April Fools' Day

In April 2011, Namco Bandai performed a marketing stunt for Ace Combat: Assault Horizon involving a refurbished MiG-21bis Fishbed. The idea was born thanks to Lee Kirkton, the marketing director, who says that he was "tired of normal, boring PR stunts", thus ordering Product Manager Lauren Bradley to order the restoration of the aircraft.

Synopsis
Some time in March, Namco Bandai UK reportedly "blew Assault Horizon's marketing budget" by restoring an old MiG-21bis fighter to a fully operational state, an effort which costed an estimate of 285,000 euros. The aircraft was transported to the United Kingdom on-board the Russian Navy's flagship carrier, the Admiral Kuznetsov aircraft carrier, while she was preparing to rendezvous with navy forces for a training exercise. After docking in the country, the Fishbed was adorned with a modified paint scheme from the Assault Horizon Skin Design Contest, and later transported to NBUK's headquarters on a trailer truck (or "lorry", as it is referred to in the British language.)

Following its transport, the aircraft was later placed in a parking lot, as local insurance website weinsureanything.com stated that "[the Fishbed] would be impossible to insure for the road." According to Namco. the MiG-21's main purpose is to "deliver news to the press" and to "intimidate" Capcom, Namco's local publishing rival.

Trivia

 * The news article at the official ACAH site humorously refers to the aircraft as "being scheduled for scrapping by the Estovakian Air Force."