CFA-44 Nosferatu

The CFA-44 Nosferatu (CFA-44ノスフェラトゥ; translating into Emmerian as "Skyknife") is a fictional, super-advanced, carrier-based aircraft featured in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation and Ace Combat: Assault Horizon.

History
Owing to the advancements in technology and the will to exploit them, the Nosferatu can outperform any existing aircraft of any air force. Its only past equals are the X-02 Wyvern of the Federal Erusian Air Force, the ADF-01 Falken and ADFX-02 Morgan of the Belkan Air Force,  XF/AB-32 Fenrir of the Leasath Air Force, and XFA-36A Game of the General Resource Defense Force.

Conception
The Nosferatu was in the first stages of development when the Ulysses asteroid collided with Strangereal and disintegrated. Their economy devastated and 80% of their infrastructure destroyed, the outbreak of the Estovakian Civil War brought about the cancellation of the project. But when the mysterious Generals came to power and established themselves as leaders of the land, the aicraft's production was resumed, and in November of 2014, the first production prototype rolled off the assembly line.

Under the Generals' supervision, the Nosferatu underwent rigorous and extensive testing. Its performance was far beyond anyone's expectations: A maximum speed of Mach 2.5, a centrifugal force tolerance of 7.65 G's, and a maxiumum operational range of 3000 miles (1990 km). In preliminary combat tests, the aircraft's radar system could track up to forty targets, relaying the relative speed and distance to the pilot via the heads-up display (HUD). A top-secret munition replacement system was integrated, allowing for limited reloading of missiles.

Construction made use of the most sophisticated materials available, relying heavily on stealth technology. The outer skin is a network of interlacing radial polymer pockets which convert 70% of all incoming electromagnetic enery into heat, and its diamond-shaped delta design deflects another 25%, dramatically reducing its return signature. Its nozzles are augmented with thrust-deflecting fins to aid its outstanding maneuverability and complicated heat sinks that quickly cool and disperse the immense thermal energy giving off by its experimental engines while in afterburner, making it difficult for heat-seeking missiles to track.

Deployment
The only known deployments of the Nosferatu was during the initial stages of Estovakia's surprise invasion and swift occupation of Gracemeria, when Lieutenant Colonel Victor Voychek and Strigon Team were brought in, and during Operation: Free Gracemeria, when Lieutenant Commander Ilya Pasternak faced Garuda Team alone, allowing his team mates to escape. From then on, Emmeria found and confiscated several working prototypes, which Garuda Team used to destroy Estovakia's superweapon, a giant railgun called the Chandelier.

Prerequisites, Statistics and Armament
Aquiring this aircraft requires some skill and finesse. The campaign must be completed on Hard difficulty before it is made available in the aircraft selection screen. It is seen being flown by Lieutenant Colonel Victor Voychek during the takeover of Gracemeria in the downloadable Ace of Aces difficulty and by Lieutenant Commander Ilya Pasternak during the liberation of Gracemeria.

The Nosferatu's design allows it to perform amazing feats that would destroy lesser aircraft. It boasts the highest speed, mobility, anti-air and anti-ground capabilities available, but at the cost of low stability and defense. It can outrun and outmaneuver every other aircraft in the sky, but will stall at a higher speed than most and can't absorb as much damage. Therefor, evasion takes up about 60% of the pilot's energy in combat and it isn't a favorite among online players.

It also boasts the highest ammunition supply. Three hundred missiles and dual machine guns give it unrivaled air-to-air combat capabilities, and an impressive special weapon payload can make it a fearsome support aircraft. Its standard special weapon is the All Direction Multipurpose Missile, an experimental weapon which can track up to 12 targets at once. The detonation of the warhead, however, will not destroy all aircraft caught within the blast radius as seen in the campaign.

Standard and Downloadable Paint Schemes

 * Emmerian: Drab "stealth gray" paint scheme
 * Estovakian: Strigon Team paint scheme, black with red trim
 * Special: White with blue nose and trim
 * Prototype: Steel silver with blue trim (DLC)
 * Aces:  (DLC)
 * Razgriz: Solid black paint scheme with Razgriz emblem (DLC)

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon
The CFA-44 Nosferatu returns in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon. It was released together with the AV-8B Harrier II and the online maps Tokyo and Honolulu in the "Online Pack" on December 20, 2011.

The Nosferatu is a high-performance multirole aircraft, possessing incredible combat abilities. Its strength lies in its maneuverability and firepower, which are the highest of any aircraft in the game. However, these advantages come at the cost of the aircraft inheriting its original incarnation's low stability problems. Moreover, its armor is light and thin, making flight hazardous in heavy combat situations.

The aircraft retains the same weapons loadout from Fires of Liberation: namely, the All Direction Multi-Purpose Missile, the Electromagnetic Launcher and the Electronic Counter Measure Pod. With the exception of the ECMP, the offensive weapons have been modified for gameplay balacing purposes: the ADMM features an slower lock-on time for full twelve-missile launch and reduced power, whereas the EML requires more time to reload but retains its characteristic one-hit-kill ability, however in the mission "Akula" Markov will not be destroyed with one shot of the EML.

Colors

 * Color 1: Emmerian Air Force, drab gray
 * Color 2: "PROTOTYPE" paint scheme
 * Color 3: Strigon/Ilya Pasternak paint scheme

Pros

 * Highest lock-on capability of any aircraft; can quickly turn the tide of battle
 * Second fastest and most agile aircraft available; can easily outrun and outmaneuver enemy missiles
 * Full anti-air and anti-ground capability; ADMM's multitarget lock-on system is a major help
 * Becomes stealthier when further away from enemy radar's center of focus

Cons

 * Low stability; high stall speed severly limits combat ability during tight turns
 * Low defense; thin armor increases vulnerability to anti-aircraft weapons, particularly missiles and flak

Trivia

 * The "CFA" prefix is incorrect for the Nosferatu as CFA means it is a Transport/Fighter and Attacker, which it cannot be ("C" prefixes are usually reserved for cargo planes). The correct designation should be F/A-44, since it is classed as a multirole aircraft in game. If it were a prototype, as suggested in the game, it would be designated XFA-44.
 * The aircraft is named after the Nosferatu, a vampire from Romanian mythology. A Nosferatu is classified as a Strigoi, from which the squadron's name is derived.
 * The lack of a one-piece cockpit, the large number of protruding airfoils, external air-to air missiles and the lack of a smooth airframe suggests that the CFA-44 is not very stealthy, even though the gameplay suggests otherwise. It is possible that the paint constains a radar-absorbent materal similar to that used on the F-22A Raptor. It is also likely that the plane is a prototype, and its design and capabilities have not been fully refined. Its difficulties in making tight turns may support this.
 * The plane appears in Tekken 6's Scenario Mode as an easter egg.
 * The Nosferatu cockpit is reused on the GAF-1 Varcolac.
 * In Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, the Nosferatu's onboard computer language is Russian, affirming a stronger connection to the real-world inspiration of the Nosferatu's airframe to the Su-27 Flanker family. Also the Nosferatu's countermanuever arrangements are the same as the Su-35 Super Flanker. The very flexible nozzles are capable of performing the Kulbit turn, and Pugachev's Cobra, though the latter is a neutral maneuver.
 * In Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, the CFA-44 suffers from a glitch like the Su-47 does. Due to both aircraft having immense speed and turning abilities, they seem to "drift" through the air at times when turning. Pulling out of a dive may still send you crashing belly first into the ground, due to the "momentum" they seem to carry.