- "A far more powerful weapon than the two tactical nukes that the Belkans used in the last war . . . the V2 is a MIRV missile...it could wipe out half of all the large cities in either Osea or Yuktobania."
- ― Pops[1]
V2 was a multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) developed by the Principality of Belka during the Cold War. It was the final result of Project Pendragon, a military program headed by Anton Kupchenko aimed at developing mass retaliation weapons.[2]
The V2 itself is simply a delivery vehicle for numerous warheads stored inside, each of which is launched at individual targets during the V2's post-boost phase. These warheads can contain anything from conventional to ballistic to nuclear ordnance.
Only two working V2 units are known to have existed: one was destroyed at Avalon Dam, Belka in 1995, and the other was destroyed over Oured Bay in 2010.
History
Belkan War
The V2 was first conceived in 1985 within Project Pendragon, which also helped develop chemical laser cannons.[2] A fully-functional unit was developed around the time of Belka's 1988 Federal Law Review and hidden in silos beneath the waters of the Avalon Dam reservoir.[2]
By the outbreak of the Belkan War in March 1995, the development of V2 had been continued under total secrecy. The weapon's existence was discovered by the Osean Federation after the liberation of Ustio, leading the Allied Forces to storm the Belkan fortress of Glatisant under the pretext of a "nuclear arms inspection". However, the Allied Forces failed to find any evidence of the project.[3]
In the months following Belka's surrender, the sole existing V2 and Avalon were seized by A World With No Boundaries. On December 31, the terrorists planned to launch the V2 towards multiple major cities and resource facilities on the Osean continent to destabilize the global economy.[4] The weapon's launch was halted after the launch-control modules within the dam facility were destroyed by Galm Team.[5]
The V2, launched by Foulke's ADFX-02 Morgan, gaining altitude over Avalon Dam
Larry Foulke, formerly Galm 2, then appeared and remotely executed the V2 launch from his aircraft. However, before the missile could re-enter the atmosphere, Cipher destroyed his former wingman's aircraft, cutting off the transmission controlling the V2 and causing it to harmlessly self-destruct over the dam.[6]
Circum-Pacific War
Unbeknownst to the Allies, a second V2 missile had been produced by Belka. The missile remained unused until 2010, when it was found and seized by the Grey Men during the Circum-Pacific War. The post-boost vehicle of the missile, or at least its explosive components, were loaded onto the Strategic Orbital Linear Gun via single-stage-to-orbit launches from Basset Space Center.[1]
After the SOLG's control systems were severed by Razgriz Squadron on December 30, the satellite's fail-safe plunged it into the atmosphere on a collision course with the Osean capital of Oured.[7] On the morning of December 31, the Razgriz intercepted the weapon over Oured Bay and destroyed it before impact, causing the SOLG and the V2 within it to vanish in a massive explosion over the city.[8]
Design
The most powerful of all weapons in Belka's nuclear arsenal, the V2 was designed to carry eight reentry vehicles housing W87 thermonuclear warheads, giving its complete delivery bus enough power to strike half of all major inhabited areas in either Yuktobania or Osea. To achieve targeting, the missile received coordinates from an orbiting satellite, which relayed the information to the launch computers stored inside Avalon.
Launch of the V2 was split into three phases: Phase 1 was marked by the opening of the silo's oxygen valves; Phase 2 consisted of the activation of the missile's turbopump systems; and Phase 3 indicated the configuration of the gyroscopic stabilizers on its inertial navigation system.[9] The V2 prototype was also designed to receive launch commands from the ADFX-02 Morgan, likely as a contingency if Avalon's control systems should fail.[6]
Gallery
Diagram of an individual warhead; V2 was designed to carry eight of them
The V2 launching from Avalon
The V2 detonates over Avalon Dam
Trivia
- The V2 post-boost vehicle was mistranslated on the blueprints as "Post busuto biguru".
- A string of binary code is shown on the blueprints. It does not properly convert to ASCII.
00 01 00 01 11 11 1011 10 11 10 00 00 1101 00 11 10 01 11 1100 10 11 01 01 01 0000 01 10 10 11 00 01
- The V2 missile in Ace Combat Zero uses the same model as the giant missile in Megalith from Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies.
- Contrary to popular belief, Project Pendragon is not stated to have any direct relation to the XB-0 Hresvelgr or Excalibur superweapons. However, Project Pendragon also included developments on chemical laser weapons,[2] and in theory, these developments could have been brought over to Excalibur.
- Project Pendragon's name is derived from the surname of several Kings of the Britons in Arthurian legend, most notably Uther Pendragon, father of King Arthur.
- The plot surrounding A World With No Boundaries and the V2 frequently alludes to the Arthurian legends. Anton Kupchenko, the head of Project Pendragon, states "we raised the King" during The Demon of the Round Table and can be considered one of the "fathers" of Larry Foulke's involvement in AWWNB: he repeatedly compares Foulke to King Arthur and refers to him as the "sleeping king".
- The V2 is named after the V-2 rocket developed by Nazi Germany during World War II; it was the first true ballistic missile ever developed.
- At the end of "Zero", the V2 self-destructs after Cipher shoots down his former wingman. Most ballistic missiles currently in active service are designed to function even after their original launch sites have been destroyed; however, this self-destruct feature is used as a fail-safe while testing rockets to prevent damage to civilian infrastructure. This implies that the V2 from Avalon had not yet been fully developed.
- Both of the V2 missiles, which were respectively intended to usher in a new era, are deployed on December 31, the eve of the new year.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Briefing, ACES, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Aces At War: A History, pages 134–135.
- ↑ Bastion, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.
- ↑ Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Perfect Guide Book, page 176.
- ↑ The Valley of Kings, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Zero, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.
- ↑ Cutscene 27, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Cutscene 28, Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War.
- ↑ Dialogue during The Valley of Kings, Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War.