Ace Combat 8 Mission 15 pits you against two Ladon bombers that seem impossible to catch. The trick isn’t to outrun them. Stay on their route and attack when they dive towards the fleet. Wings of Wax is a fleet-defence sortie, so don’t waste the opening minute trying to catch the bombers in a straight-line race. Follow their approach, wait for their attack run and hit engines and exposed weapon mounts when you can get behind them.
Lupus is another matter. The optional Ace appears on a post-campaign replay, so don’t chase him during a normal first clear. If you’re simply trying to clear the mission, destroy both Ladons before they overwhelm the allied fleet. Trying to detour for the Ace during a difficult first clear is an easy way to lose ships you were meant to protect.
Ace Combat 8 Mission 15: Wings of Wax walkthrough
Operation Deal Cards is almost entirely air-to-air. If you’re still using an early campaign aircraft, consider moving to a faster fighter with good missile performance. Prioritise upgrades that improve missile guidance, reload speed and air-to-air special weapons. This is one mission where a heavy ground-attack setup will simply leave you short of useful options.
1. Follow the bombers instead of racing them
At the start of Ace Combat 8 Mission 15, head northeast with the allied Banker squadron. Two supersonic Ladons arrive and slice through the area. You’re not expected to outrun them during their fastest approach. Maintain visual contact and follow their path towards the fleet, where they descend into a more attackable position.
Jamming and thick clouds can hide a Ladon almost completely. Watch its contrail, or return towards the fleet and intercept it when it comes back. Watch their contrails when you cannot hold a clean lock. If you completely lose one, returning towards the allied fleet can work better than searching empty sky, because the bomber must come back for another attack run.
2. Aim at engines and active weapons
Once you’re behind a Ladon, target its engines and exposed onboard armaments. Swap between standard missiles and your air-to-air special weapon during reloads instead of waiting idly for a single weapon to cycle. Use the machine gun at close range when you can hold the target. Several good passes are more effective than wasting missiles while the bomber is pulling away at full speed.
The Ladons drop flares to waste your missiles. Hold your shot until the flares clear, then attack the engines and remaining weapons. Hold your fire while a flare burst is active, then attack when it’s over. As the bomber takes damage, more defensive weapons become active, including laser CIWS and UAVs. Destroy nearby drones when they obstruct the attack, but keep your main focus on finishing the bomber.
3. Watch out for explosive UAVs
The later phase introduces explosive drones that can fly straight at your aircraft. Your machine gun is a useful counter because these UAVs are fragile, and a few accurate hits can detonate them before they reach you. Avoid sitting directly behind a bomber at the same speed for too long. Keep changing angle so its defensive weapons have a harder time tracking you.
Keep one eye on the fleet’s survival. A prolonged chase through the clouds isn’t helping if the bomber has already turned for another attack. If you need to reset your pursuit, make your next interception near the fleet and wait for the Ladon to descend, rather than trying to close the whole distance while it is sprinting away.
4. Destroy the second Ladon
Once the first bomber goes down, repeat the process on the other. The mission finishes when both Ladons are destroyed. There isn’t a ground phase after the second bomber goes down. If the allied fleet keeps getting sunk, wait near the ships for the next bomber attack pass rather than chasing a Ladon at maximum speed across the map.
How to spawn Lupus in Ace Combat 8 Mission 15
Lupus is a hidden Su-33 Ace. Finish the campaign, replay Wings of Wax through Free Mission on Veteran difficulty or higher, and destroy the first Ladon. Lupus then appears in the northeastern part of the map. Do not destroy the second Ladon yet. Leave it alive long enough to intercept and shoot down Lupus, then finish the bomber and complete the mission to save the Assault Record.
Veteran is a sensible difficulty for this collection run because the fleet is under less pressure than on Elite or Ace. You can damage the second Ladon while waiting, but avoid accidentally delivering the finishing hit before Lupus is down. Otherwise the mission ends and you miss the record.
Ace Combat 8 Mission 15 and patch 1.01.002
Bandai Namco adjusted the difficulty of the Ladon encounter on Elite and higher in update 1.01.002. If your experience differs from older launch-week walkthroughs, check which version you’re playing. That patch adjustment doesn’t change the basic strategy: stay close to the bomber’s route, attack vulnerable parts and keep the allied fleet alive.
Common Ace Combat 8 Mission 15 problems
Ace Combat 8 Mission 15: Why can’t I catch the Ladon?
Its high-speed approach is not the ideal attack window. Follow the bomber towards the fleet and intercept during its dive, when you can reach its engines and defensive weapons more reliably.
Ace Combat 8 Mission 15: What happens if I destroy both bombers before Lupus?
The sortie finishes. For the optional Ace, you must destroy one Ladon, then Lupus, then the surviving Ladon. A normal story clear doesn’t require the Ace at all.
Ace Combat 8 Mission 15: Which weapons should I equip?
Use a fighter with air-to-air special weapons and upgrades that improve missile reload, guidance and performance. Anti-ground bombs won’t solve the main problem in Ace Combat 8 Mission 15, which is keeping damage on two fast aerial targets.
