Easter egg

The Ace Combat series contains a large number of easter eggs inside its games. As well, many other franchises from Namco contain explicit and subtle references to the series.

Namco logo in Invincible Fleet
In the mission Invincible Fleet, fly straight to the north from your starting position. Along the way, watch the ground below carefully. Hidden in the ground is the Namco logo (circa 2001).

Slash in the Stonehenge Offensive
The in-universe magazine Our Science: Titan Guns has a section named "The Interceptor Cannons and Their Guardians", referring to the STN Guard Squadron, the fighter pilots responsible for the defense of the Stonehenge Turret Network. The second paragraph of this section has a small interview with a pilot named John Harvard, who is described as "a seasoned veteran who once fought against coup forces". This last statement is an obvious allusion to Ace Combat 2, where the player's male wingman was also named John Harvard. Whether this is the John Harvard seen in Ace Combat 2, however, is unconfirmed.

Namco Anniversary logo in Shorebirds
Just like in Shattered Skies, there is a Hidden Namco logo in the mission Shorebirds. From the start of the mission, fly eastward in a straight line. Eventually, you'll reach a shoreline area, with seveal groups of small, white buildings. Once you reach this area, head slightly northeast and scan the ground in the green fields of the mainland. Somewhere in the area is a large crop of the Namco 50th Anniversary emblem. Namco was founded in 1954, and Ace Combat 5 was released in 2004.

Polar Bears in Hrimfaxi
The mission Demons of Razgriz is home to a particularly famous easter egg. Spread across the level are dozens of groups of polar bears. According to the developers, the polar bears were introduced to the level in order to answer a particular question within Project Aces; that is, whether it is possible to visually confirm the size of a human being in Ace Combat 5.

Glubina snowman
thumb|300px|rightClosely tied to the Hrimfaxi Polar Bears is th Snowman. In the missions Ice Cage and White Noise, there is a large snowman figure in the Yuktobanian P.O.W. camps, next to a hut. It is one of the easter eggs mentioned in the Polar bears Namco letter, the other being the Desert Arrow Pac-Man crops. The Snowman is unique in that it is the only easter egg to appears in more an a single mission. As well, it is the only easter egg which will react to the player's actions - if attacked in any way, the snowman will tilt sideways, partially melted.

Pac-Man crops in Desert Arrow
In the mission Desert Arrow, the player can find several crop fields strewn across the Jilachi Desert. Nearly all the fields have two or more crops in the shape of Pac-Man, Namco's most famous character.

Chopper voice in Aces
In the mission Aces, watch the cutscene where all the Osean and Yuktobanian aircraft fly in formation and sing The Journey Home in unison. Amidst the many voices in the chorus is the voice of Alvin "Chopper" Davenport (Wardog 3), who was killed in the Yuktobanian assault of November City in mission 17, Journey Home.

Yellow TLS
thumb|300px|right|Yellow TLS demonstrationComplete any mission that concludes with a landing sequence with the ADF-01 FALKEN. Once the "Mission Accomplished" message appears, switch to your SP weapon and fire your TLS before the screen goes black. If done correctly, you will start the landing sequence with the TLS still in effect. However, the laser protruding from the TLS bay will be twice as larger as the original, as well as having a yellow/gold coloration.

SOLG Cease-fire
In the final mission, The Unsung War, reach the SOLG's descent point in time with the ADF-01 FALKEN. Once the descent timer begins, approach the SOLG and fire the TLS. Once the laser impacts, you will recieve a "Hold Fire" message. This is rather strange, as the player's objective is to destroy the SOLG. However, the message can also be interpreted as "Hold [the fire button]", as holding and enabling Missile cam will give the player a full view of the SOLG completely falling apart.

Project ACES emblem in Fort Norton
In mission 12, Weapons of Mass Destruction, fly towards the north-eastern corner of the map, and scan the ground. In this region lays the Project Aces emblem.

Gears of War Allusion
In mission 14, Gracemeria Patrol, former Emmerian Independence Radio operator DJ Zed will say over the radio that a woman named Maria sends a message through the radio to his husband, Dominic, telling him not to get drunk in the celebrations. The comment is an obvious reference to Epic Games's famed Gears of War series, more specifically to main character Dominic "Dom" Santiago and his wife, Maria.

Return of Kei Nagase
The E3 "Trinity" trailer contains a brief scene at 1:19 where main character William Bishop and the rest of the Warwolf Squadron walk inside a NATO hangar. In the back of Bishop's group is a woman of Asian appearance. The character bears an uncanny resemblance to the Ace Combat 5 incarnation of recurring character Kei Nagase.