X-02 Wyvern
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The X-02 is a fictional stealthy multirole fighter aircraft in the games Ace Combat 04, Ace Combat 5 and Ace Combat Zero made by Namco. The X-02 plane is also called Wyvern in Ace Combat 5 and Ace Combat Zero. It was developed by a fictional company called EASA as a replacement for the F-14 Tomcat. In real life, the craft resembles the Northrop Switchblade Design, also seen as the F/A-37 Talon in the recent movie Stealth.
The X-02 is the most agile plane in Ace Combat 04 and also one of the fastest. While it has an only average defensive rating, its extremely high mobility should allow its pilots to avoid taking too much damage.
Development and Operational History
In the game, development of the X-02 had reached the design stage by January 22nd 1987 as a replacement of outdated carrier-based aircraft in the Erusean military. Little is known of its operational history during the war between Erusea and the ISAF, though it is known that the Ace pilot Mobius One was called on to destroy four prototype X-02 aircraft. These were under the command of elements of the Erusean military that refused to surrender after the capture of the capital city of Farbanti by ISAF forces and the destruction of their superweapon Megalith.
The X-02 was only seen as an enemy aircraft during the Arcade mode of Ace Combat 5; it has otherwise only been controllable by the player in Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat Zero and the player and their wingmen in Ace Combat 5.
Aircraft Configuration
The X-02 Wyvern is a large, twin-engine single-seat fighter/interceptor incorporating the best aspects of nearly every 5th generation fighter. Components and sections of the aircraft bear striking similarities to diverse sources as the Su-47 Berkut (canards), YF-23 (tail configuration), F-22 Raptor (Nose/fuselage stealth design) and Su-37 Terminator (engines).The wing design of the X-02 is a unique "W" shape. It consists of traditional rearward-swept wings with smaller forward-swept portions at the wings' edge (see Grumman X-29). The aircraft has canards and rear ruddervators; two angled wing sections instead of a conventional control surfaces. The X-02 also features 3-D thrust vectoring for added mobility.
One aspect of the X-02 is its "switchblade wings:" as their function is similar to that of a switchblade knife. At approximately 398 knots (~178 m/s), the outer, forward-swept portion of the wing folds inward, leaving just the rearward-sweeping wings. At the same time, the twin ruddervators, normally in a "V" shape (not unlike the experimental YF-23 Black Widow II), fold down; so they are level with the aircraft's other wings. It is this wing configuration that most likely gives the Wyvern its incredible manuverability across such a wide range of speeds. With the wingtips deployed, it has all the advantages of forward-swept wings, but since the 'switchblades' retract as speed increases (and are fully stowed well prior to mach transition), extreme wingtip twisting does not occur. The clean delta or spade configuration enables efficient, low-resistance, high speed travel.
The aircraft's top speed (level flight) is approximately 1550 miles per hour (2494 kilometers per hour). Speeds in excess of 1600 mph (2575 km/h) can be achieved during steep dives.
The X-02 stores all of its missiles and rockets in 3 ventral weapons bays. A large bay runs in the center of the aircraft in-between the engines and is used to hold its special weapons. Its standard missiles are carried on two smaller, retractable racks that fold down from the lower engine nacelles.
In Ace Combat 4, the X-02 is capable of carrying three different special weapons, the QAAM (Quick-Manuvering Air to Air Missile, Qty. 16), the XLAA (Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile, Qty. 26), and the BDSP (Bomblet Dispenser, Qty. 24).
Ace Combat 5 does not allow the player to select mission-specific ordnance for different airframes. The AC5 version of the X-02 carries 14 XLAA missiles in its internal bay. However, the internal bay (when open for special weapons fire) appears to contain a pair of guided penetrating bombs (Visually identical to a US Paveway laser-guided bomb) and two barely-visible missiles.
The X-02 can be used as a carrier based aircraft (only in Ace Combat 4 and the final carrier launch from the Kestrel in Ace Combat 5) and has in-flight refueling capabilities.
Specifications
Crew: 1
Length: 21.84 m
Wingspan: 18.3m (unswept), 11.54m (swept)
Height: 4.36m (unswept), 3.42m (swept)
Empty weight: 16,800kg
Range: 1,050 km
Max speed: Mach 2.5+
Specifications taken from official Namco artwork [here].
Unlocking the X-02 Wyvern
Ace Combat 4 requires that the player get an S rank on every mission on Normal skill; achieving the same on higher skill levels unlocks the aircraft's alternate colours, which must be bought seperately.
Ace Combat 5 requires the player to first unlock and purchase every other aircraft in the game except the FALKEN. With one of every aircraft in the player's possession (with the exclusion of the ADF-01 Falken), completing a mission on Medium difficulty will unlock the Wyvern.
In Ace Combat Zero, the X-02 is normally unlocked by completing the Campaign mode twice (at any difficulty) with two different ace styles (e.g., Knight and Soldier, Soldier and Mercenary, etc.). If Ace Combat 4 and/or Ace Combat 5 save data is present on the player's memory card, however, the X-02 is unlocked after completing Mission One (it still needs to be purchased before it is selectable, however). Alternatively, if one adds an Ace Combat 4 or 5 save data to one's memory card after completing Mission One, the X-02 is unlocked upon the first completion of the Campaign mode.
Trivia
- It has been rumoured in 2channel that the X-02 is modelled after FRX-00 (FFR-41) from Sentou Yousei Yukikaze, the producion team of Ace Combat has denied this in the Ace Combat 5 official strategy guide. This is also impossible because the Yukikaze OVA was not released until a year after Ace Combat 04, and the Mave in the novel did not resemble the X-02 in any way.
See also
External links
- [Ace Combat English Forums and Fansite]
- [Ace Combat 4 Website]
- [Pictures of the X-02]
- [Pictures of X-02 model kit (japanese)]
- [The Electrosphere - the largest AC Database on the net]
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