History Fridge / AceCombat7SkiesUnknown

* In Mission 20, observation of Hugin and Munin's flight characteristics shows that while the two are supposedly identical, Hugin appears to be the more dominant and aggressive one, while Munin is more subdued and cautious, preferring to ambush aircraft that are pursuing Hugin.

* In Mission 4, there's a significant amount of chatter among Gargoyle squadron and a direct line to leadership about "Babel" and waiting for orders. While the more skeptical pilot may wonder if this might indicate an ongoing conspiracy, as IUN-PKF tells them to "switch frequencies" and uses code, we're also treated directly to a cutscene of fighters attempting to shoot directly at the space elevator. It isn't until the last few missions that we learn the elevator 'directly' sends power to the Arsenal Birds, enabling them to engage their shields and repair parts. Seeing as the efforts to [[spoiler: resurrect Stonehenge]] probably also involved lots of planning and covert ops, it makes sense the Oseans were also aware that destroying the elevator would give them a leg up. Their unsurprised tone when drones intercept the missiles also hints that Osea is aware that the drones would protect the elevator, confirming its importance to the AI.

* Vincent Harling's decision to, in 2020, declassify all data on the Belkan War as a way to educate the world about what caused the conflict and make sure it never happens again. Unfortunately, this will probably involve all data about A World With No Boundaries. And Gründer Industries and the Grey Men, shown to be still alive, kicking and willing to exact revenge on the world in ''Skies Unknown'', might still have data about Project Pendragon superweapons such as Excalibur, Avalon and the V2 missiles. The AirborneAircraftCarrier technology has been perfected by now (from the XB-0 to the P-1112 to the Arsenal Bird, with the UI-4053 coming next), laser weaponry is available in smaller forms (General Resource' satellites, X-49, XR-900) and Gründer Industries kept working on Zone of Endless, meaning they might have worked on upgrading the rest as well or helped the further development of the [=COFFIN=] interface (the Falken carries the first [=COFFIN=] cockpit). ''Skies Unknown'' shows that nearly all communication satellites get destroyed, weakening the governments all around the globe and causing various gone nations to declare independance. A perfect stage for violent anarchists inspired by [=AWWNB=] and revengeful nationalists to start new wars, backed by Gründer Industries new superweapons, weakening governements more and more until [[VideoGame/AceCombat3 Neucom and General Resource come along to sweep everything...]] The final kicker? ''Skies Unknown'' is set in 2019, '''right before the data release'''. ''Ace Combat 7'' finally closed the chapter of the Ulysses superweapons, but the Belkan War will still cause death and destruction in the future.

* Vincent Harling's decision to, in 2020, declassify all data on the Belkan War as a way to educate the world about what caused the conflict and make sure it never happens again. Unfortunately, this will probably involve all data about A World With No Boundaries. And Grunder Industries and the Grey Men, shown to be still alive, kicking and willing to exact revenge on the world in ''Skies Unknown'', might still have data about Project Pendragon superweapons such as Excalibur, Avalon and the V2 missiles. The AirborneAircraftCarrier technology has been perfected by now (from the XB-0 to the P-1112 to the Arsenal Bird, with the UI-4053 coming next), laser weaponry is available in smaller forms (General Resource' satellites, X-49, XR-900) and Grunder Industries kept working on Zone of Endless, meaning they might have worked on upgrading the rest as well or helped the further development of the [=COFFIN=] interface (the Falken carries the first [=COFFIN=] cockpit). ''Skies Unknown'' shows that nearly all communication satellites get destroyed, weakening the governments all around the globe and causing various gone nations to declare independance. A perfect stage for violent anarchists inspired by [=AWWNB=] and revengeful nationalists to start new wars, backed by Grunder Industries new superweapons, weakening governements more and more until [[VideoGame/AceCombat3 Neucom and General Resource come along to sweep everything...]] The final kicker? ''Skies Unknown'' is set in 2019, '''right before the data release'''. ''Ace Combat 7'' finally closed the chapter of the Ulysses superweapons, but the Belkan War will still cause death and destruction in the future.

** Interesting to note is that Aurelia's satellites went offline until the final mission. Up until ''[=AC7=]'', it's assumed that Leasath destroyed them during the invasion. But since no explanation was given and Leasath is not known to have any capacity for space warfare, it's not unreasonable to think Aurelian satellites too were destroyed by debris from the ASAT attacks in the Lighthouse War. And again, Leasath may have taken advantage of this in invading Aurelia.

* Osea not sending any aid into the [[VideoGame/AceCombatXSkiesOfDeception Aurelia-Leasath War]] suddenly makes a lot more sense now, since the satellite network was taken out during the Lighthouse War by a simultaneous [=ASAT=] attack by Osea and Erusea. More than likely, they were too busy dealing with reconstruction efforts in both their own country and in Usea. And it's entirely possible that Leasath knew this, and could launch an invasion of Aurelia without retribution from Osea or the IUN.

** 2. Having the ability to shoot at the distances it's capable of means that any operation within its range is going to have Stonehenge support for the Eruseans, and again, it doesn't need to hit the dozens of planes in the area directly to kill them. The fact it '''can''' shoot the distances it can means that until ISAF developed a plan to kill it, they weren't going near it, achieving sir superiority by simply scaring the other guys planes away works just as well as killing them tactically.
** 3. Computerized targeting is great... until it doesn't work. However, wars don't wait for repairs to be made, something Stonehenge itself would likely not be immune to. Ergo, having a backup for the computer systems should they fail only makes sense. It may be slower, and not as accurate, but just the fact that the shells are coming is gonna have enemy planes hitting the deck and lighting their burner cans towards the exit the second an AWACS calls out a Stonehenge volley coming in.

* Erusea declares war against Osea, who is a superpower and has an impressive naval force (though it is technically a Maritime Defense Force, limiting its ability to project power around the world). So how does Erusea even the odds? They ship MQ-99s in containers to ports all over Osea, and proceed to remote launch them from their containers before Osean customs inspectors can get near the containers. The drones then spread out across the country, evading Osean air defenses due to their maneuverability and small size, and precisely strike multiple naval bases, crippling Osea's naval power and ensuring that Osea can't bring its substantial naval forces to bear against Erusea, and essentially cutting off Osean forces on Usea. It's basically the Pearl Harbor attack taken up to eleven, and successful (excluding the carrier Admiral Andersen, which was left unmolested even after getting stuck on a reef). Several other carriers also survived due to being at sea, such as the Vulture and Kestrel II, but they are quickly sunk in the early days of the war.

*** I do not buy that. Most of the central mysteries can be solved with good enough clue hunting, performing certain feats, or buying the more expensive console edition. There is plenty of circumstantial evidence in addition to the video that I found pointing to summary execution. Full Band provided a motive for summary execution by blabbing about intel that he has no right to have. Bandog asked for Full Band's position and nobody else's positions and Bandog letting off an audible "Heh!" after getting Full Band's position. Also, the developers left enough clues to prove that it was an Erusean drone that shot the missile that downed Mother Goose One: if the player looked backwards behind Trigger's plane, he would find a drone behind him spoofing an Osean IFF. The proof would happen if Trigger gunned down all enemies because a missile shot down Mother Goose One, yet Trigger would still have all of his missiles, proving that Trigger did not kill Harling. One mystery that requires you to buy a special edition is the Aces at War bundle for [=PlayStation=] 4 or Xbox One to solve is that [[spoiler:AWACS Argus ordered the shootdown of Labarthe because he was fed false intel by Erusian radicals saying that Captain Karl was an Erusean spy according to https://acecombat.fandom.com/wiki/AWACS_Argus which cites a book included in this special edition for its information]]. That was a really bad way to resolve a mystery. I will admit that there is no way to solve the Harling's Mirror mystery on why Harling flew Mother Goose One towards the space elevator. However, this shows that most of the major plot mysteries can be solved by finding clues within the game thanks to the design from the developers.

* Why was Avril's F-104 shot down in the beginning? It's not just the lack of a friendly IFF on her fighter; from a distance it's overall shape is almost identical to the Erusean MQ-99 drones the Osean fighters are chasing. When no IFF was received from her fighter and Avril banked to escape the area, the Osean F-15 assumed it was another drone that had appeared and shot it down.

** 2. Having the ability to shoot at the distances it's capable of means that any operation within its range is going to have Stonehenge support for the Erusians, and again, it doesn't need to hit the dozens of planes in the area directly to kill them. The fact it '''can''' shoot the distances it can means that until ISAF developed a plan to kill it, they weren't going near it, achieving sir superiority by simply scaring the other guys planes away works just as well as killing them tactically.

* Erusea declares war against Osea, who is a superpower and has an impressive naval force (though it is technically a Maritime Defense Force, limiting its ability to project power around the world). So how does Erusea even the odds? They ship MQ-99s in containers to ports all over Osea, and proceed to remote launch them from their containers before Osean customs inspectors can get near the containers. The drones then spread out across the country, evading Osean air defenses due to their maneuverability and small size, and precisely strike multiple naval bases, crippling Osea's naval power and ensuring that Osea can't bring its substantial naval forces to bear against Erusea, and essentially cutting off Osean forces on Usea. It's basically the Pearl Harbor attack taken UpToEleven, and successful (excluding the carrier Admiral Andersen, which was left unmolested even after getting stuck on a reef). Several other carriers also survived due to being at sea, such as the Vulture and Kestrel II, but they are quickly sunk in the early days of the war.

** It is capable of launching up to 30 aircraft via CATOBAR, while the ''Scinfaxi'' was limited to fewer V/STOL aircraft, and ''Hrimfaxi'' was only capable vertically launching several UCAVs.

* In Mission 20, why do Hugin and Munin stay close to the space elevator, when they can easily annihilate the ''Admiral Andersen'', which is floating not too far away and is a potential threat? Both AIs have likely analyzed the situation, prioritizing transmitting their data and adopt a defensive posture, as until they can transmit via the space elevator and have more drones manufactured, they are vulnerable (being the only two of their type made with the flight data gathered) and are smart enough not to risk themselves by attacking a carrier and a numerically superior force that may potentially have the means to repel, damage and destroy them. Basically their prime directives could be interpreted as this:

** <<DIRECTIVE 3: ENSURE SUCCESSFUL TRANSMISSION OF FLIGHT DATA AT ALL COSTS

** 2. Having the ability to shoot at the distances it's capable of means that any operation within its range is going to have Stonehenge support for the Erusians, and again, it doesn't need to hit the dozens of planes in the area directly to kill them. The fact it '''can''' shoot the distances it can means that until ISAF developed a plan to kill it, they weren't going near it, achieving Air Superiority by simply scaring the other guys planes away works just as well as killing them tactically.

* "When history witnesses a great change, Razgriz reveals itself... first, as a dark demon. As a demon, it uses its power to rain death upon the land, and then it dies. However, after a period of slumber, Razgriz returns, this time, as a great hero." [[spoiler: Stonehenge rained death upon the land, slumbered for over a decade, and then returned to destroy the Arsenal Bird.]]

** In fact, its heavily implied that the Erusean bombers are comprised of equal parts manned and retrofitted drone bombers. While radio chatter can be heard coming from certain bombers, some remain completely silent, yet always have escort fighters nearby. It is very likely that the older Erusean Tu-95 bombers are conventionally manned (their age and older electronics likely making it more difficult to retrofit into an effective autonomous platform) whilst the newer Tu-160 bombers are converted to be autonomous, with manned aircraft escorting them in slave mode. This makes a lot of sense; bombers are not expected to perform complicated aerial maneuvers, mostly just fly straight and drop their payloads, making them extremely easy to fit with a rudimentary drone system.

** Also hints to the fate of [[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies ISAF]]. Anti-Osean countries consisted of half of ISAF, and the welcoming of an Osean military presence likely caused division within the alliance, causing it to dissolve.

* The mercenary Mimic Squadron is hostile to both Osean and Erusean forces, yet brandish OADF roundels. When it's revealed that [[spoiler:Clemens hired them to assassinate Trigger]], it makes a little more sense. This tells us that Strangereal has some kind of strict international law stating that mercenaries must sport the roundels of their employer, as [[VideoGame/AceCombatZeroTheBelkanWar Galm]] and [[VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizonLegacy Scarface]] did the same.

* One of the most major plot points is that the drone tech used by Erusea was pushed forward by the younger members of the Erusean military, while the older Eruseans generally hated it. One could be curious as to why this would be...until you realize that many of those older Eruseans likely weren't so old when they took part in the [[VideoGame/AceCombat04ShatteredSkies war fifteen years ago.]] They watched as a single, human pilot decimated their armies, downed their finest aces, and chased them all the way back to their capital and then some. One pilot was all it took to destroy a military that challenged the continent. No drones, no fancy computers, no weapons of mass destruction, just raw human talent. Now imagine how they felt when they hear the resident Belkan is taking flight data from a similar ace, and ''putting it into these new drones.'' Imagine them remembering the destruction that "the Ribbon" brought upon them years ago, and wondering what would happen if there was a squadron, or worse, ''multiple squadrons'' of these aces flying around. No wonder they back away pretty quickly from drone tech when given the chance.

* In Mission 4, there's a significant amount of chatter among Gargoyle squadron and a direct line to leadership about "Babel" and waiting for orders. While the more skeptical pilot may wonder if this might indicate an ongoing conspiracy, as IUP-PKF tells them to "switch frequencies" and uses code, we're also treated directly to a cutscene of fighters attempting to shoot directly at the space elevator. It isn't until the last few missions that we learn the elevator 'directly' sends power to the Arsenal Birds, enabling them to engage their shields and repair parts. Seeing as the efforts to [[spoiler: resurrect Stonehenge]] probably also involved lots of planning and covert ops, it makes sense the Oseans were also aware that destroying the elevator would give them a leg up. Their unsurprised tone when drones intercept the missiles also hints that Osea is aware that the drones would protect the elevator, confirming its importance to the AI.
** There is another good reason for this AI behavior: EASA converted the Space Elevator's underground maintenance facility was converted into a drone factory, and the destruction of the elevator would cause debris to rain down on everyone and everything in that factory.
*** They have every reason to, Osea built the space elevater, the arsenal birds, and most likely even the drone factory. remember the factory was building MQ-101s which are used exclusively by the Arsenel Birds. so the MQ-101s are OSEAN drones.

* Why was Avril's F-104 shot down in the beginning? It's not just the lack of a friendly IFF on her fighter; from a distance, it's overall shape is almost identical to the Erusean MQ-99 drones the Osean fighters are chasing. When no IFF was received from her fighter, the Osean F-15 assumed it was another drone and shot it down.

* Mimic Squadron's use of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage dazzle camouflage]] is doubly effective because they're flying Su-47s; i.e. planes with irregular, forward-swept wings. To an unskilled eye they would look like a normal plane somehow flying backwards or sideways, which fits Mimic's theme of not showing their true allegience as well as Rage and Scream's AxCrazy tendencies.
* In "Ten Million Relief Plan" during Torres' [[spoiler: ISurrenderSuckers moment]], Count was the only notable objector to Long Caster's orders to not fire on the Alicorn, exaseprated as to why everyone else was holding international law so dearly while responding to Jaeger's comment of "if we don't, we're no longer soldiers" with a statement that he'll happily quit. Count, being a [[TradingBarsForStripes former convict]] (not to mention convicted of one of the less serious crimes around- fraud (specifically claiming to be a member of a royal family, which he definitely wasn't)- but being sent to do possibly suicidal missions as part of a penal unit while receiving harsh treatment to the point it might as well be DisproportionateRetribution) would naturally not hold law and the military in as high a regard.

* Hugin and Munin are faced without much build-up despite being FinalBoss. Fitting, since they represent the perfect soldiers; effective, single-minded and utterly disposable without the need of history or understanding like flesh-and-blood people.

<<DIRECTIVE 1: PRIORITIZE DATA TRANSMISSION, REMAIN IN PROXIMITY OF TRANSMISSION POINT

<<DIRECTIVE 2: DEFEND TRANSMISSION POINT DESIGNATE: LIGHTHOUSE

<<DIRECTIVE 3: ENSURE SUCCESSFUL TRANSMISSION OF FLIGHT DATA AT ALL COSTS

* Mimic Squadron's use of [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dazzle_camouflage dazzle camouflage]] is doubly effective because they're flying SU-47s; i.e. planes with irregular, forward-swept wings. To an unskilled eye they would look like a normal plane somehow flying backwards or sideways, which fits Mimic's theme of not showing their true allegience as well as Rage and Scream's AxCrazy tendencies.

* Erusea's bomber fleet is comprised primarily of two planes, the Tupolev Tu-95 Bear and the more modern Tu-160 Blackjack. Interestingly enough, these are the two same bombers that Erusea fielded in the Continental War of 2003-2005, albeit sparingly (the Tu-95s were only used in one known offensive against Newfield Island, and a second wave was destroyed before it could get off the ground, whilst the Tu-160s were only used as a last ditch scorched earth attack against ISAF at San Salvacion late in the war). It is entirely possible that the bulk of Erusea's bomber fleet survived the war, and once Erusea acquired drone technology from Belka later on, set about retrofitting what bombers they could to serve as autonomous craft (both due to depleted manpower as a result of the last war and as a potential testbed for applying the technology to smaller fighters).