444th Air Base
The 444th Air Base is a former Osean Air Defense Force military installation that served as both an air base and a prison. It is located on the southeast Usean coastline in the region of Zapland, and served as the home base for the penal unit Spare Squadron prior to them receiving official pardons. The base was subsequently abandoned in favor of the Tyler Island campaign due to the front lines moving away from Zapland.[2]
Description
The 444th Air Base covers two primary areas: an island air base and a mainland installation. A prison is included as part of the island base. The mainland base is used as a decoy and possesses no real runway functionality, instead being used to make the base seem larger and more imposing than it actually is. A large variety of mothballed aircraft were stored near the dummy runway during the Lighthouse War, including F-16C Fighting Falcons, F/A-18F Super Hornets, C-17A Globemaster IIIs and B-52H Stratofortresses. A small naval dock is situated on the edge of the island airbase.[3]
History
The 444th Air Base originally belonged to an unspecified Usean country, and was built prior to the mid-20th century. At one point, the base was purchased by the Osean Federation. Originally, it was a key point in a defensive line along the Payton Channel until the middle of the 1900s.[3]
After Osea took control of it, the base became a garrison for Osean forces. More specifically, however, its location made it an ideal penal colony for the Osean Defense Forces, who began supplying the base with convicted personnel formerly stationed both in Osea and in Usea.[3] Avril Mead was also sent here despite being a civilian.
On the outset of the Lighthouse War in May 2019, Osea's primary strategy involved using the base as a lure to draw enemy fire, reasoning that while Erusea was distracted by the base, they could build up their forces elsewhere. To this end, fake targets—including planes and tank trucks—were set up for Erusean forces to bomb. Spare Squadron was later formed from pilots who were serving sentences at the base. The 444th Air Base subsequently served as their base of operations and frequently came under attack from Erusean bombers.
On July 1, Spare was scrambled to intercept another formation of Erusean bombers. Despite damage to the base's dummy runway and control tower, the bombers were successfully repelled.[4]
By August 5, Spare had gained recognition from Osean higher-ups, and all personnel were pardoned, becoming an officially legitimate military unit. The majority of Spare's newly-pardoned personnel were then reassigned to the Osean campaign to capture Tyler Island, as the need for extra manpower was dire. The 444th Air Base was subsequently abandoned as the base's command staff were transferred to North Point, while the rest of the personnel departed on transport planes bound for Tyler Island.[2]
Gallery
Gate
The fake air base next to the 444th Air Base
A view of the dock and stationed ships
Trivia
- The number 4 is considered an unlucky number in Japan, Korea, China and Taiwan; it can be pronounced "shi"(Japanese), "sì"(Chinese), "sa"(Korean), which has a similar pronunciation for death (死).
- The 444th Air Base may be based on the former Johnston Island Air Force Base in Johnston Atoll.
- The use of inflatable dummies by the dummy air base may be a reference to Operation Fortitude, a World War II Allied deception operation intended to convince the Germans that the D-Day landings would come by way of the Pas de Calais instead of Normandy.
References
- ↑ https://youtu.be/ReHVAlEU3UQ
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mission 10: "Transfer Orders", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Aces At War: A History 2019, page 098.
- ↑ Mission 05: "444", Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown.