There are 83 Ace Combat 8 Aces recorded in Campaign Assault Records. The roster consists of 52 named pilots attached to scripted special units and 31 conditional Aces that require a specific action before they appear. For conditional targets, play on Veteran, Elite, or ACE, destroy the named aircraft, and then finish the mission so the result can register.
The safest cleanup method is to complete the campaign, open Data Viewer → Campaign Data → Campaign Assault Records, and use Free Mission to pursue empty records individually. One important exception connects Missions 18 and 28: destroy Shadow 24 in Mission 18 before trying to collect the five Lux Lunae 22nd Unit records in Mission 28.
This guide contains campaign and enemy spoilers through Mission 30.
Plan collection with campaign missions and difficulty settings; keep Mission 28 and Shadow 22 cleanup separate from a first clear.
Version scope — October 7, 2026: This page was edited from supplied research. No numbered game build or independent playtest is recorded for this guide. Check the current in-game descriptions and your platform before applying build-sensitive conditions.
How Assault Records and named Aces work
The 52 special-unit pilots normally enter their missions as part of scripted formations. The other 31 Aces do not appear merely because you replay the mission. Each has a trigger involving target priority, speed, allied survival, stealth, or a particular flight path.
Use these rules for a reliable collection run:
- Check which record is empty before selecting a mission.
- Set the difficulty to Veteran or higher when hunting a conditional Ace.
- Equip for the trigger rather than for a general score run. Timed aircraft kills favor strong air-to-air options, while surface-target conditions need appropriate ground weapons.
- Satisfy the trigger before advancing the mission beyond the relevant phase.
- Find and destroy the named aircraft as soon as it appears. Some spawn far from the main objective.
- Complete the mission instead of restarting or abandoning the sortie.
- Return to Campaign Assault Records and confirm that the entry saved.
Destroying a conditional Ace also unlocks the Special color associated with that aircraft type. Filling all 83 records completes A Record of Rivalry.
The 52 scripted special-unit records
These records come from named pilots in formations encountered during the campaign. Mission 28 is the exception to the otherwise automatic pattern because its Lux Lunae formation has a prerequisite in Mission 18.
| Mission | Unit and aircraft | Named pilots |
|---|---|---|
| 03 | Lux Lunae 160th Unit — MiG-29A Fulcrum | Gladiator, Captor, Domitor, Praedo |
| 08 | Lux Lunae 150th Unit — F-16C Fighting Falcon | Aranea, Luscinia, Vespa, Cerambyx, Lucanus, Locusta, Libellula, Gallus |
| 08 | Lux Lunae 77th Unit — F-15E Strike Eagle | Novacula, Talus |
| 08 | Lux Lunae 180th Unit — Mirage 2000-5 | Patriota, Tormentum |
| 11 | Lux Lunae 55th Unit — MiG-31B Foxhound | Lacerta, Aspis, Vipera, Salamandra |
| 18 | Lux Lunae 140th Unit — Su-47 Berkut | Sagitta, Arcus |
| 20 | Lux Lunae 100th Unit — F-14D Super Tomcat | Corvus, Ulula, Picus, Cygnus, Hirundo, Grus |
| 20 | Lux Lunae 99th Unit — F-22A Raptor | Tigris, Lynx, Panthera, Vulpes |
| 23 | 8th Pastoral Air Wing, 1st Fighter Squadron — Su-35S Flanker-E | Niveus, Pruina |
| 25 | Lux Lunae 33rd Unit — Typhoon | Monoceros, Siren, Larva, Mors |
| 25 | Lux Lunae 44th Unit — Su-33 Flanker-D | Poeta, Tempestas, Vorticosus, Malacia |
| 25 | Lux Lunae 120th Unit — Gripen E | Athleta, Gladius, Flagrum, Lancea |
| 28 | Lux Lunae 22nd Unit — Su-57 Felon | Doctus, Saltatrix, Acrobates, Anteros, Ares |
| 29 | 1st Special Operations Wing commander — X-40 Nightmare | Selene |
Do not assume that merely seeing a special unit guarantees every record. Finish the engagement and verify the named contacts were actually destroyed before completing the sortie.
All 31 conditional Ace spawn requirements
The table below isolates the action that matters for each conditional spawn. Once the trigger succeeds, interrupt your normal objective route long enough to destroy the new named contact.
| Mission | Ace and aircraft | Spawn requirement |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Gigas — Mirage 2000-5 | Destroy every non-TGT enemy aircraft. |
| 02 | Crematio — A-6E Intruder | Destroy at least four aircraft within the first three minutes. |
| 03 | Raia — F/A-18C Hornet | Destroy every bomber before any reaches White Valley Base. |
| 04 | Auster — Gripen E | Enter the island tunnel from the Anderson Port side. |
| 05 | Custos — Su-25SM Frogfoot | Keep every allied LCAC alive through the first phase. |
| 06 | Flamma — MiG-31B Foxhound | Destroy at least five TGTs within the first three minutes. |
| 07 | Orcus — EA-6B Prowler | Destroy a Land Aegis through a chain reaction. |
| 08 | Tessera — MiG-21bis Fishbed | Destroy every non-TGT surface weapon. |
| 09 | Judex — MiG-29A Fulcrum | Break the Land Battleship’s secondary tread armor before it reaches the second slowdown line. |
| 10 | Vorago — F-15C Eagle | Destroy an airship within 70 seconds of the first laser designation. |
| 11 | Larus — F-14D Super Tomcat | Destroy every Lux Lunae Shadow before eliminating all Podarges. |
| 12 | Imber — F/A-18F Super Hornet | Destroy every LCAC within three minutes of takeoff. |
| 13 | Sicarius — Su-47 Berkut | Destroy at least five radar towers early while the transport is still en route. |
| 15 | Lupus — Su-33 Flanker-D | Destroy one Ladon, then kill Lupus before destroying the second Ladon. |
| 16 | Currus — F-16C Fighting Falcon | Allow the enemy ships to begin launching UAVs. |
| 17 | Avus — F-4E Phantom II | Destroy all TGTs in the second phase before the B-1B reaches the halfway point. |
| 18 | Curis — F-15J Eagle | Destroy Shadow 24; Curis appears after the later mission update. |
| 19 | Aleator — F/A-18E Super Hornet | Destroy all eight Su-47s that arrive across the mission phases. |
| 20 | Periodus — Su-35S Flanker-E | Find and destroy at least one B-2 bomber. |
| 21 | Alienus — EA-18G Growler | Sink every enemy ship. |
| 22 | Caligo — Rafale M | Approach the Celaeno without being detected. |
| 23 | Milvus — A-10C Thunderbolt II | Destroy the arriving Gemma and Ventus formations within three minutes. |
| 23 | Cantrix — FA-36 Game | Complete the same three-minute Gemma and Ventus clear used for Milvus. |
| 24 | Sabulum — Su-34 Fullback | Keep every allied LCAC alive until it reaches land. |
| 25 | Cinis — F-15E Strike Eagle | Destroy every Land Destroyer and Land Aegis, including units delivered later. |
| 25 | Silacrum — EA-36 Barricader | Fly beneath the wings of a moored Podarge, between the aircraft and the ocean. |
| 26 | F-2A Ace | Destroy every enemy surface unit on Cima Island. |
| 27 | Stiria — Typhoon | Fly through the gap beneath one of Fatsia’s Megafloat spokes. |
| 28 | Harmonius — F-35C Lightning II | Destroy five bombers within the first five minutes. |
| 29 | Prudens — Su-57 Felon | Fly underneath an urban highway bridge. |
| 30 | Tegimen — F-22A Raptor | Destroy at least three submarine-launched missile dispensers before they release their missiles. |
The Mission 18 to Mission 28 dependency
Mission 18 is the most important preparation mission in the collection. During Moonlight and Shadows, Shadow 22 and Shadow 24 interfere with your route. Shadow 24 is not required for normal objective progress, so it is easy to leave the mission without destroying that aircraft.
For Assault Record cleanup, destroy Shadow 24 before continuing. This produces two useful results:
- Curis can appear later in Mission 18 after the launch-section update.
- The five-aircraft Lux Lunae 22nd Unit can appear in Mission 28.
Finish Mission 18 after destroying Shadow 24 and Curis. Then confirm the result before moving to Mission 28. If Doctus, Saltatrix, Acrobates, Anteros, and Ares are all missing after a Mission 28 clear, return to Mission 18 and repeat this sequence rather than continuing to replay Mission 28.
Harmonius is separate from this dependency. Its Mission 28 condition remains five bomber kills within the first five minutes.
Four route-based spawns
Auster, Silacrum, Stiria, and Prudens are activated by where you fly, not by score or kill count. These attempts reward a deliberate route:
- In Mission 04, enter the island tunnel from the Anderson Port side. Auster may be encountered around the tunnel route.
- In Mission 25, pass below a moored Podarge’s wing before destroying the aircraft carrying it.
- In Mission 27, fly through the open space beneath a Fatsia spoke, then check for Stiria near the Megafloat instead of continuing structural attacks immediately.
- In Mission 29, pass under an urban highway bridge and then scan for the newly spawned contact.
Keep enough altitude control to make the pass safely, but do not treat these routes as ordinary stunt attempts. The useful outcome is the named aircraft spawning and being destroyed before the mission proceeds.
Timed Ace attempts
The opening bomber formation is the priority for Harmonius’s five-kill trigger.
Missions 02, 06, 10, 12, 23, and 28 impose explicit time pressure. Select a suitable loadout before takeoff and ignore unrelated targets until the trigger is complete.
Mission 23 deserves special attention because one fast clear can spawn both Milvus and Cantrix. Preserve enough air-to-air ammunition for those two arrivals after eliminating the Gemma and Ventus formations. In Mission 28, prioritize bombers over distracting fighters until the fifth bomber is down.
For Mission 10, the timer begins with laser targeting rather than mission start. In Mission 12, the three-minute window begins at takeoff. These different start points matter when deciding whether a run is still viable.
Triggers that reverse the normal mission strategy
Currus can appear after the UAV launch state begins.
Several Aces require behavior that may feel inefficient during a normal clear:
- Currus in Mission 16: do not prevent every UAV launch. Allow the ships to reach the launch state, then destroy Currus while retaining enough time and ammunition to intercept the drones.
- Larus in Mission 11: stop focusing on the Podarges long enough to destroy every Shadow first.
- Lupus in Mission 15: after destroying the first Ladon, leave the second alive until Lupus is down.
- Periodus in Mission 20: search for a B-2 instead of remaining entirely with the visible escort battle.
- Caligo in Mission 22: approach Celaeno without being detected rather than starting an immediate open attack.
These are spawn instructions, not promises that a particular aircraft or weapon will guarantee success. Your remaining mission objectives still need to be completed after the Ace is destroyed.
Why an Ace may not have registered
If a record remains empty, work through the failure points in order:
- Confirm that the attempt used Veteran, Elite, or ACE difficulty.
- Check that the correct targets counted. TGTs, non-TGT aircraft, surface weapons, ships, bombers, and missile dispensers are not interchangeable.
- Confirm that every protected LCAC survived when the condition depends on allied survival.
- Make sure a timed trigger was completed within its stated window.
- Look beyond the main objective area after triggering the spawn; several Aces enter far from the current fight.
- Confirm that the named aircraft was destroyed, not merely damaged or allowed to leave.
- Finish the entire mission after the kill.
- Reopen Campaign Assault Records before starting another replay.
For the final cleanup, handle Mission 18 before Mission 28, group the two Mission 23 Aces into one attempt, and collect both Mission 25 Aces during the same sortie only if doing so does not endanger the main objective. A verified record after each mission is more reliable than attempting many uncertain triggers without checking the results.