PW-Mk.I

PW-Mk.I
Role	Prototype
Unlock requirements	Complete Campaign mode 475,000/120,000 credits/prestige
Introduction	AC 432
Manufacturer	Icarus Armories
Users	Pacific Federation Federation Military Forces Federation Air Force Federation Peacekeepers Crimson Team Federation Navy
Deployed	Cascadian Conflict Presidian Disaster Duel over Presidia
Based on	N/A
Base AI HP	400
AOA Limiter	✔
Two (or more)-seater	✘
Weapons
Hardpoints	1 | 1 | 0
Cockpit
Statistics (Player/AI)
Response	4.0
Max Speed	4,000 (300/1000/1800)
Acceleration	150/100
Roll Rate	350/300
Turn Rate	150/70
Yaw Rate	15/25

"Project Wingman is away."
"Godspeed."

― A Federation scientist and Klara Rask after the aircraft escapes Harkema Industrial Park

The PW-Mk.I (short for Project Wingman Mark I) was an experimental aircraft powered by cordium that was developed by Icarus Armories for the Pacific Federation. It was the end result of the Federation's Project Wingman aerial weapons platform program, which debuted on the last day of the Cascadian Conflict.

It is both the most powerful playable aircraft and the titular final boss of Project Wingman, and one of the two aircraft using the Burst Missile Launcher - Universal (BML-U) weapon along with the X-PF.

Skins

1. Two-tone grey/blue camouflage with mercenary and Monarch markings.
2. Skin 01 with Federation Navy markings.
3. Two-tone dark green jagged camouflage with Federation Navy markings.
4. Three-tone blue camouflage with white leading wing edges, stripes, and engine covers, and Federation Navy markings.
5. Crimson 1 livery: Dark red body with crimson leading edges and engine covers, IC-01 tail code, and Federation Peacekeeper and Icarus Armories markings.

Notable Enemies

• Crimson 1 - Fought in Kings but has thrice the HP and is capable of unleashing non-stop railgun barrages and cluster bombs and energy orbs. Restores a varied amount of HP based on difficulty in final phase.

Gameplay

As the game's ultimate aircraft, the player-controlled PW-Mk.I possesses extreme maneuverability (to the point of being difficult to direct precisely) and speed, quick enough to actually outrun enemy missiles. The centerpiece of its non-customizable loadout is the BML-U that is capable of destroying numerous air and surface targets simultaneously at range at the cost of a moderately long interval between bursts. The weapon notably has reduced damage, which is compensated by its sheer firepower. Furthermore, its dual HGP-like cannons and railguns, when used in a combo, can rack up kills very quickly, especially against airships.

History

The PW-Mk.I was developed to create a next-generation aircraft and later on to assist Federation top ace Crimson 1. It was created in Harkema Industrial Park using flight data gathered by Klara Rask regarding the use of railguns on an aircraft.

The aircraft was evacuated twice during the Cascadian Conflict by Crimson 7, first during a raid on the industrial area and then from Wai Mami Port in Sawaiiki to the Federation Core States for Icarus to complete due to another raid.

Crimson 1's PW-Mk.I trailing flames

Following the loss of his entire squadron at the hands of Hitman Team, led by Monarch, Crimson 1 obtained the aircraft and used it, along with its onboard ECM for creating false targets, to attack both Cascadian Independence Force and Federation troops in Presidia shortly after a ceasefire was signed, an act which disabled all combat forces in the city except for Monarch, while also having collaborators destroy the capital using cordium warheads. Engaging him in a final battle, Crimson 1 utilized all of the PW-Mk.I's features, including its micromissiles, railguns, and plasma orbs. Despite his advantage in technology, he was shot down. The aircraft's cordium engines were heavily damaged and it exploded in a massive fireball, killing its pilot and finally ending the war.

Trivia

• The PW-Mk.I is internally referred to as the "PW-001/01" in the game files.
• The PW-Mk.I slightly resembles in design and engine trail the VF-11 Thunderbolt from the Macross series, and its configuration of armaments resembles the CFA-44 Nosferatu's from Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation. The fact that all of its regular Federation skins are Navy may even point to (intended) carrier capability, just like the CFA-44.
  • The BML-U shares the same brevity code as rocket launchers.