The Talon of Ruin

This article is about an in-game mission. For the in-universe event, see Operation Valkyrie.

The Talon of Ruin
Campaign Mission 15 Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War
Other Names	Giant Bird of Steel (くろがねの巨鳥)
Mission Order
Previous	The Final Overture
Next	The Demon of the Round Table
Mission Details
Focus	Air-to-Air
Objectives	Intercept the enemies.
Time Limit	20 minutes
Character	Cipher
Focus	Air-to-Air
Objectives	Destroy all TGTs.
Time Limit	Remaining time from initial stage
Character	Cipher

"Espada Team, shoot down those Ustio flies. That "Demon Lord" has gotten to be quite an eye-sore."

― Hresvelgr Crew

"The Talon of Ruin" is the 15th campaign mission in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. The player must face the new threat of A World With No Boundaries and destroy its heavy command cruiser, the XB-0 Hresvelgr.

Briefing

The top officers in the Belkan army have pulled a coup d'état. Calling their organization "A World With No Boundaries," the forces bombed the city of Lumen, where the cessation of hostilities treaty was signed, using a giant gunship codenamed "XB-0." Your mission is to pursue the XB-0 and... Wait... We've just received an emergency transmission from the control tower. Unidentified aircraft are approaching our base! Scramble all planes! Quick, there's no time! Get into the air immediately!

Objectives

After the player takes off from Valais Air Base, they must follow the vector on the radar to chase the enemy units. Once they get close, the player is free to engage. The XB-0 Hresvelgr, as a heavy command cruiser, features numerous anti-air gun and missile ports that the player must destroy. After that, the player must destroy more anti-air weapons as well as the XB-0's engines. In addition, the Sapin Air Force squadron Espada Team is defending the XB-0. The player must shoot them down as well.

Once the player shoots down Espada and neutralizes the XB-0's weapons and engines, they can engage the XB-0's cockpit. The cockpit can also fire guns and missiles to defend itself. The player will complete the mission upon destroying the cockpit. The player will fail the mission if the XB-0 manages to escape over the combat zone border.

Enemy Lists

The following enemy lists are taken from the Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Perfect Guide Book.

Standard Units

	Unit	Points	Count	Notes
	XB-0 HRESVELGR GUN AAM ENGINE COCKPIT	100 120 500 2000	12 4 6 1
	J35J "Espada"		1
	Rafale M "Espada"		1
	Su-37		2

Special Units

Main article: Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War/Aces

	AR #	Unit	Points	Campaign Completed	Minimum Difficulty	Ace Style	Notes
	129	F-2A "Eisvogel 1"	1080		Very Easy	Mercenary
	130	F-2A "Eisvogel 2"	1080		Very Easy	Mercenary
	131	Su-32 "Suerte 1"	1220		Very Easy	Soldier
	132	Su-32 "Suerte 2"	1220		Very Easy	Soldier
	133	F-16C "Komyeta 1"	820		Very Easy	Knight
	134	F-16C "Komyeta 2"	820		Very Easy	Knight
	135	B-2A "Vulkan"	1500	✔	Normal
	136	B-2A "Felsen"	1500	✔	Normal

S Rank

Achieving an S rank on this mission requires completing it in 6 minutes or less. This includes the flight time at the beginning of the mission, so the player should fly as fast as possible to avoid wasting time.

The player should make use of a special weapon to quickly neutralize the XB-0's components, such as multi-lock air-to-air missiles or a bomb. The Fuel-Air Explosive Bomb works very well against the XB-0 due to its explosion radius. If the player can neutralize the XB-0 in short order, the only remaining challenge will be shooting down Espada Team in enough time.

Debriefing

Thanks to you the XB-0 has been shot down. However, our base was heavily damaged in the surprise attack. The squadron that you engaged consisted of Sapin and Osean fighters. We're currently investigating the situation. Once we determine the location of the renegade organization, we will launch a counterinsurgency operation.