Chandelier

For the mission, see Chandelier (mission)

For the song, see Chandelier (song)

Chandelier
Manufacturer	Estovakia
Function	Missile launch platform Asteroid defense
Creation	1998 (completed in 2014)
Operators	Estovakia
Deployment	Emmeria-Estovakia War
Destruction	April 1, 2016 Battle of Sonne Island

"So this is what they used to try and blast that meteor..."

― Stephen McCarthy

Chandelier was a giant railgun created by Estovakia capable of firing capsules containing multiple cruise missiles. It was one of many large-scale weapons constructed to combat the 1994XF04 Ulysses asteroid. However, it was not completed in time and was not operational upon the asteroid's impact, which devastated Estovakia's infrastructure.

Chandelier was further developed during the Estovakian Civil War, but it wasn't completed by the war's end. The railgun was finally completed around the Emmeria-Estovakia War, and used as a retaliatory weapon against Emmeria following their liberation of Gracemeria. It was subsequently destroyed by the Republic of Emmeria Air Force.

History

Early development

The Ulysses asteroid was initially believed to only impact the Usean continent, but new data acquired in July 1998 by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) indicated that Ulysses would split into two large fragments and partially strike the Anean continent as well as Usea. The FCU's Stonehenge was too far in construction to be modified, leaving Anea defenseless. This led to numerous protests in Anea against the IAU and FCU.

Following this revelation, Estovakia's armed forces created the concept of Chandelier to defend their country from Ulysses. However, as development went on, the railgun's barrel and base mechanisms increased in size to compensate for the shells it would fire (see #Design). The complexity of construction prevented the railgun from being completed in time; only part of the barrel was built when Ulysses struck in July 1999. Afterward, the facility remained dormant for a decade.

In the middle of the Estovakian Civil War, the Eastern Faction decided to complete Chandelier and use it against the Lyes United Front. They completed the base by attaching a magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) module to an ice block 13.23 square kilometers in size. The barrel was simultaneously completed as well. However, complications with electricity consumption and heat generation prevented the railgun from being used. The civil war ended, but Chandelier's development continued.

Completion and destruction

The battle over Chandelier

Sometime by March 2016, Estovakia solved Chandelier's electricity and heat problems by adding numerous cooling units throughout the facility. During the Emmeria-Estovakia War, Gustav Dvornik, leader of Estovakia's armed forces, sought to use Chandelier as a retaliatory weapon. It was fully developed and functional by this time, and was rapidly put into operation.

Chandelier was first used in battle on the night of March 31, 2016, hours after Emmeria liberated their capital, Gracemeria. Backed by stealth fighters and escorts, several cruise missiles were fired at the city within special delivery shells. The missiles were intercepted by the Emmerian Air Force, who were performing a defensive patrol at the time. Shortly after the attack, Lieutenant Colonel Victor Voychek was convinced that Estovakia's plans were far too evil to continue, and he revealed Chandelier's existence and data to Melissa Herman, Matilda Herman and Ludmila Tolstaya.

Emmerian military traced the cruise missiles back to Chandelier, which they had thought was abandoned. A strike team comprised only of fighter units led by Garuda Team flew to Sonne Island the next morning, arriving just as Chandelier completed preparation for another wave of attacks. Melissa and Matilda Herman made contact with the Emmerian forces through Zed Waters's radio station, sending Voychek's data on Chandelier to AWACS Ghost Eye, who then sent it to the rest of the strike team. With the data in tow, the Emmerians began assaulting the facility.

The Emmerian Air Force over the destroyed Chandelier

Despite support from the Estovakian Navy, the Estovakian Air Force, and Strigon Team, the Emmerians managed to destroy Chandelier's main cooling systems. Talisman and Shamrock then worked together to destroy Chandelier's backup cooling unit, although Shamrock had to bail out due to battle damage. Talisman then flew into Chandelier's barrel to destroy its core. The destruction of the core shook the whole facility, causing Chandelier to slowly fall apart in pieces.

Design

Chandelier's barrel

Chandelier was an anti-asteroid railgun, many times larger than any of Stonehenge's cannons. However, unlike the latter, Chandelier was not a turreted design and thus its orientation was fixed. It was intentionally built on arctic terrain to utilize MHD by using conduction of seawater to generate electrical power.

The facility was backed by a series of cooling units sealed by protective plates. A small airstrip connected to an internal hangar was built at the front of the complex. The large glacier that Chandelier was built upon was reinforced with silicon molecules, giving it a higher strength and melting point to withstand the railgun's tremendous weight, heat, and recoil.

Chandelier fires individual shells named Stauros, which are loaded with cruise missiles designed to cause direct damage to a target. Stauros shells were loaded through an internal conveyor belt beneath the railgun, which led into an elevator that raised the shells to the firing chamber. Chandelier's barrel was outfitted with a slide mechanism to handle the force of recoil, and had the capability to widen to fire a "charged" shot.

Gallery

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  Chandelier firing a Stauros shell

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  Schematics detailing the front of the Chandelier

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  Schematics detailing the middle of the Chandelier

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  Schematics detailing the rear of the Chandelier

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  The Chandelier runways

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  Side view

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  After destruction

Trivia

• The Chandelier is the largest railgun in the Ace Combat series.
• It is possible for Chandelier to shoot down the player if they fly too close to the barrel when it fires. The resulting explosion effect can cause extreme stress on older Xbox 360 processors, slowing the game to a crawl.