Mission 6, Attack on the Drinwich Airfield, is the first operation in Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve that forces you to protect two separate groups at once. You provide air cover for an assault force hitting the airfield, and the tricky part is that the two escort routes split apart early, so you have to keep jumping between them while ground fire and fighters pour in.
Quick answer: Rotate between the northern (Joker/Group A) and southern (Queen/Group B) helicopter groups, kill the group that is under fire right now, then capture the base using guns and missiles only near the marked facilities, and finally destroy the five drones by firing straight down the runway from the front.
Loadout and enemies to expect
The briefing lists 50 ground targets, which makes it look like a pure strike mission. It is not. A heavy swarm of fighters shows up throughout, so bring a flexible loadout that can hit both ground and air targets rather than an all-bombs setup.
Across the mission you will face these threats:
- Mirage 2000-5 fighters, usually in pairs, hitting the escort groups.
- MiG-20 fighters that linger around the escort route.
- MI-24 helicopters during the airfield phase.
- I55 transport aircraft trying to land troops on the base.
- Quadcopter drones in the final phase.
Part 1: Escort both helicopter groups to the airfield
Two helicopter groups carry the ground troops. Joker Flight covers Group A to the north, and Queen Flight covers Group B to the south. The whole phase is about moving between them, not clearing one corner of the map.
Do not try to kill every fighter before switching sides. A fighter only matters when it is actually shooting at a helicopter. The moment a group is safe to keep moving, go help whichever route is now under pressure.
Part 2: Capture the airfield without destroying the hangars
Once both helicopters reach their drop zones, they land and deploy ground troops at the two entrances, Point A (south) and Point B (north). Your job shifts to defending them while the ground force takes the base.
Do not damage the hangars or any target marked with an “X.” Destroying a hangar is an instant mission fail. No bombing near the base. Use missiles only on tanks, AA guns, and ARCs, and finish the rest with your gun to avoid stray splash damage.
The two entry points behave differently, so read which one is calling for support:
| Point | Main threat |
|---|---|
| North (B) | Air strikes and attack aircraft |
| South (A) | Constant ground vehicle assault, tanks |
Set Joker Flight to the “Spread Out” attack pattern so they engage surrounding targets while you maintain air superiority. Tanks are a nuisance because they get stuck between buildings, so line up clean shots on them.
Watch for incoming MI-24 helicopters, which can unravel the mission quickly, then deal with the I55 transport aircraft coming in from the sides. If you let them land, they drop enemy troops onto the base, but focused fire takes them down easily.
Keep helping the north and south sides push through the airfield. Attacking jets will keep arriving, and if one fires missiles at the base it can damage protected buildings and fail the mission, so intercept them before they line up on the facilities. You will regain air superiority and beat back several waves of ground enemies before the final phase triggers.
Part 3: Destroy the five drones without triggering an explosion
After the third air-superiority prompt and the fourth and fifth ground waves, Baxter tells Rex to focus on the quadcopter drones lifting off the airfield. You have to eliminate them without setting off an explosion that would fail the mission.
How you know the mission is complete
The mission wraps up right after the fifth drone goes down, and Joker Flight is cleared to return to base. In the closing scene a final drone falls to the ground and damages the airfield anyway, so the XO is not thrilled with the outcome, but the operation still counts as finished. Clearing it unlocks the next mission in the Ace Combat 8 campaign.
