The 19th Special Squadron "Ridgebacks"[1], commonly known as the Ridgeback Squadron, was an elite fighter squadron from the Ace Combat Infinity universe.
History
The Ridgebacks were formed in the 21st century by the United Nations following the Ulysses Disaster, with the aim of having elite pilots put a quick end to terrorist threats around the world.[2] The unit, led by a man named Slash, pilots the F-3 Shinden II as its primary aircraft. They became known through mercenary networks such as Arrows Air Defense and Security.[3]
In May of 2019, the Ridgebacks were tasked to work with the Bone Arrow Squadron to rescue the Greymen from a terrorist cell in Iyuli[3], and later fought with them during Operation Crusher to destroy Stonehenge Type-3 in Turkey.[4] They later assisted Bone Arrow in ending the threat to Tokyo during Operation Override.[5]
Trivia
- The Ridgebacks allude to different aspects of the Ace Combat series:
- The black Shinden IIs flown by the unit, as well as their name, refer to the Wardog Squadron from Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War. Their naming after a dog breed (the Rhodesian Ridgeback) is also a reference to the Labrador Retriever of Wardog, as both were historically used in warfare.
- The "19" number refers to the 19th Squadron "ACES" from Ace Combat: Ikaros in the Sky.
- The callsigns "Slash" and "Edge" reference the wingmen, Slash and Edge respectively, from Ace Combat 2 and Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy.