ACE COMBAT 8 named aces fill 83 Campaign Assault Records across 30 missions, including 31 hidden aces with mission-specific spawn conditions. To hunt the hidden aircraft in ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE, finish the Campaign once, select Veteran or Elite, and perform the trigger for the mission below. Search away from the main objectives after triggering a spawn, then complete the mission to keep the takedown. Shadow 26 also needs actions in Missions 18 and 28 during the same Campaign run.
What must I do before hidden aces appear?
Finish the Campaign once
This is the recommended preparation before replaying missions for hidden aces. The completion requirement has two descriptions: October 6, 2026 (13:44) specifies Campaign completion with difficulty and/or individual conditions; October 6, 2026 (4:50am, timezone unspecified) says the individual mission must already have been completed. Completing only that mission is not confirmed yet as sufficient: an October 3, 2026 Elite replay test before Campaign completion produced no hidden ace despite meeting the trigger.
Select Veteran or Elite mission difficulty
The difficulty choices are Rookie, Pilot, Veteran, and Elite. Expert is a flight control mode, so selecting it does not satisfy the difficulty requirement. Check the ACE COMBAT 8 difficulty levels before starting a hunt.
Perform the trigger and search the spawn area
Some triggers require timed kills; others require non-TGT targets, a tunnel, or a flight under a structure. Hidden aces often appear far from mission objectives. Pursue them while keeping the mission objective safe.
Free Mission for individual hunts
After finishing the Campaign, Free Mission lets you replay an individual mission for its local trigger. It does not retain the cross-mission flags needed for Shadow 26.
Campaign for Shadow 26 — recommended
Use one continuous Campaign run for Shadow 26's Mission 18-to-28 route. Hidden aces can also appear in Campaign: an October 1, 2026 successful Campaign hunt contradicts the September 30, 2026 claim that they appear only in Free Mission.
Where do all 31 hidden aces spawn?
This ACE COMBAT 8 aces guide lists each hidden aircraft by mission and TAC name. Destroying these aircraft unlocks the corresponding Special color, also described as a unique aircraft skin. For the aircraft themselves, see the ACE COMBAT 8 planes list.
Rows marked “two descriptions” have their exact differing conditions or names in the next section. No hidden-ace entry is listed for Mission 14.
| Mission | Hidden ace / aircraft | Trigger | Where to look |
|---|---|---|---|
| 01 — Jokers Wild | Gigas / Mirage 2000-5 | Shoot down all non-TGT MiG-21s that appear. | Middle of the map. |
| 02 — Nomad | Crematio / A-6E Intruder | Aircraft kills within the first 3 minutes; two descriptions give at least 4 or at least 5. | North-northeast or north; see below. |
| 03 — Purple Magic Takes Flight | Raia / F/A-18C Hornet | Destroy all bombers before they reach White Valley Base. | East when the Su-25SM attackers appear. |
| 04 — The Fall of the Numbered Fleets | Auster / Gripen E | Enter Newfield Island's tunnel from Anderson Port. Entering from Belta Port does not trigger Auster. | Inside the tunnel. |
| 05 — Retaking of Theve | Custos / Su-25SM Frogfoot | Keep every allied LCAC alive through the first phase. | West when the retreat starts. |
| 06 — Attack on the Drinwich Airfield | Flamma / MiG-31B Foxhound | Destroy TGTs within the first 3 minutes; two descriptions give at least 5 or at least 6. | North. |
| 07 — A Lifeline in the Desert | Orcus / EA-6B Prowler | Destroy at least 1 Land Aegis through a chain reaction of explosions. | Near the southernmost enemy troops. |
| 08 — Retaking of Theve II | Tessera / MiG-21bis Fishbed | Destroy all non-TGT surface weapons early in the mission. | Southeast. |
| 09 — The Land Battleship Blockade | Judex / MiG-29A Fulcrum | Destroy the Land Battleship's secondary tread armor before the second slowdown line. | Northwest coast. |
| 10 — Over the Rainband | Vorago / F-15C Eagle | After the scripted first Spear attack, destroy an airship within 70 seconds of laser targeting. | Middle of the map with 2 F-14Ds. |
| 11 — Maximum Payload | Larus / F-14D Super Tomcat | Destroy the first 3 Podarges; when Shadows arrive, leave the remaining 3 and shoot down all of Lux Lunae 55th Unit before destroying all Podarges. | Southeast. |
| 12 — An Island in Darkness | Imber / F/A-18F Super Hornet | Destroy all enemy LCACs within the first 3 minutes. | East-northeast or east; see below. |
| 13 — The People of the Lost Country | Sicarius / Su-47 Berkut | Destroy 5 radar towers; two descriptions give different transport deadlines. | Center of the western map border. |
| 15 — Wings of Wax | Lupus / Su-33 Flanker-D | Destroy 1 of the 2 Ladons. | Far northeast. |
| 16 — Singer | Currus / F-16C Fighting Falcon | Destroy 2 of the 3 terrorist ships; the last ship launches explosive drones. | Northwest when the drones launch. |
| 17 — Land Battleship No. 3 | Avus / F-4E Phantom II | Destroy all second-phase TGTs before the allied B-1Bs reach halfway. | Northwest after the mission update; northeast appearances are also reported. |
| 18 — Moonlight and Shadows | Curis / F-15J Eagle | Shoot down Shadow 24. | South with a group of aircraft after the mission update. |
| 19 — Clearing the Lighthouse | Aleator / F/A-18E Super Hornet | Shoot down all 8 Su-47s that appear throughout the mission. | Outside the combat zone, northeast or northwest; flies toward you. |
| 20 | Periodus / Su-35S Flanker-E | Find and destroy at least 1 of the 2 B-2A Spirit bombers firing BVRAAMs at the transport. | Outside the combat zone to the north; flies toward you. |
| 21 — The Star-Bound Bird | Alienus / EA-18G Growler | Destroy all enemy ships. | East; pursues you with ECM jamming. |
| 22 — Pursuing the HSCA | Caligo / Rafale M | Approach the Celaeno undetected. | Among the arriving air reinforcements. |
| 23 — The Destruction of Expo City | Milvus / A-10C Thunderbolt II | Shoot down all Gemma and Ventus Squadron aircraft in under 3 minutes after they appear. | East alongside Cantrix, flying toward you. |
| 23 — The Destruction of Expo City | Cantrix / FA-36 Game | Same Gemma and Ventus trigger as Milvus. | East alongside Milvus. |
| 24 — The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 1 | Sabulum / Su-34 Fullback | Keep all allied LCACs alive until they land. | South when the final LCAC lands. |
| 25 — The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2 | Cinis / F-15E Strike Eagle | Destroy every Land Destroyer and Land Aegis, including those in the water and later Podarge drops. | South of the island. |
| 25 — The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2 | Silacrum / EA-36 Barricader | Fly between the moored Podarges' wings and the ocean surface. | Southeast; also described as near Cinis's spawn point. |
| 26 — Crossing Fleets | Lucidus / Lucidius / F-2A | Destroy all ground targets on Cima Island. | Enters from the eastern border and flies toward the combat zone. |
| 27 — Fatsia, The Ocean Fortress | Stiria / Typhoon | Fly beneath the decks through the gaps of any Megafloat spoke. | Near the Megafloat's northeast side. |
| 28 — A Thousand Points of Light | Harmonius / F-35C Lightning II | Shoot down at least 5 enemy bombers within the first 5 minutes. | Among the Tu-160 reinforcements arriving from the southeast. |
| 29 — Selene | Prudens / Su-57 Felon | Fly under a bridge; two descriptions differ on which bridge. | Slightly south of the combat area or its middle; see below. |
| 30 — Song of Wings | Tegimen / F-22A Raptor | Destroy at least 3 Submarine-Launched Missile Dispensers before their missiles release. | Southeast after the submarine surfaces and the mission updates. |
For the Ladon encounter, use the ACE COMBAT 8 Mission 15 page alongside Lupus's trigger.
Periodus's B-2 bombers do not appear on the radar or HUD until you approach them. Look for the aircraft visually rather than only shooting their BVRAAMs. In Mission 17, check the radar for a lone target after the update if Avus is absent from the northwest; the reason for northeast appearances is not confirmed yet.
Which spawn conditions have two descriptions?
The following descriptions both carry October 6, 2026 update dates. The 4:50am timestamp has no timezone, so their absolute order is not confirmed yet. The exact minimums and differing directions remain unresolved.
| Ace / detail | October 6, 2026 — 13:44 description | October 6, 2026 — 4:50am description |
|---|---|---|
| Crematio, Mission 02 | At least 4 aircraft within the first 3 minutes; north-northeast. | At least 5 enemy aircraft within the first 3 minutes; north. |
| Flamma, Mission 06 | At least 5 TGTs within the first 3 minutes; north. | At least 6 TGTs within the first 3 minutes; north. |
| Imber, Mission 12 | All LCACs within the first 3 minutes; east-northeast. | All enemy LCACs within the first 3 minutes; east. |
| Sicarius, Mission 13 | 5 radar towers before the resistance transport reaches halfway. | At least 5 radar towers before the C-130 lands. |
| Aleator, Mission 19 | All 8 Su-47s; northeast outside the combat zone. | All 8 Su-47s; northwest outside the combat zone. |
| Prudens, Mission 29 | Fly underneath any bridge on the map; appears slightly south of the combat area. | Fly underneath a downtown Theve highway bridge; appears in the middle of the combat zone. |
| Mission 26 TAC name | Lucidus. | Lucidius. |
| Lupus's pilot name | Mikhail Safonov. | Mikail Safonov. |
A lower kill threshold is not confirmed yet as sufficient in the disputed rows. Treat each description as written; do not replace 4 with 5 or 5 with 6 and present that as a verified minimum.
How do I make Shadow 26 appear?
Shadow 26 is Mehmet Shahin, TAC name Acrobates, flying a Su-57 Felon in Mission 28. He belongs to the story-related roster but has an extra trigger, so the 52 story-related records are not a guarantee of automatic completion.
Shoot down Shadow 24 in Mission 18
Do this during the Campaign run you will continue to Mission 28. It also triggers Curis after the Mission 18 update.
Continue that same Campaign to Mission 28
In A Thousand Points of Light, shoot down all the other Shadows while leaving Shadow 22 alive to trigger Shadow 26.
Defeat Shadow 26 and finish the mission
Free Mission does not preserve the necessary cross-mission flags. If you missed Shadow 26, repeat the Campaign route. Keep the ACE COMBAT 8 Shadow 22 guide handy for that encounter.
Where are the other named enemies?
For an ACE COMBAT 8 all named aces checklist, combine the 31 hidden aircraft above with these 52 story-related TAC names. Most appear during normal mission progression; Acrobates needs the route above, and Anteros's mission listing has two descriptions below.
| Mission / encounter | Aircraft | Named enemies |
|---|---|---|
| 03 — Purple Magic Takes Flight | MiG-29A Fulcrum | Gladiator, Captor, Domitor, Praedo |
| 08 — Retaking of Theve II | F-16C Fighting Falcon | Aranea, Luscinia, Vespa, Cerambyx, Lucanus, Locusta, Libellula, Gallus |
| 08 — Retaking of Theve II | F-15E Strike Eagle | Novacula, Talus |
| 08 — Retaking of Theve II | Mirage 2000-5 | Patriota, Tormentum |
| 11 — Maximum Payload | MiG-31B Foxhound | Lacerta, Aspis, Vipera, Salamandra |
| 18 — Moonlight and Shadows | Su-47 Berkut | Sagitta / Safitta, Arcus |
| 20 | F-14D Super Tomcat | Corvus, Ulula, Picus, Cygnus, Hirundo, Grus |
| 20 | F-22A Raptor | Tigris, Lynx, Panthera, Vulpes |
| 23 — The Destruction of Expo City | Su-35S Flanker-E | Niveus, Pruina |
| 25 — The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2 | Typhoon | Monoceros, Siren, Larva, Mors |
| 25 — The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2 | Su-33 Flanker-D | Poeta, Tempestas, Vorticosus, Malacia |
| 25 — The Battle of Rocky Island, Day 2 | Gripen E | Athleta, Gladius, Flagrum, Lancea |
| 28 — A Thousand Points of Light | Su-57 Felon | Doctus, Saltatrix, Acrobates, Ares |
| Mission listing disputed; see below | Su-57 Felon | Anteros |
| 29 — Selene | X-40 Nightmare | Selene |
Anteros: the October 6, 2026 (13:44) description lists “Mission 18 or 24” with the titles “Moonlight and Shadows” or “A Thousand Points of Light.” A September 29, 2026 description places Anteros in Mission 28's Lux Lunae 22nd Unit, with Shadow 24 destroyed in Operation Branching Path as its condition; its last revision date is not confirmed yet. The mission number and title conflict is unresolved, so the 24 listing is not silently changed to 28.
Sagitta / Safitta: the October 6, 2026 description spells the Mission 18 TAC name Sagitta; the September 29, 2026 description spells it Safitta. Both list Arcus alongside that Su-47 ace. The latter's last revision date is not confirmed yet.
How do I keep and check an ace takedown?
Complete the mission after shooting down an ace. The checkpoint you reach afterward determines whether a later retry preserves that takedown.
| What happens after the takedown? | What to do |
|---|---|
| You fail before reaching the next checkpoint and choose RESTART FROM CHECKPOINT. | The ace will not reappear on that retry. Replay the mission from the beginning to obtain the takedown again. |
| You reach the next checkpoint, then fail and choose RESTART FROM CHECKPOINT. | The takedown is retained. Finish the mission. |
| You complete the mission. | Check DATA VIEWER → CAMPAIGN DATA → CAMPAIGN ASSAULT RECORDS for your recorded ACE COMBAT 8 enemy aces. |
Most aces do not have extra durability, but they fly and dodge more aggressively and use special weapons and flares. Do not assume a takedown is secured just because the aircraft exploded: preserve the next checkpoint and finish the mission.