Mission 3

Mission 3 takes place on July 19, 2160 and is part of the Operation Shield campaign.

Briefing
"The 45th must locate a flight recorder from a missing Alliance Command ship named the Mantis. The signal from the Mantis was lost moments after she began transmitting a distress call. Intelligence is concerned that a Coalition group may be working behind the lines. The 45th provides backup for top guns, the Vampires. Senior officer on the mission is squadron leader Klaus Steiner.

Your first objective will be to rendezvous with the Vampires and sweep the area around the last known position of the Mantis. Once the flight recorder has been located, return to base immediately. Intelligence has placed a high priority on the mission and wants the flight data recorder to ascertain what happened to the Mantis."

Recommended loadout

 * The Crusader and the Grendel have the protection and firepower respectively, while the Predator will offer accurate fire that's particularly well-suited for dealing with swarms of fighters.

Walkthrough

 * This is a straightforward mission, at least on the surface. After launching and jumping out to the ANS Bremen, the 45th links up with the Vampires. Steiner will introduce himself, then order a jump to the Mantis' wreckage. However, there's a detour to make: A Luenenburg cargo carrier  transmits a distress signal. Steiner orders the wings to intervene. Once at the location, immediately afterburn to the Luenenburg, then taunt or attack the eight Lagg fighters. They will break off the attack and are easy pickings for a moderately skilled pilot. After wondering how Coalition short-range fighters are capable of operating behind Alliance lines,  Steiner order the wing to jump out to find the ANS Mantis' black box.
 * Finding the black box can be tricky, especially since the Coalition has booby trapped the wreckage. You can prevent a wingman loss by immediately hitting "target nearest enemy" and firing on the mines, which will detonate them. Afterwards, it's a matter of seeking out the black box using the signal strength tracker and gently nudging it with your fighter.
 * After the data downloads, a Riza science vessel will warp in together with a wing of Sabers. Seconds later, you and your wing are pulled into the field and wind up near Venus of all places, near a prototype warp gate. Although the volume of fire may be daunting and Klaus insistent, you can score several kills on the enemy fighters (especially in the first couple of seconds, when they are immobile). After wiping out the six enemy fighters, another four Sabers will jump in to protect the gate. CS Badanov cannot be destroyed, although the Riza at Venus and the Scarab troop transport can.
 * After racking up points (and avoiding the warp gate in the middle, it has a nasty tendency to spit you back out near Neptune with the objective failed), focus on the rotating segment near the rim of the gate. It's the reactor. After shooting the armor plates off, keep shooting the reactor until it goes critical, then afterburn into the gate (if you hesitate, the warp gate will explode, taking everyone down with it). Successfully taking it down completes a major objective and puts you back near the Riza.
 * The new orders are clear: Disable the Riza's engines (do not destroy the vessel) and clear out its escort. After the straightforward mop up job, the 45th are relieved and dismissed by Steiner, whose attitude depends on how well you've done.

Outcomes

 * Success+: Warp gate destroyed, Riza captured, escorts eliminated.
 * Success: Warp gate destroyed, Riza escapes.
 * Partial success: Warp gate and Riza destroyed.
 * Partial fail: Warp gate not destroyed, Riza captured.
 * Fail: Warp gate not destroyed, Riza escapes.
 * Fail plus kick out: Warp gate not destroyed, Riza destroyed.