History Awesome / AceCombat7SkiesUnknown

** Much like the destruction of the Chandelier, the eighth and final turret of Stonehenge shutting down ''finally'' puts to rest the last of the Ulysses-era superweapons.

* Another meta example is Trigger's skill. All ''Ace Combat'' protagonists are pilots extremely skilled, but Trigger takes the cake in that he managed to defeat Mihaly (the best ace in the world at the time, outclassing even legends such as Mobius 1, Blaze or Cipher) ''and'' Hugin and Mugin, who were updating themselves mid-battle to fly like him. Trigger, alone and without any of Erusea's special equipment, vanquished two machines who didn't have to care about bodily limits with his combined knowledge and Mihaly's. If there's an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_of_aces ace of aces]] in Strangereal, Trigger is a very likely contender, competing with the likes of Cipher, Blaze, and Mobius 1.

--> '''AWACS Bandog:''' Roper 1 lost, along with the mission. ''[[AssholeVictim Not that it was a load worth protecting]]''.

--> '''Long Caster:''' What just happened?!\\

** When Torres is finally backed into a corner, he attempts to fake out a surrender, only for David to call his 'bluff', noting that the guidance system for the nuke had been disrupted. Torres continues forward regardless, regaling the LRSSG with a story about [[ImprobableAimingSkills how he hit a ship thirty kilometers away in a storm,]] forcing Trigger into crippling the massive central railgun before it fires on Oured. [[{{Determinator}} And the man still refuses to give up,]] even sinking part of the ''Alicorn'' when the Trigger breaks the elevation of the railgun in that shot in order to finally see his plan to fruition. A mad visionary to the end.

* Mission 15: Trigger and the Oseans launch a furious operation to take back the Erusean capital of Farbanti. Then comes the second encounter between Trigger and Mihaly, where Wiseman volunteers to [[NervesOfSteel serve as a decoy]] to help Trigger out, even thought it [[SenselessSacrifice ends poorly]].

* Mission 12: The Oseans are attempting to reactivate the [[BreakoutTheMuseumPiece last intact Stonehenge turret]] in an attempt to shoot down the Arsenal Bird Liberty while fending off a massive Erusean assault. However, just as it is about to fire, the survey team is found killed by Erusean agents, forcing Stonehenge's crew to aim and fire the railgun at the Arsenal Bird manually. After Trigger slows down the Arsenal Bird by destroying its main propellers, Stonehenge manages to line a shot that goes clean through the Arsenal Bird's [[DeflectorShields microwave shield]] and hits it directly at the center, cleaving it in two and turning the tide of the war in Osea's favor.

** Champ may be an egotistical ass, but [[spoiler: his shootdown at Mihaly's hands]] has a moment for him; he managed to ''pull a Pugachev's Cobra on Mihaly''. Considering that Champ was flying a refurbished [=MiG=]-29 that was likely older than he was - a jet that boasts quite impressive maneuverability, yet still pales in comparison to Mihaly's Su-30SM - it's quite an impressive feat and a testament to his physics-defying skills. Too bad he just wasn't skilled enough to take down Mihaly. Even then, however, unlike many other pilots who found themselves in Mihaly's sights, he never once showed any fear towards the ace and [[DefiantToTheEnd went down swinging against an opponent he had no chance of beating]].

* Mission 9: After completing their mission, Spare Squadron is suddenly ambushed by a flight of Erusean drones masquerading as Osean F/A-18Fs and using allied IFF designations. With the Spares being picked off one by one and unable to discern friend from foe, Tabloid orders all the surviving Spares to gather around Trigger and tells Bandog to register all fighters around Trigger as friendlies. The player is then treated [[https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiGgofkvIXgAhXHFzQIHSPPBnIQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Facecombat.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FSpare_Squadron&psig=AOvVaw17LrpqwDXD4iPK6_BcENm-&ust=1548386884441435 to an amazing shot of Spare Squadron flying in formation with Trigger above the mountains]] before proceeding to combat the drones while also dodging long-range burst missiles from the Arsenal Bird. This is the defining awesome moment in the 444th Squadron arc; no longer are they the RagtagBunchOfMisfits they were earlier in the story arc, they are now Osea's choice unit for missions where they cannot risk regulars but still want a job well done. Because of this feat, Trigger and the rest of the Spares are pardoned and allowed to rejoin the Osean military as actual pilots.

** Champ may be an egotistical ass, but [[spoiler: his shootdown at Mihaly's hands]] has a moment for him; he managed to ''pull a Pugachev's Cobra on Mihaly''. Considering that Champ was flying a refurbished old fighter that was likely older than he was, it's quite an impressive feat and a testament to his physics-defying skills. Too bad he just wasn't skilled enough to take down Mihaly. Even then, however, unlike many other pilots who found themselves in Mihaly's sights, he never once showed any fear towards the ace and [[DefiantToTheEnd went down swinging against an opponent he had no chance of beating]].

** The timing of Operation Hush, starting at 7:00 AM, is also symbolic in its own right; either the coalition shuts down Hugin and Munin right then and there, or else it will be humanity's final dawn. Fortunately, Trigger, after a heated fight against the twin drones while basking in the morning sun and a pursuit leading all the way up to the Lighthouse's nigh-stratosphere, saves humanity's future. [[VideoGame/AceCombat3Electrosphere For now]].

** Even Count gets his due; if the Twins are being too troublesome for Trigger to get a bead on, he pulls Trigger aside, using a secret TAC frequency to lay out his scheme of how they can work together to take Mimic down. For players doing the mission chronologically, it comes across as the pivotal moment in which he truly starts to show CharacterDevelopment and becoming Trigger's comrade rather than just his wingman. He does have a [[AesopAmnesia brief lapse]] in the later standard missions before Operation Daredevil, but his ability to take charge of Cyclops following Daredevil can possibly be credited to his development.

* Mission 18: You finally have your final showdown with Mihaly, who's flying in a brand-new X-02S Strike Wyvern that is equipped with the Electromagnetic Launcher capable of one-shotting anything unfortunate enough to be caught in its path. After a grueling battle, Trigger finally emerges victorious, and Mihaly [[GracefulLoser accepts his defeat gracefully]], confident that Trigger is a worthy successor as the top ace. It's even better if you read the manual ''Aces At War: A History 2019''. Mihaly is said to be the instructor of none other than [[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies Yellow 13.]] Let that sink in for a moment, ''you just shot down the guy who trained Yellow 13, and he's flying in a superplane to boot.''
** Even better, if you get hit by his EML while at 0% damage, you ''won't die'', you'll just go to 99% damage. This then results in ''everyone freaking out that you're still fighting with a plane that's barely holding together'', '''''including Mihaly'''''.

** Champ may be an egotistical ass, but you still have to give credit where credit is due; after all, he managed to pull a Pugachev's Cobra on Mihaly. Considering that the only planes capable of pulling the Cobra in Real Life are all modern planes with thrust vectoring and he was flying a refurbished old fighter that was likely older than he was, it's quite an impressive feat and a testament to his physics-defying skills. Too bad he just wasn't skilled enough. Even then, however, unlike many other pilots who found themselves in Mihaly's sights, he never once showed any fear towards the ace and [[DefiantToTheEnd went down swinging]] against an opponent he had no chance of beating.
*** Mihaly shows that his flying skills are nothing to laugh at either. [[OldSoldier He is well into his twilight years, and his body is way past his prime, yet he is still a superior pilot than Champ]]. Best demonstrated when he pulled off a Kulbit immediately after Champ's Pugachev's Cobra.

* Mission 9: After completing their mission, Spare Squadron is suddenly ambushed by a flight of Erusean drones masquerading as Osean F/A-18Fs and using allied IFF designations. With the Spares being picked off one by one and unable to discern friend from foe, Tabloid orders all the surviving Spares to gather around Trigger and tells Bandog to register all fighters around Trigger as friendlies. The player is then treated [[https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwiGgofkvIXgAhXHFzQIHSPPBnIQjRx6BAgBEAU&url=http%3A%2F%2Facecombat.fandom.com%2Fwiki%2FSpare_Squadron&psig=AOvVaw17LrpqwDXD4iPK6_BcENm-&ust=1548386884441435 to an amazing shot of Spare Squadron flying in formation with Trigger above the mountains]] before proceeding to combat the drones while also dodging long-range burst missiles from the Arsenal Bird. Because of this feat, Trigger and the rest of the Spares are pardoned and allowed to rejoin the Osean military as actual pilots.

** In the same level... but not advised as you'll fail the mission doing so, one can earn some ''much-needed'' [[CatharsisFactor catharsis]] by shooting down [[HateSink Colonel D. McKinsey]]'s plane, ''Roper 1''. Not only does the game give you ''1,000'' points for doing so, AWACS Bandog gives a rather deadpan reaction for doing so:

** In the submerged area if you take out a build next to the ships the building will collapse on top of the ship taking it out.

** Let us take a moment to fully appreciate the showdown with the Arsenal Bird. The mission immediately goes to shit when it enters the scene: Not only does the AlphaStrike fail to even ''scratch'' the monster, but it immediately counters with a laser that cuts a swath through the assembled naval forces, and launches its squadron of drones to pin down the aerial forces. Even when you manage to score some solid hits on the thing, it just repairs the damage and throws up its shield so you can't even get close to it. The music takes a darker turn as you're more or less reduced to dodging drones and missiles and ''hoping'' for a miracle, while Cossette can be heard desperately trying to sabotage the power supply and Count is reduced to ''yelling'' at the Arsenal Bird for all the good it does. And then...the shield flickers. There's a brief pause, so tense that [[LettingtheairOUToftheband even the]] ''[[LettingtheAirOutoftheBand music]]'' [[LettingtheAirOutoftheBand seems to be holding its breath]]. And then the shield goes out. The drones begin falling. The music triumphantly starts back up and the battle is back on.

* A general one to Trigger for not losing it after the borderline insane false conviction he went through, toughing it out for months in a penal unit, quietly doing his duty and when exonerated from wrongdoing turning the symbol of his imprisonment to his moniker.

* Another meta example is Trigger's skill. All ''Ace Combat'' protagonists are pilots extremely skilled, but Trigger takes the cake in that he managed to defeat Mihaly (the best ace in the world at the time, outclassing even legends such as Mobius 1, Blaze or Cipher) ''and'' Hugin and Mugin, who were updating themselves mid-battle to fly like him. Trigger, alone and without any of Erusea's special equipment, vanquished two machines who didn't have to care about bodily limits with his combined knowledge and Mihaly's. If there's an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_of_aces ace of aces]] in Strangereal, Trigger is a very likely contender, competing with the likes of Cipher and Blaze and only being beaten out by Mobius 1 by dint of the fact that Mobius 1 has at least a decade and a half on him.

* Another meta example is Trigger's skill. All ''Ace Combat'' protagonists are pilots extremely skilled, but Trigger takes the cake in that he managed to defeat Mihaly (the best ace in the world at the time, outclassing even legends such as Mobius 1, Blaze or Cipher) ''and'' Hugin and Mugin, who were updating themselves mid-battle to fly like him. Trigger, alone and without any of Erusea's special equipment, vanquished two machines who didn't have to care about bodily limits with his combined knowledge and Mihaly's. If there's an [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_of_aces ace of aces]] in Strangereal, Trigger is a very likely contender.

** Immediately before that, Clemens being desperately begging the Vice Chief of Staff of the Osean Armed Forces that he isn't a traitor and his idiotic plan falling apart as Lieutenant General Shepard throws him under the bus.

** When Torres is finally backed into a corner, he attempts to fake out a surrender, only for David to call his 'bluff', noting that the guidance system for the nuke had been disrupted. Torres continues forward regardless, regaling the LRSSG with a story about [[ImprobableAimingSkills how he hit a ship thirty kilometers away in a storm,]] forcing Trigger into crippling the massive central railgun before it fires on Oured. [[{{Determinator}} And the man still refuses to give up,]] even sinking part of the ''Alicorn'' in order to finally see his plan to fruition. A mad visionary to the end.

* A general one to Trigger for not losing it after the borderline insane false conviction he went through, sticking out for months in a penal unit, quietly doing his duty and when exonerated from wrongdoing turning the symbol of his imprisonment to his moniker.

--> '''Alex:''' [[SurvivalMantra Go Trigger's way]], [[CatchPhrase you'll make it.]] [[TheHero He leads the way.]]