Mission 18

Mission 18 takes place on September 21, 2161 and is part of the Advance to Titan campaign.

Briefing
''Heads up, pilots.

''It turns out that the Admiral we captured is Kulov himself, architect of the destruction of the French and Italian fleets. During interrogation, he revealed details of a new super gun platform, which the Coalition is about to bring online near Titan.

''This weapon has the capability to destroy a capital ship with just one charge... a threat that must be dealt with before the gun comes online. The time window for destruction of this super gun is narrow, as a new Coalition Second Fleet is believed to be moving in to reinforce Titan.

''The Yamato and Victorious are now fitted with internal warp drives which will allow us to move directly into position near the gun platform and launch our squadrons to deal with any enemy fighters. Once the enemy fighters have been dealt with and the area is clear, the carriers will take up position and launch their torpedoes at the platform.

''This one should be by the numbers, Tigers.

Recommended loadout

 * An excellent choice is the Wolverine and the Reaper, which have excellent firepower and will allow for destroying the Dark Reign's elements fast. Notably, the mission has a time limit, as the longer you tarry, the more Buccaneers will be wiped out - and if they're all gone, you fail the mission automatically.

Walkthrough

 * Standard fare: Launch from the Yamato and after a quick last-minute remark from Enriquez, reminding the Tigers that the mission is crucial for the liberation of Titan - that failing to destroy the Dark Reign can compromise it, hit warp.
 * The Yamato and Victorious jump out of warp near the Dark Reign. Buccaneers will move against the Kurgens, while you are tasked with clearing out the fighters. There's several Azans and Laggs flying around. However, before you can get to work, the Dark Reign comes online and wipes out the Victorious in just one blast. The Yamato will jump out immediately, while you are tasked with destroying the ion cannon. The job is difficult, as the ion cannon will target you constantly. Without a stealth cloak, all you can do is hug the cannon closely to break LOS and stop it from targeting you.
 * Eventually, Alpha 5 will locate the shield generator, one of the wings in the lower section. Then you need to target the upper armored plates covering the power core and destroy it. A word of caution: The power core will explode with tremendous force and you'll be instantly killed if you're too close. Best destroy the plates to open access, then ones behind it, so that you can just hit afterburners and get out through the opened hole.
 * Afterwards, it's a matter of just casually cleaning up the fighters. Enjoy!