Ace Combat 7 Mission 10 Transfer Orders is an escort job, and Commander McKinsey’s transport, Roper 1, is the aircraft you cannot afford to lose. Fourteen camouflaged SAM sites line the route. They’re hidden from radar until you fly close, so use their missile trails to find the launchers and take them out before they keep firing at the transport.
Once Roper 1 reaches Bulgurdarest, a fast experimental drone labelled UNKNOWN arrives from the north. Shoot it down to finish. You can ignore ordinary ground clutter, but you can’t ignore a SAM just because it hasn’t appeared on your radar yet.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 10 Transfer Orders: protect Roper 1 from hidden SAMs
Trigger and Count are escorting McKinsey’s aircraft towards Bulgurdarest. The frustrating part of Ace Combat 7 Mission 10 Transfer Orders is that the hidden SAM sites don’t appear on your radar until you approach them. The route also has anti-aircraft guns and hostile fighters. The important detail is that a SAM can fire before you have an obvious target marker to aim at.
- Keep Roper 1 in sight on the radar. Don’t stray so far away that you can’t get back when missiles start heading for the transport.
- Watch for incoming missile trails. If a missile launches from the ground, follow its direction back to the source. The camouflaged SAM position becomes detectable when you get close enough.
- Attack the SAM immediately. Once you’ve identified the launcher, destroy it with an air-to-ground shot or standard missile before it can keep firing at the transport.
- Return to the escort route. As the aircraft moves, more hidden SAMs and enemy fighters can threaten it. Repeat the process rather than spending too much time at a launcher you’ve already destroyed.
- Intercept enemy aircraft when they close in. Mirage 2000-5s, Gripen Es and MiG-31s can appear during this stage. Take out the fighters that are actually threatening the flight rather than chasing every optional contact.
There are 14 hidden SAMs around the escort route. You won’t see all of them on your radar at takeoff. A missile trail is the best clue: turn towards where it started, get close enough for the site to appear, then attack it. On a normal clear, concentrate on the sites threatening Roper 1 instead of trying to clear all fourteen at any cost.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 10 Transfer Orders: do you need all 14 SAMs?
Not for a normal clear. Destroy the SAMs that threaten Roper 1 and keep the transport alive until it reaches Bulgurdarest. The all-fourteen sweep is only needed if you’re trying to spawn LOUVETEAU on a replay.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 10 Transfer Orders: stopping SAM missiles
A weapon with decent air-to-ground range is useful, because it lets you clear a revealed site without getting too close to its surrounding defences. The bigger advantage, though, is positioning. Stay close enough to Roper 1 that you’re able to react to a launch before another missile strikes.
Don’t waste your entire missile loadout on ordinary AA guns if the transport is being hit by SAMs further along the route. A quick radar check after every kill tells you whether the immediate threat is gone. Ground targets like the radar vehicle and AA guns can earn extra points, but they aren’t more important than keeping the escorted aircraft alive.
If Roper 1 gets shot down, the mission fails. Stay close enough to react rather than flying far ahead in search of optional points.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 10 Transfer Orders: defeating the final UAV
After the transport reaches Bulgurdarest, an experimental UAV appears from the north. It’s labelled UNKNOWN in the fight; its designation is ADFX-10, a name revealed in the game’s soundtrack. Your objective now is to destroy that one aircraft.
It’s agile, so don’t waste missiles as it makes sharp turns. Build some space, re-enter the chase from a cleaner angle and fire when its flight path settles. Your standard air-to-air missiles are enough to damage it, although better manoeuvrability and missile improvements will make the fight less frustrating.
Once the ADFX-10 is destroyed, you’re done. There’s no reason to return to the earlier SAM locations.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 10 Transfer Orders: LOUVETEAU spawn
The optional Gripen E LOUVETEAU can appear after you’ve completed the mission once, on Normal difficulty or higher. To trigger LOUVETEAU, destroy all 14 hidden SAM sites within five minutes of starting the escort. Once you’ve met the condition, watch for the later group of three Mirage 2000-5s from the east. LOUVETEAU’s Gripen E flies in with them.
That’s an optional replay challenge, not the requirement for finishing the mission. On a first clear, keep Roper 1 safe. Save the full five-minute SAM sweep for a dedicated ace run.
Ace Combat 7 Mission 10 Transfer Orders: S-rank requirements
An S rank needs a combined score and time bonus of 27,540 points. Complete the mission within 12 minutes for the maximum 19,240-point time bonus, leaving a need for 8,300 destruction points. If the attempt lasts longer, the time bonus drops and you need more points from kills to compensate.
For S rank, clear as many nearby SAMs and interceptors as you can without abandoning Roper 1. The final UAV is worth 2,000 points, but you still need destruction points from the escort stage to reach the S-rank total.
Why Ace Combat 7 Mission 10 Transfer Orders keeps failing
If you fail before the final UAV appears, Roper 1 is probably being hit by a hidden SAM or an enemy aircraft you haven’t intercepted. Watch for missile trails from the ground and turn towards their origin right away. Don’t wait for a launcher to become visible from across the map.
If you keep losing to the final UAV, save your missiles for better angles and avoid chasing it in constant hard turns. The escort section is finished by that point, so you can give your full attention to the prototype aircraft.
For official game information, visit Bandai Namco Entertainment’s Ace Combat 7 page.
