Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy is your first fight with the Arsenal Bird, and there’s one thing worth knowing before you launch: you cannot destroy it in this mission. Your job is to hit its marked parts until the story moves on. Clear the enemy fighter targets first, attack the marked propellers when ordered, then protect the retreating allied aircraft by destroying the MQ-101 drones chasing them.
The mission changes objectives three times. The hardest part is usually the retreat, when the drones chasing friendly aircraft become more important than everything else on the radar. Here’s how to move through the sortie without missing the objective change.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy: all three mission stages
The mission takes place around Chopinburg as the Fort Grays squadron supports a wider operation. You begin in an air battle, not a bombing run. The mission identifies eight enemy fighters as TGT: three F-4Es and five F-16Cs.
- First phase: clear the fighters. Destroy the enemy planes marked TGT. Allied pilots can shoot some down too, so follow the remaining objective markers rather than a memorised order. Once that group is gone, the mission moves on.
- Second phase: engage the Arsenal Bird. The massive unmanned aircraft arrives and launches MQ-101 drones. When command orders an attack, its propellers become TGTs. Fire on those marked parts while avoiding the aircraft’s missiles and the drones protecting it.
- Third phase: cover the retreat. A shield activates around the Arsenal Bird and your allies are ordered out. Now the MQ-101 drones pursuing friendly aircraft are the targets that count. Shoot those marked TGT before they bring down an ally to complete the sortie.
Keep a bit of speed through the first two stages of Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy. You don’t need to destroy every drone you can see near the Arsenal Bird, and there is no advantage in hovering beside it once the shield appears. The mission is preparing to switch to an escort objective.
Can you destroy the Arsenal Bird in Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy?
No. The Arsenal Bird in Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy is a scripted encounter. You can damage and disable its designated propellers, and doing so earns points, but you cannot destroy the aircraft here. The Arsenal Bird activates its shield roughly 90 seconds into this engagement, regardless of how much damage you’ve done. That’s the scripted transition, not a problem with your weapons.
Concentrate on the marked propellers when they’re available. MQ-101 drones can intercept missiles heading for the Arsenal Bird, so don’t simply fire everything from the longest possible range. You can try a clearer angle or a closer pass without getting stuck alongside its launchers. If the shield is already active, stop attacking it and wait for the new objective.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy: protecting allies from drones
This is where the mission turns into a proper scramble. Several MQ-101 drones break away and follow the retreating allied planes. Those drones get TGT markers. Your job is to get them off your allies quickly, not to pick a fight with every aircraft in the sky.
Check the radar as soon as the retreat call comes in. Turn towards the nearest cluster of marked drones, take the easy missile shots as they line up on your allies, and move on to the next TGT. The MQ-101s are agile, but they also make fairly predictable attack runs when pursuing other aircraft. Try to catch one as it levels out rather than throwing missiles into a tight turn.
Losing one of the allies you’re specifically ordered to protect during the retreat causes mission failure. Some other losses in the story are scripted and cannot be prevented. If you keep losing at the same point, the fix is usually to stop chasing non-target drones and intercept the ones with TGT markers earlier.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy: BAYONET spawn
The optional named F-16C BAYONET is available on a replay after you’ve completed the mission, on Normal difficulty or above. For a dependable BAYONET attempt, personally shoot down four opening fighters in the first 60 seconds, then push to at least seven within the first 100 seconds. Those timings satisfy both commonly documented spawn conditions. BAYONET appears to the northwest after the first objective changes. If you’re behind the pace, restart instead of chasing the ace after the Arsenal Bird arrives.
It’s best to attempt this separately from a cautious first clear of Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy. Work quickly through the first fighters, check the northwest for the new contact, and remember that your normal mission objectives still have to be completed after the optional ace fight.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy: how to earn S rank
An S rank requires a combined destruction score and time bonus of 44,440 points. If you finish in nine minutes or less, the maximum time bonus is 27,640 points, so you’ll need at least 16,800 destruction points. Once you pass nine minutes, the time bonus starts dropping, so extra kills have to make up the difference.
Take the early fighter kills quickly. When the Arsenal Bird appears, its propellers and missile launchers provide valuable points, and the main propellers can be disabled more than once before the shield comes up. Don’t spend the whole phase circling one drone. In the retreat phase, destroying the marked MQ-101s quickly both protects the allies and keeps the score moving.
Why Ace Combat 7 Mission 03 Two-pronged Strategy fails during retreat
If the mission keeps failing after the shield activates, one of the allies you’re meant to escort is probably being shot down. Leave the Arsenal Bird behind, zoom your radar out and prioritise the marked MQ-101 drones pursuing the allied planes. You cannot prevent every scripted story event in this mission, but you can stop the drones that matter to the final objective.
Watch for the last required drone before turning back. Once every retreat-phase TGT is down, the mission ends. There’s no need to fly back to the Arsenal Bird or attack it again.
See the official Ace Combat 7 information from Bandai Namco Entertainment for game details.
