Wingman

Wingman is a pilot who supports and covers the flight lead in a potentially dangerous flying environment, usually flying "on his wing", that is, beside and slightly behind the leader plane. In the Ace Combat series, wingmen are computer-controlled allies who assist the respective player character, always following him (unlike other computer-controlled allies).

Air Combat
Wingmen were present in the AC series as early as in Air Combat. At the beginning of all missions except 01, 02, 03, 07, and 16, the player was given an option to hire a wingman for the mission at hand. Wingmen had to be unlocked by completing certain missions and hiring them cost credits. They always flew the planes they came with and the player could only issue one order, effective for the entire duration of the mission: cover the player's plane, attempt to fulfill the mission objective, or disperse and engage any enemies at will.

Ace Combat 2
Ace Combat 2 expanded the concept of wingmen from Air Combat. Although the total number of available wingmen was reduced to two, both of them were available from mission 04 onward. Only one could be hired at a time (except in missions 08A and 21). Wingmen were hired for exactly one mission and each hire cost separately. Although the wingmen aircraft now be replaced with better models, this option was only given in some missions and cost additional credits. Wingman orders (given once for the duration of the mission) were expanded: cover the flight lead, attack enemy aircraft, attempt to fulfill the mission objective, and attack ground targets.

Scarface One's potential wingmen are:


 * John Harvard, callsign "Slash". He flies an F-16C Fighting Falcon upon his introduction.
 * Kei Nagase, callsign "Edge". She flies a Kfir C.7 upon her introduction.

Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere
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Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies
The protagonist of Shattered Skies, Mobius One, never flies with a wingman. The player is assisted by any number of ISAF aircraft present in the combat airspace at the time, but their help is very limited and they can be neither controlled, nor equipped with better aircraft and/or weapons by the player. The Mobius Squadron (alias "the Ribbons"), formed for the final mission, are officially Mobius One's wingmen, but gameplay-wise, they act like any other ISAF allied aircraft in the game.

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War
The Unsung War was the first AC game to give the player direct control over their wingmen. The players could not only buy new playable aircraft for their wingmen and select their paint schemes, but also determine their behavior on the battlefield with the new Wingman Command system. By pressing the arrow buttons, the wingmen could be ordered to concentrate their fire on the flight lead's current target, disperse and engage at will, cover the flight lead, or use/preserve the special weapons ammo. Overall, the game places a large emphasis on the wingmen, both giving them extensive characterization and trying out different approaches to them as a gameplay element (in fact, the game was even renamed to Squadron Leader in PAL regions to emphasize this point).

The game is also notable for placing the players themselves into the wingman's position: in the first two missions, the player character Blaze flies number four on Capt. Jack Bartlett's wing. During these missions, the player is restricted to following the leader until given weapons free (a situation that repeats in missions 17 and 19, with Edge and Buchner as temporary flight leads, respectively) and cannot issue orders to their teammates. From mission 03 onward, Blaze is given command of the Wardog Squadron in the field, and from mission 04 onward, he can also purchase new planes for them (and himself). The Squadron's roster remains mostly the same throughout the game, with members leaving and joining again only after certain plot events.

Blaze's wingmen are:


 * Kei Nagase, callsign "Edge". First appearing in the opening cutscene, she is Blaze's number two from the beginning of mission 03 and until the end of the game. Her characteristic trait is the extreme protectiveness towards Blaze, caused by the loss of her first flight lead, Capt. Bartlett, in mission 02. Over the course of the game, she develops strong feelings for both men. She comes into the spotlight in mission 14, when she is shot down over Glubina where she hoped to find Bartlett, and has to be rescued by her squadron in the next mission. In her final words to Blaze in mission 27+, she repeats her oath to protect him and asks him to let her fly with him one last time. Oddly enough, even when told to disperse, she always seems to stay rather close to Blaze at all times.
 * Alvin H. Davenport, callsign "Chopper". He first appears in mission 01 as Bartlett's number three, and occupies the same position in Blaze's team between missions 03 and 17. He is characterized by his loud-mouthed optimism and lack of respect for his superiors, which does not prevent him from being an efficient pilot. His spotlight moment is in mission 17, when he crashes into an empty stadium, unable to eject due to waiting for too long while it was being evacuated. Chopper is the player's only wingman in AC5 to be killed in action. His final words before he crashes are that he will miss his superior's voice.
 * Hans Grimm, callsign "Archer". He joins the Wardog Squadron as Blaze's number four in mission 04 and flies with him until the end of the game. His characteristic trait is his constant insecurity about his own piloting skills, due to his youth and never actually completing his training. He mostly gets over it by mission 16, wherein his older brother, an Osean marine, comments on how proud he is about Hans' achievements. In his final words to Blaze in mission 27+, he reminisces about Chopper and says that he is probably watching over them.
 * Marcus Snow, callsign "Swordsman". First appearing in mission 03 as the leader of the Shorebirds Squadron, he replaces Chopper as Blaze's number three in mission 20 and stays it until the end of the game. His characteristic trait is his grumpy attitude and bleak outlook on war (contrasting the others' naivete), caused by witnessing the deaths of his many wingmen, including all of the Shorebirds. He lightens up a little after joining Blaze, and in his final words to him in mission 27+, he thanks him for letting him fly as a wingman again and experience what his own wingmen felt.

Interestingly, the first letters of all four's English callsigns spell out "ACES", when put into the right order.

In most missions, all available wingmen follow Blaze into the battlefield, but on certain occasions, the situation is altered slightly:


 * In missions 01, 02, and 17, the player has to assume the role of another character's (Bartlett, Bartlett, Edge, respectively) wingman until given permission to engage targets at will. In mission 19, the player is restricted to following the lead (Buchner) for the entire mission.
 * In missions 03, 04 (before Grimm takes off), 15, 17 (after Chopper crashes), 18, and 18+, the player only has two wingmen at their side.
 * In mission 08, the player only has Edge supporting Blaze in the first half of the mission, before they are reunited with the other half of the team.
 * In mission 21, the player must complete the objectives without any support from the wingmen at all.

The Wingman Command option is not available in missions 01, 02, 19, and 21, as well as the first half of mission 17 (while Edge leads the ceremonial flyby).

In the Arcade Mode, Mobius One does not have any wingmen, just like he didn't in Ace Combat 04.

Ace Combat Advance
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Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
The prequel to The Unsung War, The Belkan War refined the wingman gameplay mechanics and deepened the relationship between the new player character, Cipher, and his wingmen. The Wingman Command system returned with two important changes: first, repeatedly pressing the arrow button "Left" (Disperse command) now additionally specified whether the wingman should only target aerial enemies, ground ones, or both. Secondly, the first hit of an arrow button now gave the corresponding order, instead of first calling up the Wingman Command menu, like in AC5.

Since AC5, the number of wingmen has been reduced to one at any time, and to two in total throughout the game. Unlike in AC5, the players could give orders to their wingman from mission 01, though they could choose neither the plane, nor the paintscheme for him anymore. The player could, however, decide which special weapons their wingman would carry on the mission. Although the option to answer simple prompts by non-player characters with Yes or No was removed since AC5, the wingmen were given more dialogue, which was influenced by Cipher's Ace Style.

Cipher's wingmen are:


 * Larry Foulke, callsign "Pixy". He is put under Cipher's command in mission 01 and flies with him until his sudden desertion in mission 12. A complex character, Pixy is a moody individual with a bleak outlook on reality and war. His cynicism about human society and particularly countries often clashes with PJ's idealism, especially in mission 11. In the final mission, Pixy returns as the final boss of the game and kills PJ. His defeat by Cipher, however, forces him to reevaluate his own views.
 * Patrick James Beckett, callsign "PJ" (his initials). First introduced in mission 09 as member of the Crow Squadron, he becomes Galm's number two between missions 13 and 17. In contrast to Pixy, PJ is a cheerful person who plans to marry after the war and idealistically believes he is fighting for a just cause, putting him at odds with Pixy. He is killed while shielding Cipher with his own plane from a laser beam fired by Pixy's ADFX-02 Morgan in the end of mission 17.

Only on two occasions does the player fly without a wingman: in missions 12 (after the nuke goes off) and 18. The bonus mission SP likewise doesn't feature a wingman.

Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception
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Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
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Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion
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Ace Combat X2: Joint Assault
Details on the wingmen and associated gameplay mechanics in Joint Assault are not yet available.

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
Details on the wingmen and associated gameplay mechanics in Assault Horizon are not yet available.