Dragon Killer

"Don't crash and burn yet!"

- Daniel Oruma

Dragon Killer is the co-op version and a combination of the 13th and 14th campaign missions in Ace Combat: Joint Assault.

Briefing
Burford: ''The IUPF is advancing on the old USSR nuclear missile silo, hoping to abate the Valahia terror. Other Valahia bases across Europe will be attacked at the same time. This isn't going to be easy. We are to attack a hostile fortress in Southern Romania, a site confirmed to have a large rail gun. A weather station in the mountains bordering Serbia and Romania is also a disguised enemy radar site. The combination of the rail gun and radar site allows for precise, long-range firing. London may have been saved, but Europe still has a knife at its throat. The only way to eliminate this threat is with a Joint Assault Op in the mountain and fortress regions. The mountain area forces will attack the radar site in the Serbian mountains. If the rail gun is the arm of the cyclops, the radar is its eye. Destroy the radar site to cripple the rail gun. The remaining forces will attack the hostile fortress in southern Romania. Destroy the rail gun and teach the Valahia that their tyranny is at an end! Cooperation between the two forces will be the key to shutting the rail gun down for good. We look forward to the success of both forces. Antares Squadron, prepare for departure.''

Initial
The player(s) must fly below the radar site to avoid radar detection. The radar traces will rotate counter-clockwise around the radar site it originates from. Should a player be spotted by a radar trace, the Balaur will attack from long range - which can be avoided by flying below 2000 feet. Each radar facility is guarded by a SAM and a couple of AA guns. Destroying the first radar site advances the mission.

After the first radar is destroyed, two more will activate to the east and northwest. Destroying these two will again advance the mission. Additionally, Varcolac Squadron will begin to heckle the player(s) throughout this phase, continuously traveling between this stage and Operation B's area to harass both groups of players. They are not mission important, but damaging them enough causes them to flee to the other operation area.

Mission Update
The second phase of the mission is a battle against Varcolac Squadron. Depending on the number of players between each operation, the player(s) in this operation will fight between 1 and 3 members of the squadron. They are highly evasive and use maneuvers similar to the GAF-1 Varcolacs in Reprisal. Damaging a member enough causes them to cease combat. Defeating all members ends the mission for the player(s) in this area. However, if the other player(s) are shot down in Operation B's fight, the mission will still be a failure.

Ace Unit

 * E-767 Timeline - Spawns above the eastern radar site after the first radar site is destroyed during the first phase.

Initial
The player(s) must make their way to the Balaur. A number of tanks, AA guns, SAMs, AH-64As will spawn along the river. As the player(s) approach the Balaur, three jamming facilities will spawn above the hills near the Balaur and will periodically jam the HUD and lock-on capabilities. Each jamming facility is defended by AA guns, but are not mission-critical targets.

When the player(s) reach it, the Balaur activates its own AA and SAM batteries. Destroy them and its rail gun barrel will be targetable. After the barrel is destroyed, the player(s) must destroy the main part of the fortress. Varcolac Squadron will begin to heckle the player(s) throughout this phase, continuously traveling between this stage and Operation A's area to harass both player groups. They are not mission important, but damaging them enough causes them to flee to the other operation area.

Mission Update
The second phase of the mission is a battle against Varcolac Squadron. Depending on the number of players between each operation, the player(s) in this operation will fight between 1 and 3 members of the squadron. They are highly evasive and use maneuvers similar to the GAF-1 Varcolacs in Reprisal. Damaging a member enough causes them to cease combat. Defeating all members ends the mission for the player(s) in this area. However, if the other player(s) are shot down in Operation A's fight, the mission will still be a failure.

Named Aces

 * YF-23 Bloodstone - appears from the beginning of the mission in the southeastern corner of the map flying north during the first phase.

Debriefing
Burford: ''Both the hostile rail gun and radar site have been destroyed. Europe is now safe from the Valahia threat. The global community is still terrified of the Valahia and their nuclear capabilities. Just keep in mind that your actions are bringing these people hope. Never forget that.''

S Rank
Gain ~9090 points.

Trivia

 * This mission is very similar to the mission "Rolling Thunder" from Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception in the sense in both missions, the player has to fly through a canyon to avoid long range attacks from an enemy superweapon.

Trivia

 * The way the radar displays the Balaur's line of fire is similar that of Excalibur's in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.