The Searcher is a fourth-generation reconnaissance aircraft unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Israel Aerospace Industries.
History
Strangereal
In the Strangereal world, Searchers were operated by the military of Yuktobania as short-ranged reconnaissance drones. The models used by Yuktobania were notably able to be launched and recovered from small vessels, although it is unclear whether land-based variants were in active service alongside it. Several Searchers were deployed by a Yuktobanian spy ship in September 27, 2010 during the Sand Island engagements, but were destroyed by Wardog Squadron before they could return to the vessel.
During the Emmeria-Estovakia War, modified Searchers were used by the P-1112 Aigaion to provide guidance for the Nimbus missile system. The drones were first discovered by the Emmerian Air Force in 2016 during an operation in the Selumna Peaks, causing considerable casualties before being shot down. They were later deployed during the battle of San Loma, but the knowledge of their role allowed the EAF to dodge the Aigaion's strikes and minimize the deaths they caused.
Infinity universe
In the campaign of Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War, the Searcher is a reconnaissance drone operated by the Union of Yuktobanian Republics, and one of the three unmanned aircraft operated by their military, the others two being the X-45 attack unit and the Cormorant, a self-defense system of the Hrimfaxi submarine.
Numerous Searchers are engaged as mission-critical targets in the second mission of the game, "Open War", which are deployed by a Yuktobanian spy vessel. Identified simply as "UAV", the destruction of each aircraft is worth 180 points.
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation
The Searcher makes a return as an NPC aircraft in Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, whose campaign features it as a drone used by the Estovakian Army. Compared to its original appearance, it has a greater importance in the story, appearing in "Selumna Peak" and later in "San Loma Assault".
Plot
A large number of Searchers is employed by the personnel of the P-1112 Aigaion, the mothership of the Estovakian Aerial Fleet, which uses it as a guidance system for the launch of Nimbus cruise missiles. Searchers are launched from the Aigaion and head to a target site, and hover around the area to transmit the impact coordinates back to the ship, which later launches clusters of missiles to bombard the area. Normally, the drones are autonomous, but their controllers can control them remotely if necessary.
Searchers are small aircraft with minimal protection against damage, which cannot defend themselves outside Nimbus attacks. These aircraft normally fly at slow speeds, but can achieve unusually high speed to dodge enemy attacks, making them nearly untouchable unless Allied Support commands are used to overwhelm them. They require to slow down when Nimbus missiles are incoming, leaving them vulnerable for the duration of the impact.
Trivia
- The Searchers in Ace Combat 6 are completely unaffected by the nimbus missiles exploding around them.