The Ulysses 1994XF04 Asteroid Impact

Lore & Background

The impact's aftermath birthed two major factions: the 'Usean Rebel Forces,' forged from the ashes of broken nations, and the 'Independent State Allied Forces,' a coalition born of necessity. The asteroid's debris didn't just fall—it lingered, forming a ring of shattered stone around Earth, a ghostly halo visible every night. That ring became a constant reminder of what was lost and what could come again. The Ulysses event didn't just shape the series' backstory; it cracked the world open and poured the conflicts of Ace Combat 04 and Ace Combat 7 straight into the fault lines.

In Their Own Story

The sky tore apart with a sound like the world screaming. In the capital of San Salvacion, a young boy watched from a hillside as fire rained down, each streak a promise of annihilation. The ground shook, and the air turned to ash. He clutched a toy plane, its wings bent from the shockwave, and whispered a name he'd heard on the news: Ulysses. Years later, that boy would fly into battle above the very craters that scarred his homeland, fighting not for revenge, but for a future where the sky held only clouds.

Reader's Guide

The Ulysses 1994XF04 asteroid impact is the single event that broke the old world and forged the new. Discovered in 1994, it sent humanity scrambling to build planetary defenses, but no railgun or missile could stop it from breaking apart on impact in 1999. The largest fragment slammed into the Usean continent, carving the 'Inferno' crater and vaporizing cities like San Salvacion in an instant. This catastrophe didn't just kill millions—it shattered governments, fueled extremist uprisings, and sparked the Continental War. It also birthed superweapons like the Stonehenge railgun network, originally designed to shatter asteroids, later turned against aircraft. The impact's shadow looms over Ace Combat 04: Shattered Skies, where players fight through the war's aftermath as Mobius 1. It echoes into Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown, where the 'Lighthouse War' erupts over control of the space elevator built to harvest the asteroid's resources. The event is a scar on the world, a reminder that humanity's greatest battles are often fought in the ruins of its greatest failures.

Did You Know?

• The asteroid's name, Ulysses 1994XF04, references the Homeric hero, symbolizing a long, arduous journey.
• The impact created a permanent ring system around Earth, visible in the skies of later games.
• The Stonehenge railgun network was originally built to destroy asteroid fragments, not for anti-air warfare.
• The largest fragment's impact site, the 'Inferno,' is located near the center of the Usean continent.