Tactical Laser System

The Tactical Laser System (TLS) is a multipurpose directed energy weapon system from Strangereal and the real world.

Strangereal
In Strangereal, the Tactical Laser System was developed in Belka during the Cold War by Gründer Industries' precursor, the South Belka Munitions Factory, under Project Pendragon. The weapon was originally developed as an aircraft-based system meant to destroy ballistic and cruise missiles in their boost phase, but later expanded to point defense roles in later versions.

The original version, the Zoisite system, was installed on the ADFX-01 and ADFX-02 Morgan protoypes for testing. Mounted on the rear of the aircraft, the pod was attached through large struts to their fuselage, being capable of projecting multi-megawatt beams of energy under a 7G physical stress limit. The latter aircraft received an upgraded model with a swiveling irradiation lens able of firing in a 45° degree angle ahead of the user.

At the end of the Belkan War, the upgraded Zoisite was stolen by A World With No Boundaries and used by Larry Foulke during the siege of Avalon Dam, using it to kill Patrick James Beckett before attempting to kill Cipher. The ADFX-02 suffered damage to is hydraulic systems during the battle, forcing Pixy to manually eject the weapon before engaging Cipher with burst missiles.

Following the end of the war, the weapon was further refined by Gründer Industries, who developed a second-generation model by the 2000s for use by the ADF-01 FALKEN as an air combat weapon, while retaining the missile interception capabilities of the original system. The new version suffered a drastic size reduction to fit inside the FALKEN, and received extensive upgrades that increased its irradiation time and recharging speed.

Infinity universe
In the Infinity timeline of the real world, the Tactical Laser System was developed in the 2000s under unknown circumstances after the Ulysses Disaster. Unlike its Strangereal counterpart, the TLS was not originally designed as a missile interceptor, but as a plane-based air combat weapon.

By the 2010s, TLS pods were designed by the creators of the ADFX-01 as one of its main weapons. Low-powered prototypes were developed and installed on the ADFX-01-1 test aircraft; fully powered models were later installed on the final ADFX-01s during their limited production run, and were likely retired along with the aircraft after poor performance against stealth aircraft led to its termination.

Enhanced variants were outfitted on the MQ-90 Quox drones escorting Camilla and the QFA-44 Carmilla during the USEA Federation's insurrection in 2019. These models possessed swiveling lenses similar to the ADFX-02's, allowing them to strike aircraft and missiles at high angles behind the aircraft, and were modified with a program that directed fire at the cockpits of enemy pilots too close to the master aircraft.

Behind the scenes
The Tactical Laser System is a fictional weapon that first debuted in Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War as the secondary weapon of the ADF-01 FALKEN, appearing in virtually all subsequent games where it appears, with the exception of Ace Combat Xi: Skies of Incursion, and is considered as the jet's signature weapon.

Apart from the model used by the ADF-01, the ADFX aircraft from Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War are able to use the original TLS model. However, the Zoisite unit differs from the FALKEN's in virtue of having a four-second irradiation time, a small ammunition supply and a lengthy recharging time. In addition, it lacks its successor's ability to fire and reload simultaneously, putting it at a disadvantage.

In Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War, the mission "Zero" contains incongruencies in regards to the weapon's power; Pixy's laser kills Beckett by hitting the cockpit, piercing the body and sending the aircraft towards the ground while trailing black smoke, whereas in gameplay either model will destroy any enemy aircraft in one hit regardless of health.

For its Ace Combat: Infinity iteration, the Block 1 Morgan's TLS was severely weakened; in addition to losing some fire time, its payload was reduced to 1 shot. The ADFX-01 however, has been given three uses instead of one. The damage was also severely weakened, being almost useless against the Scinfaxi-class submarine and requiring half a second of exposure to destroy a Special aircraft.

Trivia

 * Ace Combat 5
 * The Unsung War


 * The acronym "Z.O.E" is displayed in both sides of the weapon's control panel. However, the relationship between the Zone of Endless project and the Tactical Laser System, if any, is unknown.
 * In a mission which ends with a landing sequence (e.g. "Desert Lightning"), firing the Tactical Laser System before the landing segment started would cause the beam to remain during the ending portion. However, it would have grown in size, and have a golden tint.
 * In Arcade Mode, if Mobius One hits a target with gunfire while the laser is active, there is a chance that the laser will lock onto the target.


 * Ace Combat Zero
 * The Belkan War


 * As per The Unsung War, the "Z.O.E" acronym is featured once more in the ADF-01's control panel.
 * The FALKEN and Morgan models of the Tactical Laser System have notable functional differences. The Morgan model has shorter irradiation time (around four seconds), a lengthy recharge time and a small ammunition payload, while the ADF-01's has an eight-second irradiation time, is capable of simutaneously recharging and firing, and has a larger payload. This is perhaps because the weapon inherited all of its qualities from the AC5 rendition, including the larger payload, longer beam irradiation time and the ability to fire and reload at the same time, and for some reason Namco did not degrade the FALKEN's performance when using the TLS. In fact, the only change that the FALKEN's TLS recieved was the beam's change of colour.
 * If you fire the TLS directly at Pixy right at the start of the final dogfight in Zero, it will destroy Pixy and say Hold Fire. This goes for both the Falken and the Morgan.


 * Ace Combat X
 * Skies of Deception


 * The Tactical Laser System is used by enemy aircraft in the side mission "Operation X", where it is used by two of the ADF-01s Gryphus One must confront at the end. The pair of FALKENs will attack the player by firing the laser and swinging it in a sword-style fashion, dealing low to medium damage with each slash. In addition, it is also used by the ace FALKEN unit "Z.O.E.", which fires directly at the player instead of slashing at them.
 * An upgrade called the "Laser Extender" can be applied to the ADF-01, which extends the weapon's irradiation time.


 * Ace Combat
 * Joint Assault


 * The ADF-01 "Z.O.E", a "legacy" ace in the side mission "Ace of Aces" uses a Tactical Laser System as its main weapon.


 * Ace Combat
 * Assault Horizon Legacy


 * The Tactical Laser System returns as an enemy weapon in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy. Although never used in the main campaign, it is used a number of times by hostile aircraft in bonus missions, one of which involves fighting four replicas of the original Zone of Endless ADF-01 fought in "Fighter's Honor" armed with TLS pods.


 * General
 * The Tactical Laser System is tied with the Orbital Satellite Laser from Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere as one of the most powerful weapons in the Ace Combat series. The OSL is compatible with nearly all playable aircraft and can destroy all targets in a single shot, however it has a long reload time and tracks a single target. Conversely, the TLS can be mounted exclusively in ADF aircraft and demands greater user input, but can be used to destroy multiple targets in a single shot, and has the advantage of simultaneously reloading and firing.