Ace Combat 8 Weapons & Special Weapons Guide
Ace Combat 8 expands the series' weapon system with 29 special weapons covering air-to-air combat, ground attacks, anti-ship strikes, bombing, electronic warfare and experimental technology. Aircraft can also carry two different special weapons during the same sortie, giving players considerably more control over how they prepare for missions that mix fighters, ships and ground forces.
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Weapons & Special Weapons
All Special Weapons
Two Special Weapons
Multiple Special Weapons
Air-to-Air Weapons
Air-to-Ground Weapons
Support & Experimental Weapons
Guns
Super Weapons
Top Gun & Maverick
Ace Combat 8 Weapons & Special Weapons Differences Explained
Ace Combat 8 aircraft use a built-in gun, standard multi-purpose missiles and aircraft-specific special weapons. The major change from previous mainline games is the ability to equip two different special weapons at once, although doing so divides the aircraft's available hardpoints and reduces the ammunition carried for each SP weapon.
Special weapons are not universal unlocks. Each aircraft has its own available weapon selection, meaning the plane you choose also determines which air-to-air missiles, bombs, anti-ship weapons or support systems you can bring into a sortie.
Ace Combat 8 Weapon Types
GUN → Aircraft's built-in cannon
MSL → Standard multi-purpose missiles
SP Weapon 1 → First selected special weapon
SP Weapon 2 → Optional second special weapon
FLR → Countermeasure against incoming missiles
All Special Weapons in Ace Combat 8
Ace Combat 8 has 29 special-weapon types across its Campaign aircraft roster. They range from familiar multi-target missiles and unguided bombs to electronic-warfare systems and late-game experimental weapons.
All 29 Special Weapons
2AAM
4AAM
4AGM
6AAM
6AGM
8AGM
ECM
EMLB
ESM
GPB
HCAA
HPAA
HVAA
IEWS
LAAM
LACM
LAGM
LASM
MGP
QAAM
RKT
SAAM
SASM
SFFS
SOD
UAVT
UGB
UGBL
XSDB
The Ace Combat 8 aircraft list is useful alongside this guide because each aircraft has its own special-weapon selection.
Can You Equip Two Special Weapons in Ace Combat 8?
Yes. Ace Combat 8 lets you equip two different special weapons on the same aircraft.
After selecting your aircraft, you first choose SP Weapon 1. That weapon initially has access to all of the aircraft's available hardpoints. You can then select a different weapon for SP Weapon 2, at which point those hardpoints are divided between both special weapons and the ammunition carried for each is reduced.
If you choose NO WEAPON in the second slot, the first SP weapon keeps the larger ammunition allocation. You cannot select the same special weapon in both slots to increase its ammunition.
Two Special Weapon System
One SP Weapon → Full hardpoint allocation
Two Different SP Weapons → Hardpoints divided between both weapons
Same SP Weapon Twice → Not available
SP Weapon 2 Set to NO WEAPON → SP Weapon 1 retains the larger ammo supply
How Multiple Special Weapons Work in Ace Combat 8
The multiple-special-weapon system is designed to let one aircraft cover more than one combat role. A multirole plane can bring an air-to-air missile for fighter encounters and an air-to-ground weapon for surface targets, while an air-focused aircraft can pair a multi-target missile with something better suited to a difficult individual enemy.
Using two weapons is not automatically better. Because the aircraft's hardpoints are divided between both selections, a mission dominated by one type of target may be better approached with a single special weapon and the larger ammunition supply that comes with it.
Wingmen are handled differently. You can choose which aircraft your squadmates fly, but their special weapons are determined by the aircraft rather than manually selected by the player.
Ace Combat 8 Air-to-Air Special Weapons
Ace Combat 8 includes ten dedicated air-to-air SP weapons. Some prioritize multiple simultaneous targets, while others trade target count for range, damage, reload speed or stronger tracking against maneuverable aircraft.
2AAM
Locks onto as many as two airborne targets at once.
4AAM
Locks onto as many as four airborne targets simultaneously.
6AAM
Can engage as many as six aerial targets, making it useful against larger formations.
HCAA
High-capacity air-to-air missiles designed around sustained missile fire and quick follow-up attacks.
HPAA
High-power air-to-air missile intended to deal heavier damage to an individual target.
HVAA
High-velocity missile that reaches airborne targets quickly and can engage from relatively long range.
LAAM
Long-range air-to-air missile designed to engage aircraft well before standard missile range.
QAAM
Highly maneuverable air-to-air missile with stronger tracking against aircraft making aggressive evasive maneuvers.
SAAM
Long-range semi-active missile that requires the target to remain inside its guidance area until impact.
SASM
Air-to-air missile that can detonate near its target rather than depending entirely on a direct hit.
That distinction becomes important against Ace Combat 8's more evasive aircraft. Community testing has found QAAM useful for its tracking, while SASM can perform well against difficult targets because its proximity detonation gives it another way to connect with aircraft that repeatedly evade conventional missile hits.
Ace Combat 8 Air-to-Ground Special Weapons
The air-to-ground weapon roster covers several different target layouts rather than simply offering stronger versions of the same missile. Multi-target AGMs are designed around scattered ground units, bombs reward accurate attack runs, long-range missiles allow strikes from outside defensive positions, and area weapons can destroy several nearby targets with one attack.
4AGM
Locks onto as many as four ground targets simultaneously.
6AGM
Expands the simultaneous ground-target count to six.
8AGM
Can lock onto as many as eight ground targets during the same attack.
GPB
Guided penetrator bomb intended for accurate attacks against hardened ground targets.
LACM
Long-range cruise missile with a substantial blast area around the impact point.
LAGM
Long-range air-to-ground missile used to attack surface targets from greater distance.
LASM
Long-range anti-ship missile designed primarily for naval targets.
RKT
Fires an unguided rocket barrage ahead of the aircraft.
SFFS
Unguided bomb that disperses multiple submunitions over an area.
SOD
Stand-off weapon that travels across the target area while releasing a line of submunitions.
UGB
Conventional unguided bomb with area damage around the point of impact.
UGBL
Larger unguided bomb with greater explosive power and blast radius.
XSDB
Precision-guided small-diameter bomb capable of engaging multiple surface targets.
The differences are especially noticeable during mission replays. Players have used the F-35C's LACM to make Mission 7's underground target easier to attack, LASM for long-range strikes against the Mission 19 Land Battleship, and SOD to clear Mission 27 platforms quickly.
SOD has also developed a strong reputation for general ground clearing, while SFFS can cover a large area and deal substantial damage to large targets when its submunitions are placed correctly.
Support and Experimental Special Weapons
A smaller group of Ace Combat 8 special weapons falls outside the normal missile-and-bomb categories, including electronic-warfare systems, additional guns and experimental late-game technology.
ECM
Electronic countermeasure system that interferes with enemy targeting.
ESM
Electronic support system that improves allied targeting and missile effectiveness within its area of influence.
IEWS
Integrated electronic-warfare system combining offensive disruption and allied support functions.
MGP
Additional machine-gun pods that provide sustained close-range fire against aircraft and surface targets.
EMLB
Experimental electromagnetic weapon available on the X-40 Nightmare.
UAVT
Deploys small UAVs equipped with laser weapons capable of attacking air and ground targets.
MGP can be particularly effective against Ace Combat 8's large airborne targets. Players replaying Mission 11 have reported using the MiG-21bis gun pods against Podarges while keeping another air-to-air special weapon available for Shadow Squadron.
Ace Combat 8 Guns and Cannons
Every combat aircraft also carries a built-in gun, although the actual cannon represented depends on the aircraft. These include weapons such as the M61 Vulcan family on several American fighters, the GAU-8/A Avenger on the A-10C, the GAU-22/A on the F-35C, the GIAT 30M 791 on the Rafale M and multiple GSh-series cannons on Russian and Soviet aircraft.
The cannon is determined by the aircraft rather than selected independently in the hangar, with the game presenting it through the standard GUN weapon slot.
Guns are also useful beyond situations where you simply run out of missiles. Large aircraft and slower targets can remain in the firing window long enough for sustained cannon fire to deal substantial damage, and players have found the gun considerably more practical during normal combat than treating it purely as a backup weapon would suggest.
Are Special Weapons Tied to Specific Aircraft?
Yes. Special weapons belong to individual aircraft selections rather than becoming universally available once purchased.
For example, one aircraft may offer QAAM, SOD and another missile as its three SP options, while another may instead provide LACM, AGM weapons and an air-to-air missile. Unlocking the aircraft therefore matters just as much as unlocking the weapon itself.
The Ace Combat 8 Aircraft Tree guide covers the Campaign unlock paths if you are working toward a plane because of the weapons attached to its branch.
Can You Upgrade Weapons in Ace Combat 8?
Yes. ARMS parts can modify different aspects of the standard missile, gun and special-weapon systems, including properties such as damage, reload time, range, homing performance, ammunition capacity and explosive effectiveness.
This means the same SP weapon can perform differently depending on the parts installed on the aircraft. A missile built around tracking can be reinforced with guidance upgrades, while bombs and other area weapons can benefit from upgrades affecting their damage or blast characteristics.
The Ace Combat 8 parts guide covers the BODY, ARMS and MISC systems in more detail.
What Are the Super Weapons in Ace Combat 8?
Super weapons are not the same thing as the Special Weapons equipped on your aircraft.
SP weapons are player equipment such as QAAM, 6AAM, SOD, LACM and LASM. In Ace Combat terminology, superweapons are the enormous enemy weapons, vehicles and military systems that appear as major encounters throughout the series.
Ace Combat 8 continues that distinction with large-scale enemy threats during the Campaign, while ACE COMBAT ONLINE can also feature Emergency Sorties built around superweapon-class opponents.
If you are looking for the missiles, bombs and other weapons that can actually be equipped on your aircraft, those are the Special Weapons listed above rather than superweapons.
Does Ace Combat 8 Have Top Gun Weapons?
Ace Combat 8 does not have a separate category of Top Gun weapons. Aircraft such as the F/A-18E Super Hornet may be strongly associated with modern carrier aviation and Top Gun, but they still use Ace Combat 8's normal gun, missile and SP weapon systems.
There is no separate Top Gun missile, cannon or special-weapon mechanic in Wings of Theve.
Is Top Gun: Maverick in Ace Combat 8?
There is currently no announced Top Gun: Maverick collaboration for Ace Combat 8.
The association largely comes from Ace Combat 7, which received an official Top Gun: Maverick Aircraft Set featuring movie-inspired aircraft and cosmetics. That DLC belongs to Ace Combat 7 and should not be confused with Ace Combat 8's native aircraft or weapon roster.
How to Choose Special Weapons Before a Mission
Ace Combat 8's mission briefing gives you an indication of the type of combat ahead, and that information should guide both the aircraft and special weapons selected before the sortie.
Multi-target missiles such as 4AAM and 6AAM are designed around groups of airborne enemies, while QAAM and SASM focus more heavily on individual evasive aircraft. Multi-target AGM weapons are useful against dispersed surface units, LASM specializes in ships, and weapons such as SOD, SFFS and LACM can exploit groups of targets or large enemies with multiple nearby components.
The second special-weapon slot then gives you a choice between versatility and ammunition. Mixed missions benefit from carrying weapons that cover different target types, while sorties dominated by one kind of enemy can justify leaving the second slot empty and giving the first weapon the larger hardpoint allocation.
