Alicorn

"Heed my words! This boat has the means to end this hideous war, in a definitive and elegant manner."

- Captain Matias Torres

The Alicorn is a large nuclear submarine and the only known member of the Alicorn class of submarines. It is the main antagonist in the additional DLC story missions for Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.

The Alicorn carries numerous weapons designed for mass destruction, including railguns that can fire shells equipped with nuclear warheads. As the successor to the Scinfaxi class of submarines, the Alicorn also features a runway and landing strip to support squadrons of fighter aircraft.

The Alicorn is captained by Matias Torres, a radical member of the Erusean Navy. Torres wishes to use the Alicorn to kill millions of civilians in cities such as Oured to end the Lighthouse War quickly.

Etymology
"Alicorn" can refer to one of two things:
 * , from the Latin translation; the design of the Alicorn—particularly the placement and size of the runway—resembles one of these single-horned creatures. This is especially evident when the Alicorn breaches the water's surface.
 * a (a  with the horn of a unicorn); poet  depicted winged unicorns as "creatures of ecstatic destruction" in the theatrical play The Unicorn from the Stars. This aligns with the Alicorn carrying armaments equipped with nuclear warheads.

Vessel
"The sub's force projection capabilities are equivalent to a carrier strike group."

- David North

The Alicorn features a larger and more ambitious design than the Scinfaxi and Hrimfaxi before it. The Alicorn is 495 m in length with a long airstrip running down the middle of the submarine, whereas the Scinfaxi was reported to exceed 300 m in length and had a small vertical takeoff platform at the rear of the vessel.

Amidships, the vessel divides into three stern sections: the center airstrip and two large propeller units used for propulsion and its powerful arsenal. Underneath the airstrip, the Alicorn carries two nuclear reactors that power the entire vessel. The Alicorn also features the ability to generate oxygen underwater, allowing crew members to survive when the sub is submerged even in the case of an accident.

The Alicorn's specifications are as follows:
 * Length (submerged): 495 m
 * Beam (submerged): 116 m
 * Height (submerged): 54 m
 * Displacement
 * Submerged: 810000 t
 * Surfaced: 650000 t
 * Propulsion: Two nuclear geared turbines/turbo-electric mixed flow pump jets with conductive internal flow units
 * Power: 300000 hp per jet
 * Engine: Two liquid metal-cooled nuclear reactors
 * Propellers: Seven forward-skewed propellers (estimated)
 * Speed
 * Submerged: 42 kn
 * Surfaced: 37 kn
 * Crew: 270–350
 * Company: 150
 * Air wing: 120–200 (20–30 aircraft)
 * : 400 km

Weaponry
The Alicorn features powerful weapons on both propeller units.

Multiple Vertical Launch System missile launchers are placed within each propeller unit. These VLS launchers support various short-range and long-range missiles, including SLBMs. The SLBMs can carry various warheads, including 200 kt nuclear warheads.

The Alicorn also carries two large electromagnetic railguns, one on each propeller unit, placed in front of the VLS launchers. Each railgun can fire 80 rounds per minute. The in each railgun is 200 mm with a barrel length of 6.5 mm (33 caliber) and the capacity to support 155 mm projectiles, guided by. The projectiles range from to High-Explosive Anti-Ship (HEAS) shells and even to specialized neutron warhead projectiles. The neutron warhead projectiles are capable of killing anyone within a 400 m radius around the impact site.

Aircraft
The Alicorn can carry at least 20 and at most 30 aircraft, depending on the type of aircraft and the number of crew required to maintain them. The Alicorn supports five distinct aircraft configurations:
 * 20 Su-33 Flanker-Ds
 * 22 F/A-18F Super Hornets
 * 24 MiG-29Ks
 * 30 Rafale Ms (4 operated by SACS Squadron)
 * An unknown number of UAVs

Development
Yuktobania initiated "Project Alicorn" in 1998 to create a "Super Scinfaxi-class" submarine that combined the capabilities of the Scinfaxi and Hrimfaxi. The Osean Intelligence Agency's Advanced Weapons Analysis division observed sand carriers actively excavating underneath Okchabursk in 1999. The underground facility beneath the city already housed two 400 m docks to repair and maintain the Scinfaxi and Hrimfaxi, but the sand carriers were still excavating an estimated 1000 m3 of sand every day.

The OIA suspected that, within a year, Yuktobania completed construction of a new 600 to 700 m dock for the "Super Scinfaxi-class" submarine. The OIA observed the steel and weapons being delivered to Okchabursk to estimate the Alicorn's capabilities. The Advanced Weapons Analysis division completed its report on the new submarine on March 27, 2000.

The Alicorn's actual construction period is unknown, nor is it confirmed if Yuktobania ever finished it. By 2012, Yuktobania completed most of the ship's hull. On December 20, 2012, GAZE reported that the Kingdom of Erusea purchased the Alicorn and noted that the submarine was seen two days earlier being towed. Erusea purchased the Alicorn as scrap metal from Yuktobania via a private company known as GR Trading, then refurbished it into working condition.

At one point, the Alicorn and its long-range armaments were reported as a potential violation of the START2 treaty.

Launches and grounding
Erusea did not officially launch the Alicorn until January 1, 2015. Matias Torres was eventually assigned as the submarine's captain; on December 2, 2015, he was reassigned as the head of the submarine's pre-commissioning crew.

The Alicorn sailed out for a sea trial on October 9, 2016. It accidentally ran aground underwater one month later on November 10. GAZE reported that the submarine had gone missing in the Spring Sea, 1300 km south-southeast from the Twinkle Islands. Erusea insisted that "no radioactive materials [were] released in the Spring Sea" and "maritime traffic safety [was not] compromised". The submarine resurfaced two years after sailing, on October 9, 2018.

Lighthouse War
The Alicorn was transferred to the Erusean Navy's reserve fleet on November 3, 2018; the same day, Torres was again reassigned as the head of the pre-commissioning crew. Despite the outbreak of the Lighthouse War the following May, the Alicorn remained dormant in an unknown location since it was not part of Erusea's battle doctrine.

Erusea lost the Njord Fleet on August 10, 2019 during Osea's Operation Siren's Song. The next day, Erusea formally commissioned the Alicorn into active duty.

By September 4, Captain Torres rebelled against Erusea and chose to use the Alicorn for his personal goal to launch nuclear attacks in both Usea and Osea. On that day, the Alicorn was docked in Artiglio Port, which was under Osean control at the time. OIA analyst David North contacted the Long Range Strategic Strike Group (LRSSG) to explain the situation. Osea launched Operation Sighthound and sent the LRSSG's Strider Squadron, other OADF aircraft, and a small detachment of OMDF ships to capture the Alicorn.

Gallery
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