overheat the engines and fuel systems, eventually causing the target aircraft to explode.

History

Strangereal

Creation

Prior to the Aurelian War, Leasath military dictator Diego Gaspar Navarro ordered the Leasath Air Force New Weapon Laboratory to begin development of both a new fighter aircraft—which would eventually take shape as the Fenrir—and an airborne fortress, which would become the Gleipnir. The Fenrir and Gleipnir were developed jointly, with the latter having the secondary purpose of being a testbed for technologies that would eventually find their way onto the former.

The aircraft's development and production was conducted in complete secrecy within Archelon Fortress, a remote military complex on Sentry Island. Along with the aircraft itself, the New Weapon Laboratory also developed what they called the "Guided Electromagnetic Plasma Weapon," which would eventually become the High-Powered Microwave.

Deployment

In the aftermath of the Battle of Santa Elva, Navarro contacted the elite Alect Squadron and requested that they pilot four of the finished Fenrir units. Additionally, the HPM had recently finished development, and was being prepared for transport.

After the liberation of Aurelia's capital city, however, Navarro fled to Sentry Island. His transport was pursued by the Aurelian Air Force's Otus Squadron, who caught a glimpse of Archelon Fortress as they began an impromptu reconnaissance mission. However, a pair of Fenrirs snuck up on the two Aurelians, shooting both down before either knew what was happening.

Navarro eventually left Sentry Island for the Leasath mainland, where he planned to unveil the Fenrir to the world while using footage of Archelon Fortress as a backdrop for his speech. Not long after, both the Alect Squadron and HPM shipments departed for Sentry Island. While Alect successfully reached Archelon Fortress, the HPM was destroyed while it was being transported from Cobalt Cave.

Eventually, Aurelia launched a strike on Archelon Fortress to eliminate the threat of Fenrir and end the war once and for all. As the Gryphus and Aquila Squadrons approached Sentry Island, Alect Squadron—now piloting the Fenrir prototypes—quickly took off. During a pitched and hectic dogfight, all Alect pilots were shot down. However, another Fenrir prototype—this one holding valuable data gathered during the battle—attempted to take off from within Archelon Fortress, which was in the midst of collapsing due to sabotage by an Aurelian amphibious unit. Despite its desperate attempt to escape, the fleeing Fenrir was pursued into the crumbling facility by Gryphus 1 and was shot down. The fortress was soon engulfed in flames, taking the other Fenrir prototypes held within along with it.

The shattered Fenrir in Alendal

With the destruction of both the fortress and the Fenrirs—the supposed "ultimate weapon"—playing live at Navarro's grand unveiling event, the citizens watching the broadcast became enraged, storming in on the dictator and destroying the Fenrir model present in the stadium.

Legacy

After the war, some of the intact remains were retrieved from the ruins and inspected by Aurelian engineers. The Fenrir was then reproduced for research purposes. These new models lacked the VTOL and optical camouflage systems, resulting in lighter airframes with greater maneuverability.

Alternate Events (Strangereal)

The information in the following section is sourced from Mission 13A: Alect Squadron, Mission 14B: Offline, and Mission 15A: End of Deception I.

Ace Combat Wiki 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.

Rather than intercepting the HPM shipment, Aurelia instead chose to ambush the Alect Squadron over the Danern Straits. After a long and intense dogfight, the entire elite unit was shot down; as a consequence, however, the HPM shipment successfully reached Archelon Fortress. Aurelia subsequently undertook an operation to weaken the HPM's tracking capabilities by destroying key facilities at Cobalt Cave, where the HPM had been developed.

Aurelia's next operation was an aerial assault against Archelon Fortress itself, to destroy the facility and the Fenrirs it had already produced. As the aircraft approached Sentry Island, however, they were ambushed by a squadron of Fenrirs; Aquila 1 fell victim to the Fenrir's HPM, his aircraft erupting in flames. This caused the rest of the Aurelian squadron to scatter, beginning a fierce dogfight. Over the course of the engagement, Aquila 2 also fell victim to Fenrir's HPM, being unable to escape the weapon's area of effect before his aircraft was destroyed. Nevertheless, the battle ended with the destruction of both Archelon Fortress and the Fenrir prototypes, signaling the end of the war.

Infinity universe

Details of the XFA-33 Fenrir's creation are scarce. All that is known is that it was developed by a small country in the Southern Hemisphere, for the purpose of showcasing the advanced technologies of their military-industrial complex. However, after the fortress which served as the XFA-33's development facility was destroyed, another nation retrieved the aircraft's remains and reproduced it.

Later, Wernher and Noah Enterprises came to possess the designs and used their Advanced Automated Aviation Plant to reproduce it and make it available to mercenaries worldwide, where it found limited success.

Game Analysis

Ace Combat Infinity

"A large-scale special attacker aircraft developed by a small country in the southern hemisphere. It was originally created as a demonstration aircraft to display the high-level technical capabilities of a military-industrial complex, but the fortress which acted as a base for the aircraft's development and production was destroyed. A certain country discovered the remains of the aircraft and reproduced it for research. Unlike the prototype aircraft, it doesn't come equipped with optical camouflage or VTOL systems, but it's lighter and features improved maneuverability, resulting in an aircraft that is more suitable for real combat."

― Hangar

How to Unlock

The Fenrir is available through the Aircraft Tree.

Lv.	Cst	Price	GUN	MSL	LASM	4AAM	LSWM	SP	MO	ST	AA	AG	DF
1	825	4,590,000	520	136	14	–	–	C+	C+	B	B	C+	D+
2	874	2,727,000	590	138	16	–	–	B	C+	B	B	C+	C
3	923	3,942,000	660	140	18	–	–	B+	B	B+	B	B	C+
4	972	4,644,000	730	142	20	40	–	A	B+	B+	B+	B	B
5	1021	7,047,000	800	144	22	44	–	A+	B+	A	A	B	B+
6	1070	14,850,000	856	146	24	48	–	A+	A	A	A	B+	A
7	1119	7,290,000	912	148	26	52	3	A+	A	A	A	B+	A+
8	1168	8,100,000	968	150	28	56	3	S	A+	A+	A	A	S
9	1217	8,910,000	1024	152	29	60	4	S	S	A+	A+	A	S+
10	1266	9,990,000	1080	154	30	64	4	S+	S	A+	A+	A	S+
11	1317	11,070,000	1136	158	31	66	5	S+	S+	S	A+	A	S+
12	1368	12,690,000	1192	162	32	68	5	S+	S+	S	A+	A+	S+
13	1419	13,500,000	1248	166	33	70	6	S+	S+	S	S	A+	S++
14	1470	15,525,000	1304	170	34	72	6	S+	S+	S+	S	A+	S++
15	1521	17,010,000	1360	174	36	76	7	S+	S+	S+	S	A+	S++
16	1591	22,464,000	1416	176	37	78	8	S++	S+	S+	S	S	S++
17	1654	25,650,000	1472	178	38	80	8	S++	S+	S+	S+	S	S++
18	1717	28,863,000	1528	180	39	82	9	S++	S+	S+	S+	S	S+++
19	1780	36,882,000	1584	182	40	84	9	S++	S++	S+	S+	S	S+++
20	1843	46,521,000	1640	184	42	88	10	S++	S++	S+	S+	S+	S+++

Part Slots

At Lv.1, this aircraft carried 36 BODY, 36 ARMS, and 36 MISC part slots. See Tuning § Slot Expansion for further information.

Nicknames

Upgrading this aircraft to these levels unlocked the respective nicknames for use at any time.

• Lv.3: Wolfpack
• Lv.10: World Eater
• Lv.15: Twilight of the Gods
• Lv.20: Lone Wolf

Skin Galleries

Description

Air superiority gray camouflage

Gallery

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  Loading screen

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  Flyby

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  Flyby

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  Flyby

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  Flyby

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  Flyby

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  An XFA-33 firing its 4AAM

Description

Desert brown body with with black trim and nose; based on the Special 2 color from Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception

Availability

• Top 3,000 participants in the "We Hold The Trump Card!" Online Co-Op Missions Ranking Tournament (March 8–14, 2016)
• Purchase from the Skilled Pilot Medal exchange for 8 (February 1, 2017–permanent)

Gallery

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  Flyby

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  Hangar view

Ace Combat: Joint Assault

"A special attacker with mysterious capabilities and amazing maneuverability."

― Hangar

How to Unlock

Complete Reprisal (21A) on Ace difficulty on or after a second campaign playthrough. Costs $824,000.

Statistics

Speed: 80

Air-to-Air: 65

Air-to-Ground: 65

Mobility: 65

Stability: 70

Defense: 70

Weapons

• STDM x150
• HACM x100, costs $13,500
• LGWM x200, costs $16,800
• HVWM x50, costs $20,000
• LASM x15
• XMAA x32, costs $106,000
• SFFS x24, costs $42,500
• LSWM x4, costs $202,000

Colors

• Color 01: Light grey
  • Default
• Color 02: Alect Squadron livery; black with white accent
  • Unlock: Earn 21,200 cumulative points with the Fenrir (20% of Kill Rate Gauge)
• Color 03: Blue livery
  • Unlock: Earn 42,400 cumulative points with the Fenrir (40% of Kill Rate Gauge)
• Color 04: Desert brown body with black trim and nose
  • Unlock: Earn 63,600 cumulative points with the Fenrir (60% of Kill Rate Gauge)
• Color 05: God Eater collaboration theme
  • Unlock: Earn 84,800 cumulative points with the Fenrir (80% of Kill Rate Gauge)
• Color 06: Ocean livery
  • Unlock: Earn 106,000 cumulative points with the Fenrir (100% of Kill Rate Gauge)

Named Pilots

• Dandelion: appears in Operation X (Joint Assault), spawns to the southwest along with the final ADF-01 FALKEN and XFA-27

Gallery

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  Dandelion

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  Color 1

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  Color 2

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  Color 3

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  Color 4

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  Color 5

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  Color 6

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Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception

"An advanced fighter developed using tactical battle data gathered on the Gleipnir."

― Hangar

"A special attacker aircraft developed by Diego Navarro as the Leasath Army's trump card. Equipped with an optical camouflage system that was further developed from the Gleipnir, it was able to disappear and mask its noise. However, this model was rebuilt for research purposes based on the remnants of Archelon Fortress that the Aurelian Army destroyed. Because of this, the optical camouflage and VTOL systems were not reproduced, but its weight has been reduced and it features improved maneuverability."

― Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception - The Complete Guide

How to Unlock

Complete the campaign on Ace difficulty and complete Operation X. Costs 215,000 credits.

Statistics

Weapons

• GUN x800 (∞ on Easy and Normal)
• MSSL x50 (x75 on Easy)
• LASM x18
• XMAA x22, costs 100,300 credits
• LSWM x2, costs 129,000 credits

Named Pilots

• Alect Squadron

Colors

• Aurelia: Plain gray
  • Default
• Leasath: Alect Squadron livery; solid black with white wing/stabilizer accent
  • Unlock: Shoot down all named aircraft
• Special 1: Dark blue
  • Unlock: Earn an S rank on Operation X on Ace difficulty
• Special 2: Desert brown with gray nose and body trim
  • Unlock: Earn 80,000 points with the Fenrir

Gallery

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  Concept art

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  A shattered Fenrir in Alendal

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  Cockpit

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  Aurelia paint scheme

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  Leasath paint scheme

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  Special 1 paint scheme

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  Special 2 paint scheme

Trivia

• The Fenrir bears a resemblance to the Super Sylph B-503 from Sentō Yōsei Yukikaze. This similarity is specially notable in the design of the wings and the mouth-like protrusion beneath the Fenrir's nose.
• The escaping Fenrir and the rest of the prototypes (labeled "UNKNOWN") featured in "End of Deception II" use the aircraft's Special 2 color scheme.
• One of Bandai Namco's other franchises—God Eater—features an organization called "Fenrir", which shares its name with the Ace Combat aircraft. Fittingly enough, the Fenrir has an unlockable God Eater-themed collaboration livery in Joint Assault. Additionally, a God Eater Fenrir emblem was available to all players during a God Eater-themed Collaboration Event in Infinity.
• In early concept art, the F-3 Shinden II used a similar wing configuration to the Fenrir.

Thrust vectoring is the ability to change the direction of thrust emitted from an engine. Aircraft with thrust vector control can perform enhanced maneuvers not available to aircraft without it.