Naval Historywith Dr. Alex

Q&A · 2:07:25-2:14:44

How Ace Combat superweapons would distort Cold War deterrence

Moving Strangereal's superweapons into the real Cold War would make Western Europe a center of extraordinary defensive and offensive power if Britain and West Germany cooperated.

Fiction Ace Combat ExcaliburFiction Ace Combat StonehengeFiction Ace Combat StrangerealMissile DefenceRailgunsScience FictionStrategic Deterrence
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Question

How would Ace Combat's Strangereal superweapons alter the real-world Cold War if each appeared in its closest national counterpart?

Short answer

They would create an extremely high-technology deterrence contest, with Stonehenge and Excalibur giving a cooperating Britain and West Germany an especially powerful mix of denial and long-range strike.

Notes

The thought experiment assigns Ace Combat's fictional superweapons to states of the 1970s and 1980s. Pairing Britain's Stonehenge railgun complex with West Germany's Excalibur laser would give Western Europe an imagined combination of air, missile, and orbital defenses if the two governments cooperated. Stonehenge's global reach would also make it an offensive strategic weapon. The response predicts greater caution between the powers and an especially large advantage for Europe under the scenario's assumptions. These capabilities belong to the game's world and are not a claim about real railguns or lasers.