- "Trigger, time to show the other guys that we get wet, wild, and do dirty, dirty things."
- ― Clown
Two-pronged Strategy is the third campaign mission of Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown. The player is introduced to the Arsenal Bird in gameplay for the first time.
Briefing
The surprise attacks carried out after the declaration of war, so the peacekeeping forces of various countries, including Osea, suffer major damage. The ships moored around the space elevator and near Gandar Bay[note 1] have been hit particularly hard. Numerous ships have been sunk and abandoned. Fortunately, our cutting edge aircraft carrier Kestrel II was at sea, so it was spared from the attack. Kestrel II is now preparing to launch an attack against Erusea's capital, Farbanti. The aircraft carrier Vulture[note 2] also managed to escape Gandar Bay safely. However, it lost all its aircraft, so it's sailing empty. Today the International Union Peacekeeping Force reclaims its bid to the space elevator. The Fort Grays Island Air Base Squadron will rendezvous with the carrier Vulture for a joint mission. The first objective will be to seize air superiority in Chopinburg in order to secure a route for the support squadrons. The enemy maintains air superiority over Chopinburg, so expect heavy resistance from enemy aircraft. There's more, so listen carefully... Right from the start of the war, the enemy has been deploying drones. They're using a new advanced type of drone. The unmanned, airborne aircraft carrier the Arsenal Bird carries this new drone MQ-101. The Osean Army headed up the development of the massive Arsenal Birds and dispatched them to the space elevator to provide support. However, it's been reported that the carriers may have fallen into the hands of the Erusean Forces. If that's true, it could be a significant obstacle for us. We need to regain control of the space elevator ASAP. Good luck out there.
Objectives
Initial
After taking off, the player will enter the fray between allied Osean and enemy Erusean aircraft. There are ten Erusean aircraft, including F-4Es and F-16Cs. Allied aircraft will shoot some of the enemies down if the player fails to.
Upon shooting down all enemy aircraft, the player will suddenly get ambushed by long-range missiles and must evade them.
Mission Update 1
The Arsenal Bird escapes a cloud and drops many of its MQ-101 UAVs, some of which will begin to engage the player and their allies, whereas the rest will provide cover for the mothership. After a while, the player will be ordered to destroy the Arsenal Bird, whose propellers will become labeled as TGT. Besides the UAVs, the player must also dodge the consistent barrage of missiles fired from the Arsenal Bird's AAM launchers. The UAVs providing cover can also intercept any missiles meant to hit the propellers and the launchers.
Regardless of how much damage the player inflicts on the Arsenal Bird's propellers, the player does not appear to be able to shoot down the Arsenal Bird. After a while, the entirety of the friendly Skeleton Squadron will be shot down, forcing Osean command to order the player and all allies to retreat.
Mission Update 2
A group of the Arsenal Bird's MQ-101s will chase down the player's allies. They are marked as TGT and the player must shoot them all down to help their allies retreat. It is presumed, but not yet confirmed, that shooting down all of the TGT-marked MQ-101s will complete the mission.
Enemy List
The following enemy list is only an estimation from footage of the mission, and is subject to change upon the game's release.
| Section | Unit | Points | Count | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial | 
|
F-4E | 220 | 5 | |
|
|
F-16C | 400 | 5 | ||
| Mission Update 1 |
|
ARSENAL BIRD MAIN PROPELLER SUB PROPELLER AAM |
– 0 0 0 |
1 2 6 6 |
[note 3] [note 4] Template:Notecall Template:Notecall |
|
MQ-101 | 500 | 12 | [note 5] | |
|
|
MQ-101 | 500 | 12 | [note 6] | |
| Mission Update 2 |
|