Aces Wild - Air Combat in the Golden Age
The time before the Great Cataclysm was a period of great technological change. During the 'Age of Peace' in the mid 21st century the worlds military's languished while technology advanced in leaps and bounds, its ability to answer the ills of society just barely keeping ahead of the political and social impact. The development of advanced materials and technologies applicable to warfare however arrived before the political situation of the world reached a tipping point and began its slide into renewed conflict. Because the weapons of war had been left unimproved for so long, every advanced power rushed to modernize its forces. At first with upgrades and interim systems intended to make their forces cable of surviving and fighting in the new battlefield environment, and gradually more advanced 'super weapons' were introduced which made full use of the new technologies. Through export to allied powers and a gradual phasing out process many of the earlier interim designs and upgrades remained in service all the way to the Great Cataclysm, resulting an anachronistic blend of upgraded classics and bleeding edge super-weapons that would have been completely unthinkable to those of the 20th and early 21st century. The realm of aviation saw the same staggered progression of advances, particularly combat aviation. The new technologies allowed for combat aircraft orders of magnitude more durable and destructive than those that had come before, yet the relative lack of advancement in propulsion technologies and sensors slowed development of 'super-planes', placing a larger emphasis on upgrades and interim designs than seen with the ground and naval forces. Yet these aircraft were no less capable or effective, proven in the frequent regional conflicts which the great powers employed as a proxy for direct warfare.The Russian Federation
Su-37 Super Flanker "Terminator"
Su-50 PAK-FA "Flatfish" Stealth Fighter
T-90/Su-85 Fairy Stealth Fighter
An-305 Aviamatka / An-305 Corral Airborne Mothership
Persian Union
Peoples Republic of China
North American Alliance
European Union