Tactical Laser System

An F-15E Strike Eagle firing a TLS in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

The Tactical Laser System (TLS) is a multi-purpose laser weapon featured in various Ace Combat games, typically as an experimental weapon specifically designed to be carried on certain aircraft. In the Strangereal universe, the TLS was developed by the South Belka Munitions Factory; in the Infinity universe, the developer is unknown.

Design

The Zoisite TLS pod

The original TLS is codenamed "Zoisite", and found on the ADFX-01 and ADFX-02 Morgan aircraft. Mounted on the rear, the Zoisite pod was attached through large struts to their fuselage, being capable of projecting multi-megawatt beams of energy under a 7G physical stress limit. Both aircraft featured a 7G limiter to protect the TLS from possible oil pressure damage. The ADFX-02 received an upgraded model with a swiveling irradiation lens capable of firing in a 45° degree angle ahead of the user.

An upgraded variant of the original TLS is featured on the ADF-01 FALKEN. Compared to the Morgan models, the FALKEN's TLS can fire for a longer period of time and recharge while firing. The FALKEN's TLS is located inside the body, which opens up to reveal the firing lens and closes again to protect it.

In all games prior to Ace Combat Infinity, the TLS is depicted as instantaneously destroying its target upon impact. In Infinity, in the interests of multiplayer balance, the TLS has been drastically reduced in its capacity to deal damage to any unit. This damage, like other weapons in Infinity, is still relative to the aircraft; just like Ace Combat Zero, the TLS on the ADF-01 FALKEN fires for a longer period of time and deals more damage than the TLS on any Morgan aircraft.

History

Strangereal

The Tactical Laser System was developed by the South Belka Munitions Factory. The weapon was originally developed as an aircraft-based system meant to destroy ballistic and cruise missiles in their boost phase, but later expanded to aircraft-based attack and defense roles.

At the end of the Belkan War, A World With No Boundaries stole an ADFX-02 Morgan along with its Zoisite TLS pod, and gave it to Larry "Pixy" Foulke to use during the siege of Avalon Dam. Pixy used the TLS to destroy Patrick James Beckett's aircraft before attempting to kill Cipher with it. The ADFX-02, however, still had the 7G limiter enabled; Pixy disabled it, and the flight data recorder later showed Pixy going in excess of 11G during his duel with Cipher. This high pressure, coupled with Cipher's damage on Pixy's aircraft, resulted in the Zoisite's destruction, forcing Pixy to resort to Multi-Purpose Burst Missiles.

Following the end of the war, the weapon was further refined by the South Belka Munitions Factory's successor, Gründer Industries, who developed a second-generation model by the 2000s for use by the ADF-01 FALKEN as an air combat weapon, while retaining the missile interception capabilities of the original system. The new version received a drastic size reduction to fit inside the FALKEN and extensive upgrades that increased its irradiation time and recharging speed.

By 2019, conventional aircraft such as the F-15E Strike Eagle and Su-37 Terminator were able to utilize the TLS.

Infinity universe

An MQ-90L firing its TLS above Tokyo

In the Infinity timeline of the real world, the Tactical Laser System was developed under unknown circumstances. Its first known implementation was under the SOLG program, in which TLS units were utilized on the satellites to protect them from enemy attack as well as space debris. It is also believed that a TLS unit was equipped onto the AL-1B missile interceptor aircraft, used to destroy ballistic missiles during boost phase.

By the 2010s, Zoisite TLS pods were designed by the creators of the ADFX-01 as one of its main weapons. Low-powered prototypes were developed and installed on the ADFX-01 -Block1- test aircraft; fully powered models were later installed on the final ADFX-01s during their limited production run, and were likely retired along with the aircraft after poor performance against stealth aircraft led to its termination.

Enhanced variants were outfitted on the MQ-90L drones escorting Camilla's QFA-44s during the USEA Federation's insurrection in 2019 and 2020. These models possessed swiveling lenses similar to the ADFX-02's in Strangereal, allowing them to strike incoming missiles to protect the QFA-44s. Additionally, the UAVs were equipped with a detection program that identifies pilots by their helmets, in order to murder them even if they eject. This resulted in Slash's death during Operation Override, in which one of the MQ-90Ls killed him via laser fire.

During Operation Eternal Liberation, various gold-colored and black-colored Aigaion-class heavy command cruisers were built featuring experimental laser units that worked similarly to the MQ-90L TLS, protecting the cruisers from hostile fire.

Game Analysis

• Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown
• Ace Combat Infinity
• Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy
• Joint Assault
• Skies of Deception
• The Belkan War
• The Unsung War

Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

"Anti-surface and anti-air high-spec laser capable of firing continuously. Its speed means that, if fired accurately, it cannot be evaded."

― Hangar

Aircraft

• ADF-01 FALKEN
• ADF-11F Raven
• ADFX-01 Morgan
• F-15E Strike Eagle
• Su-37 Terminator

Gallery

• 

  The ADF-01 FALKEN's TLS

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• 
• 

Ace Combat Infinity

"A special weapon that hits targets with a high output laser to cause major damage. As there is zero time difference between firing and impact, with skillful targeting and timing any target be it air-to-air or air-to-ground can be hit. It has a fixed period of firing time, which can be used to continuously target a single point or be used to sweep across a wide area."

― Hangar

Aircraft

• ADFX-01 Morgan (Lv.1)
• ADFX-01 -Block1- (Lv.1)
• ADFX-01 -Pixy- (Lv.1)
• ADF-01 FALKEN (Lv.1)
• ADF-01 -Osea- (Lv.1)
• X-49 Night Raven (Lv.1)
• X-49 -Rena Hirose- (Lv.1)

	Cst	A2A	A2G	HOM	DIS	DMG	REL	Price
Lv.1	12	C+	S+	F	C+	F	E	0
Lv.2	27	C+	S+	F	C+	F	E+	23,680
Lv.3	35	C+	S+	F	C+	F	D	92,160
Lv.4	64	B	S+	F	C+	F	D	361,600
Lv.5	91	B	S+	F	C+	F	D+	788,800
Total Credit Price from Lv.0 to Lv.5								1,266,240

Gallery

• 

  An ADFX-01 -Block1- firing its TLS

• 

  A gold Aigaion-class heavy command cruiser equipped with multiple TLS units

• 

  ADF-01 -Osea- with Event Skin #01 firing its TLS

Ace Combat: Assault Horizon Legacy

"Focuses a high-intensity laser on the target, causing extensive damage. Hard to evade as there is no time delay between firing and impact"

― Hangar

Aircraft

Aircraft	Price	Ammo
ADF-01 FALKEN	159,000	6

Statistics

Gallery

• 

  Hangar view

Ace Combat: Joint Assault

"Focuses a high-intensity laser on the target, causing extensive damage. Hard to evade as there is no time delay between firing and impact."

― Hangar

Aircraft

Aircraft	Ammo	Cost per use
ADF-01 FALKEN	24	200

Statistics

Gallery

• 

  Hangar view

Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception

"Focuses a high-intensity laser on the target, causing extensive damage. Hard to evade as there is no time delay between firing and impact."

― Hangar

Aircraft

Aircraft	Ammo
ADF-01 FALKEN	14

Statistics

Gallery

• 

  Hangar view

Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War

"Focuses a high-intensity laser on the target, causing extensive damage. Hard to evade as there is no time delay between firing and impact."

― Hangar

Aircraft

Aircraft	Price	Ammo
ADFX-01 Morgan	Starting weapon	7
ADF-01 FALKEN	Starting weapon	14

Statistics

• Air-to-Air
• Air-to-Ground

Gallery

• 

  The TLS pod of the ADF-01 FALKEN in action

• 

  The ADF-01 FALKEN's internal TLS pod

• 

  Patrick James Beckett about to be shot down from an ADFX-02's TLS

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  A Morgan with the TLS mounted above the fuselage

• 

  TLS in use

Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War

"Focuses a high-intensity laser on the target, causing extensive damage. Hard to evade as there is no time delay between firing and impact."

― Hangar

Aircraft

Aircraft	Ammo
ADF-01 FALKEN	14

Gallery

Trivia

• A known glitch exists in Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War where firing the TLS immediately before a landing sequence begins causes the laser to grow in size and change color to yellow.
• Another reported glitch in Ace Combat 5, specifically Arcade Mode, dictates that if the player fires the TLS and then hits an enemy unit with gunfire, a chance exists where the laser will lock onto the enemy.
• Yet another reported glitch involves using the TLS to destroy either the SOLG in Ace Combat 5 or Larry Foulke's ADFX-02 in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. In both cases, the respective game will display the "Hold Fire" warning as if the player is not supposed to be attacking that unit.
• Due to the fact that Ace Combat Infinity automatically switches the player to their standard missiles if they run out of special weapon ammunition, as well as the fact that the ADF-01 FALKEN closes its body when switching back to standard missiles, the final TLS shot from the FALKEN will never fire fully since the body is forcibly closed due to the TLS ammo running out.
  • This bug has been fixed in an update.
• In Ace Combat Zero, the two different TLS units operate very differently even though it's the same special weapon:
  • The TLS on the ADFX-01 Morgan has a short firing time, a long recharge time, and a small amount of ammunition. It also cannot fire and recharge at the same time.
  • The TLS on the ADF-01 FALKEN has a longer firing time, a shorter recharge time, and a larger amount of ammunition. It can fire and recharge at the same time.
  • The TLS on the F-15E Strike Eagle and Su-37 Terminator has a longer firing time, a medium recharge time, and a medium amount of ammunition.
• Both Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception and Ace Combat Infinity allow players to equip parts to extend the TLS's firing time: Laser Extender in the former, and TLS High Efficiency Fuel S in the latter.
• In Ace Combat Infinity, the X-49's laser color is green instead of the usual red. This is a reference to its special weapon in Ace Combat 3: Electrosphere, the Laser Cannon, an energy-type weapon which has a similar function as that of the TLS.
• In Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, the TLS beam is diffused by clouds, being unable to pierce through to targets within or beyond cloud cover. In addition, the weapon requires a certain period of time before firing completely.