Mission Update

A Mission Update is a common gameplay feature used in almost every Ace Combat game released to date.

Description
Mission Updates alter the objective of a mission the player is currently in the middle of, usually to fulfill a plot element. In some cases, it completely alters the original objective and focus of the mission. A Mission Update could also signal a change in the background music.

Ace Combat 04

 * The Northern Eye - After destroying the radar, the player must cross the Return Line.
 * Lifeline - After achieving 2000 points within the time limit, the player must cross the Return Line.
 * Deep Strike - After destroying the targets, the player must cross the Return Line by flying in the ravine and avoiding Stonehenge's attacks.
 * Shattered Skies - After achieving 800 points within the time limit, the player must destroy the bombers en route to the base.
 * Operation Bunker Shot - After achieving 2200 points within the time limit, the player must destroy the bombers en route to the central beach.
 * Stonehenge Offensive - After destroying Stonehenge, the player must shoot down Yellow 4.
 * Safe Return - After achieving 1300 points within the time limit, the player must destroy the fighters that appear.
 * Emancipation - After 10 minutes, a formation of six Tu-160 Blackjack bombers fly in. They must be destroyed.
 * Siege of Farbanti - After achieving 2100 points within the time limit, the player must destroy 5 members of the Yellow Squadron.
 * Megalith (mission) - After destroying all of the generators, the middle tunnel opens up, revealing the main ICBM at its end. Four other ICBMs are launched and can be destroyed for extra points.

Ace Combat Infinity
"All units, priority level for the operation has changed. We now have an emergency mission."

- AWACS Sky-Eye


 * Rescue - After destroying the targets, the player must cross the Return Line by flying in the ravine and avoiding Stonehenge's attacks.
 * Stonehenge - After securing safety for the ground forces, the player must destroy the jamming towers and then the railguns themselves.
 * Far Eastern Front - The player must shoot down the QFA-44, the MQ-90Ls supporting it, and the Aigaion-class heavy command cruiser.

Outside of the Campaign, Online Co-Op Missions also feature Mission Updates. These initiate when all enemies on the map are destroyed or when three minutes have elapsed, whichever comes first. One of the updates below is selected at random depending on the map, and players have to complete the objective as fast as possible to return to the match that was at hand. Completing the update will result in 10,000 bonus points being applied to both teams, and is one of the requirements for an S rank.

Trivia

 * Breaking Arrows seems to feature a Mission Update of some kind (the lone missile at the end) but it is only indicated as such by the music change and SkyEye's transmissions; the Mission Update notifier never flashes.
 * Ever since and including Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Mission Updates have been paired with another gameplay feature: checkpoints.

Infinity Trivia

 * Mission Updates do not occur during Moby Dick Pursuit, Moby Dick Pursuit II, or Moby Dick Pursuit III
 * The squadron of bombers in Aerospace Center Defense is a reference to the Erusian B-2 bombers that appeared during Shattered Skies, the 8th mission of Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies. That mission takes place over the Comona Islands, from which the Comona Base is based off of. The difference is the Erusian B-2s appear from the Western edge of the map while the B-2s in Aerospace Center Defense appear from the South.
 * The cruise missiles in Dubai is likely a reference to Gracemeria Patrol. Both requires players to shoot down missiles, and both takes place in a city at night. The background music further supports this.
 * The International Airport Mission Update in Dubai are likely a reference to the mission Chain Reaction in Ace Combat 5 . Both feature a civilian airport occupied by a variety of ground forces, alongside several fighter jets and transport planes, and both take place in a city at night. The background music further reinforces this.
 * Kottos and Gyges' formation during their appearance in a mission update (Gyges flying right on top of Kottos) is very reminiscent of the battle against two Orgoi in mission "Alarm Clock" in Ace Combat Joint Assault. Except without the extreme agility possessed by Orgoi.
 * The Jammers in Alps Air Corridor are likely a reference to Ace Combat 4: Shattered Skies' 3rd mission, The Northern Eye. Both involve destroying defended radio towers, although Ace Combat 4's towers didn't emit a jamming signal as Infinity's do.