Ace Combat 7 Mission 05 444 starts with an order that seems ridiculous: you’re told to defend Air Base 444, but your weapons are locked. It isn’t a glitch. Trigger and the rest of Spare Squadron are being used as decoys. Stay in the air until the enemy bombers hit the control tower and Bandog gives the order to fire. Then turn straight towards the bombers marked TGT.
Don’t chase enemy fighters while the bombers are heading for the base. You can afford some extra fighter kills on an S-rank attempt, but the bombers are what decide whether the defence succeeds.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 05 444: when can you use weapons?
The story moves Trigger into Spare Squadron, a penal unit based at the 444th Air Base. The squadron is supposed to make the enemy believe the airfield is properly defended. That explains the apparently bizarre order not to shoot back while the bombers approach.
During the opening phase, your weapons remain locked. Fly defensively, avoid missiles and keep a useful amount of altitude so you can quickly turn towards the bombers when the situation changes. The Erusean aircraft bomb the dummy runway, then the control tower is struck. Bandog takes over and grants the squadron permission to fire.
Don’t restart because the fire button does nothing. This opening is scripted. Once you hear Bandog authorise the attack, the bombers become your targets.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 05 444: how to stop the bombers
After the weapons unlock, your job is to shoot down every bomber marked TGT. There are eleven Tu-95s and three Tu-160s across the sortie. Other fighters, including MiG-29s and Su-33s, can harass you, but the bomber groups are what advance and complete the mission.
- Turn towards the nearest marked bomber group. Pick off the easiest large target first rather than chasing an escort halfway across the map.
- Follow the new red TGT markers. The waves arrive in different parts of the airspace. Use radar zoom to check which bombers are still heading for the base.
- Prioritise the bombers heading straight towards the base. The three Tu-160s are easy to lose sight of in a busy dogfight, so keep checking where the red markers are moving.
- Ignore escorts that are not blocking your run. Fighters can earn extra points, but don’t spend so long dogfighting one that a bomber escapes your interception.
- Finish the last marked bomber. You don’t need to clear every fighter to trigger the end of Ace Combat 7 Mission 05 444.
Between waves, put some height and distance between you and the next bomber group. These aircraft are large targets; line up a solid lock instead of firing across a sharp turn.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 05 444: recommended aircraft
You don’t need a late-game plane to complete this part of Ace Combat 7. An early multirole fighter can handle the bomber groups with standard missiles, particularly if you’re keeping an eye on the radar instead of getting pulled into fights with escorts.
On a replay, longer-range air-to-air missiles can reduce the time spent closing the distance between bomber formations. That helps with the score and time bonus, but they’re a convenience rather than a hidden requirement. Knowing when you can fire and which aircraft matter is more important than choosing an elaborate loadout.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 05 444: how to find FANG
The F-15C FANG can appear when you replay Ace Combat 7 Mission 05 444 after an initial clear on Normal difficulty or higher. Its condition is unusual: take heavy damage while your weapons are still locked. The mission registry lists 51% damage as the threshold, while several player guides use a more conservative 75% or higher. For a reliable attempt, aim for at least 75%, survive until the weapons unlock, and shoot down the first three bombers. FANG appears near the centre and heads northwest.
Don’t attempt this during your first run unless you’re prepared to survive with heavy damage. A missile hit can finish the sortie if you’re already badly hurt. For a named-ace run, an aircraft with useful survivability parts gives you more margin while you satisfy the damage trigger.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 05 444: S-rank score and time
For S rank, the combined destruction and time score must reach 34,740 points. Finish in eight minutes or less and the maximum time bonus is 18,040 points, leaving a requirement of 16,700 destruction points. All mandatory bombers together provide 14,600 points, so you need another 2,100 points from fighters if you achieve that fast time.
That means a pure bomber-only run won’t normally be enough for S rank, even though it’s enough to complete the mission. Catch a few escorts when they’re directly in your flight path, then return to the next bomber group. Try to avoid long, wide turns across the map because every unnecessary second eats into the time bonus.
Why weapons are locked in Ace Combat 7 Mission 05 444
If your weapons don’t work at the start, that’s intentional. Wait for Bandog’s authorisation after the control tower attack. If weapons have unlocked and you still can’t complete the mission, zoom the radar out and look for a distant marked bomber. A normal enemy fighter is not the same as a red TGT.
Remember the objective is defending the base after the orders change. Once the bombers are all down, the sortie ends, regardless of how many optional escorts are still airborne.
Find further game information on Bandai Namco’s official Ace Combat 7 page.
