Belkan Air Force

Lore & Background

The Belkan Air Force was the aerial warfare branch of the Belkan military, a nation that launched the Belkan War in 1995 by invading its neighbors on the Osean continent, including Ustio. The force fielded a mix of older fighter aircraft like the F-15C, F/A-18C, and second- and third-generation fighters such as the Saab 35 Draken, as well as the fictional ADFX-01 Morgan superfighter, which resembled the cancelled PZL-230 Skorpion attack aircraft. Players begin the game with an F-5E, an F-1, and a J35J, and can unlock more advanced aircraft by completing missions. The Belkan Air Force's elite pilots included enemy aces scattered throughout missions, each with unique paint schemes and short biographies recorded in an in-game digital album. The force's desperate actions included detonating seven nuclear weapons on its own soil in an attempt to halt the Allied advance, killing thousands of civilians. After the formal surrender of the Belkan government, ultranationalist and anarchist defectors including former Galm Team pilot Pixy formed 'A World With No Boundaries', a terrorist organization intent on erasing national borders.

In Their Own Story

In 1995, the Principality of Belka, suffering from a severe economic crisis, launched an invasion of its neighbors on the Osean continent including Ustio. Overwhelmed by Belkan forces, Ustio's government hired mercenaries to offset Belka's military advantage, including Galm Team, a squadron consisting of elite fighter pilots 'Cipher' and Larry 'Pixy' Foulke. Galm Team's actions turned the tide of the war, leading to Belkan forces being repelled from Ustio while the international community formed the Allied Forces coalition. Galm Team gained recognition for destroying Belka's 'Excalibur' anti-aircraft laser installation, but Pixy became disillusioned when ordered to support the indiscriminate bombing of a Belkan city. Unable to stop the Allied advance, Belka detonated seven nuclear weapons on its own soil, killing thousands of civilians. Following the detonations, the Allied Forces ordered a ceasefire and the Belkan government formally surrendered. Debates ensued over territory, and defectors including Pixy formed 'A World With No Boundaries', a terrorist organization planning nuclear terrorism. Galm Team was deployed to eliminate the terrorists, culminating in the siege of a fortified dam housing a Belkan ICBM carrying nuclear warheads. Galm Team destroyed the launch control mechanisms, but PJ was killed by Pixy flying a laser-armed prototype fighter jet linked to the ICBM. After a protracted dogfight, Pixy was shot down by Cipher, disabling the ICBM and ending the terrorist threat.

Reader's Guide

The Belkan Air Force was the primary antagonist force in the Belkan War, representing a nation that had fallen from economic grace and launched a desperate invasion. Its goals shifted from conquering neighbors to defending Belkan territory, and ultimately to inflicting maximum damage through nuclear devastation of its own cities. The force's ranks included elite enemy aces scattered throughout missions, each with unique paint schemes and pilot biographies recorded in an in-game digital album. The player's Ace Style—determined by actions such as shooting down crippled aircraft, destroying surrendering enemies, or attacking neutral entities—affects which enemy ace squadrons are encountered and which FMV cutscenes play. Different Aces earn different planes, and color schemes representing each fighting style are unlocked for each acquired plane at the end of the game. After the war, the Belkan Air Force was largely dismantled, but its legacy lived on through surviving pilots who joined other nations' forces or became mercenaries, and through the shadowy 'A World With No Boundaries' group that rose from its ashes, led by defectors including former Galm Team pilot Pixy.

Did You Know?

• The Belkan Air Force detonated seven nuclear weapons on its own soil in a desperate attempt to halt the Allied advance, killing thousands of civilians.
• The ADFX-01 Morgan superfighter used by the Belkan Air Force resembles the cancelled PZL-230 Skorpion attack aircraft.
• The Belkan Air Force's elite pilots included enemy aces scattered throughout missions, each with unique paint schemes and short pilot biographies recorded in an in-game digital album.
• After the Belkan War, defectors including former Galm Team pilot Pixy formed 'A World With No Boundaries', a terrorist organization intent on erasing national borders.
• The Belkan Air Force fielded primarily older versions of fighter aircraft such as the F-15C, F/A-18C, and second- and third-generation fighters like the Saab 35 Draken.