Diapason

"Diapason" is the sixth campaign mission in Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War. The player must liberate Directus, the capital city of Ustio, and win back the country's independence. The player must also shoot down the Belkan Air Force ace squadron Gelb Team.

Briefing

Preparations to liberate Directus are now complete. I will now brief you on the Ustio 6th Air Division's role in regaining control of the capital. Directus is divided into five administrative wards centering on the River Crescere. Powerful weapons have been place in each ward, comprising the Belkan army's Ustio-branch headquarters. This battle will determinate our fate, as the annihilation of all enemy forces will mean liberation for the nation of Ustio. The enemy forces are primarily comprised of ground troops, but we have received information that, while not yet confirmed, there is also a squadron of hi-tech enemy fighters. Your orders are to destroy the Belkan forces and liberate Directus. We can't afford to lose.

Objectives

Initial

Directus is separated into five different areas, each defended by many Belkan ground forces and a few bandits. The player's main objective is to destroy all AA GUNs, SAMs, and APCs marked as TGT. As the mission progresses, a group of tanks will convert to friendly as civilians retake the town.

Partway through the mission, a Belkan A-10A will engage a group of Allied ground units. If the player shoots down the A-10A before it destroys the ground units, the player's Ace Style gauge will receive a boost towards Knight.^[1]

Mission Update

After the player liberates the city, Gelb Team will enter the airspace. They fly two powerful and fast Su-37 Terminators, each with the capability to fire missiles backwards. The player must shoot both of them down to complete the mission.

Enemy Lists

The following enemy lists are taken from the Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War Perfect Guide Book.^[1]

Standard Units

Section		Unit	Points	Count	Difficulty	Other Notes
Initial		Typhoon	700	1
		MiG-29A	400	2
		MiG-29A	320	2	Very Easy/Easy
			400	2	Normal/Hard
			480	2	Expert/Ace
		A-10A	360	1		[note 1]
		CH-47	500	1		[note 2]
		SAM	120	9
		AA GUN	100	6
		APC	100	3
		TANK	150	3		[note 3]
		SAM	120	1
		AA GUN	100	3
		TENT M	200	19
Mission Update		Su-37 "Gelb"	2770	2

Special Units

	AR #	Unit	Points	Campaign Completed	Minimum Difficulty	Ace Style	Notes
	046	F-15C "Ibis"	960		Very Easy	Mercenary
	047	EA-18G "Wolkenmeer"	1140		Very Easy	Soldier	[note 4]
	048	F-14D "Wildgans"	1000		Very Easy	Knight
	049	F-15 S/MTD "Wuerger"	1610		Ace

S Rank

Earning an S rank on this mission requires clearing it in 10 minutes or less.^[1] Since the timer does not reset in the Mission Update, the player has only 10 minutes to destroy every TGT and Gelb Team. It is recommended to use bombs or XAGMs to quickly liberate Directus, allowing for plenty of time to shoot down Gelb.

Debriefing

Belka's Ustio-branch headquarters has fallen. Directus has been liberated. I just received a vintage bottle of Chateau Boloise for the Galm Team. It's a hard-to-find Cabernet. Perfect, I'd say, for celebrating an occasion such as this.

Footnotes

References