Operation Countdown



 Battle of Comona Islands



The Battle of Comona Islands also known as Operation Shattered Skies was the largest air-to-air battle in history, surpassing the Second Battle of B7R, until it was surpassed by the First Battle of Gracemeria.

The Setup
In the winter of 2004, as it continued to reclaim ground around the eastern extremities of Usea, ISAF hatched a plan to launch a recon satellite into space in order to provide vital tactical data to its units. This would be done using the Riass Space Launch Facility on the Comona Islands, which ISAF had recently reclaimed from the Erusians.

Operation Shattered Skies
The presence of Stonehenge made the deployment of recon aircraft to the mainland impossible, so the success of the satellite's launch was crucial to the success of the ISAF war effort. The Erusians understood this just as well as ISAF did, scrambling as many fighters as they could, including the famous 156th Tactical Fighter Wing's "Yellow Squadron," to intercept and destroy the satellite before it had a chance to launch. Anticipating this response and having only one window of opportunity to launch the rocket, ISAF called upon its own air forces to defend the skies above the rocket and secure a successful launch.

By the time ISAF's Ace of Aces, Mobius 1, and his squadron had arrived at the Riass Space Launch Facility, the air battle had already begun. The Yellow Squadron was effortlessly picking off ISAF pilots one by one, and the skies above the facility were tangled with the missiles, bullets and smoke of countless aircraft. Mobius 1 entered the furball at full throttle, taking down as many fighters as he could. With so many aircraft in such a small area, this operation tested the very limits of Mobius 1's abilities. Still, even during all of the commotion, he managed to hit one of the Yellow Squadron's planes -- piloted by their leader, "Yellow 13" -- and damage it. Because of this, the Yellow Squadron retreated northwest, returning to the mainland, and leaving the remaining FEAF forces to defend themselves.

Shortly after the retreat of the Yellow Squadron, the tide of the battle had turned in ISAF's favor. Mobius 1 was now the one to be methodically picking off enemy planes. Suddenly, the AWACS "Sky-Eye," informed the ISAF forces that B-2 Bombers had been detected approaching the base from the west. Mobius 1 immediately returned to his carrier to refuel and reload before chasing after the bombers. Upon returning to the battlefield, Mobius 1 turned west and attacked the bombers, quickly taking all of them down. With two minutes remaining before the satellite's launch, Mobius 1 made his way back to the Riass Space Launch Facility, continuing to take down enemy fighters with his ISAF comrades.

Result
By the time the satellite's rocket entered its final countdown sequence, the skies were mostly clear of FEAF fighters, with only a handful remaining. Soon, the rocket ignited, and the satellite was on its way to the stratosphere. Mobius 1 and his fellow ISAF pilots had succeeded. With the ability to perform recon from space, ISAF could now concentrate on its invasion of the mainland of Usea, beginning with a amphibious beach landing in an area just outside of Stonehenge's range.

Operation: Countdown would eventually come to be recognized as the largest air battle that has ever taken place in all of history, even 40 years later.