Ace Combat 8 Tips: How to PSM Below 500 km/h, Wingman Commands and Dodging Missiles

Quick answer

• Post-stall maneuver (PSM): PowerPyx's method is to slow below 500 km/h in a PSM-capable plane. Let the throttle go, then hold L2 + R2 and pull the left stick hard back. When the nose lifts, release both and hold R2 to power out.^[1] Not every plane can do it, and the sources list different planes (table below). Bandai Namco has not published a list.
• Wingman orders sit on the D-pad: Up focuses fire on your target, Left lets them pick their own targets, Down makes them cover you, and Right toggles their special weapons.^[2]
• Dodging missiles: Bandai Namco names high-G turns and chaff/flares as the tools.^[3][4] On PS5, a high-G turn is R2 and L2 held together.^[5]

How to do a PSM: the prerequisite chain

All steps come from PowerPyx's trophy guide, using PS5 button names.^[1]

1. Fly a PSM-capable plane. See the table in the next section.
2. Slow below 500 km/h.
3. Release the throttle. The plane starts speeding back up toward cruising speed.
4. Before you pass 500 km/h again, hold L2 and R2 together and pull the left stick hard back. PowerPyx says a PSM works much like a high-G turn, but at much lower speed.
5. Kulbit (full loop): when the nose starts to lift, release L2 and R2, then hold R2 to throttle up. Keep the stick back until you are level again.
6. Cobra (shorter version): same start. When the nose lifts, release both triggers, hold R2, and push the left stick forward until you are level.

For the trophy: Like the Wind needs a PSM in campaign mode. PowerPyx says Free Flight does not count.^[1] Only 8.5% of Steam players had it on launch morning (Oct 2, 2026, 10:30 Beijing time).^[6] All achievements: achievements and trophies.

Where to practise: GamingAlly's Aras Çelik says clearing the first five campaign missions unlocks new modes, including training. He suggests Free Flight for practising maneuvers with no enemies around.^[7] PowerPyx says Training can be picked from any mission menu.^[1]

We have not seen official keyboard, mouse or Xbox inputs for a PSM, and no source we trust gives an exact timing window.

Which planes can PSM? The sources disagree

How to read this: the five planes both guides agree on are the safest bets: F-22A, F-35C, MiG-29A, Su-33 and Su-47. PowerPyx calls its seven "verified as capable of post-stall maneuvers".^[1] GamingAlly's list is longer. Four of its entries (Su-30M2, Su-30SM, Su-37, X-02S) are not on Bandai Namco's official aircraft page as of October 2.^[8] That page also leaves out the FA-36 and X-40, which are in the game as post-campaign planes (X-40 Nightmare), so missing from that page does not prove a plane is missing from the game. We have not tested any of these planes ourselves. Unlock costs are on aircraft tree unlocks.

Wingman commands: what each D-pad button does

Serhii Patskan of Power Up Gaming lays out the four orders.^[2] The in-game names come from the Steam achievement Yes, Sir!, which calls them Forward Atk, Dispersed Atk and Cover.^[6]

PlayStation Blog's hands-on describes the same four directional orders.^[5]

Patskan's usage pattern:^[2]

• Open most fights on Cover. Switch to Attack when you lock a high-priority target.
• Use Disperse when you are surrounded or clearing big mixed groups.
• Turn special weapons on only against large ships, superweapons or dense ground groups, then turn them off to save ammo.

What you can and cannot set: wingmen fly planes you own from the Aircraft Tree. Their special weapons come with the plane you give them, and you cannot customise their loadouts the way you do your own.^[2] PowerPyx suggests buying extra copies of good planes so your wingmen fly better aircraft.^[1] Patskan says the order system becomes available once you take command of Joker Flight early in the story.^[2]

Achievement shortcut: press Down, then Left, then Up on one easy target, with Right switched on. When a wingman gets the kill, PowerPyx says that unlocks both Yes, Sir! and All Weapons Free.^[1]

Dodging missiles

• High-G turns: Bandai Namco lists them as a defensive move against incoming missiles.^[3] On PS5: R2 accelerates, L2 brakes, and holding both does a high-G turn.^[5]
• Chaff and flares: Bandai Namco's walkthrough tells you to use them against incoming missiles.^[4] Wingmen on Cover also fire them for you.^[2]
• Barrel rolls (Expert controls): GamingAlly says a barrel roll alone can dodge missiles without using chaff or flares. It is only available with Expert controls, which separate roll from pitch.^[7] This is one writer's claim, and we have no timing figures for it.

PS5 controls confirmed so far

From PlayStation Blog's hands-on report (Phil Hornshaw):^[5]

Flight sticks are covered on HOTAS support.

Things the game does not spell out

• You never run fully dry. After about 30 seconds with zero standard missiles, you get 2 more.^[1]
• Save mission targets for last. PowerPyx says that once the last TGT is destroyed, you soon lose the chance to score more points. Clear other enemies first.^[1] More scoring rules: S rank requirements.
• Redder blips pay more. On radar, white targets are low value. The redder the blip, the more points it is worth, and named Aces are deep red. Aircraft are usually worth more than ground targets.^[1]
• Dotted markers mean something. A dotted target box means you have no line of sight. A dotted missile diamond means your missiles are still reloading.^[1]
• Watch the throttle floor. PowerPyx's rule of thumb: around a quarter throttle is safe, and lower risks a stall.^[1]
• Blue chevrons are a pit stop. On some maps, crossing the Return Line (a row of blue chevrons) lets you land, repair and rearm.^[1]
• Kill CIWS first. On ships and land battleships, take out the close-in defence turrets before attacking other parts.^[1]
• Escort damage ripples: one ripple from an escort target on radar means minor damage, two means major, three means critical.^[1]
• Look outside the HUD. Contrails, black smoke and reflections can give away enemy aircraft.^[9]
• Hit giants anywhere. You can damage huge superweapons outside their marked target zones. Wrecks can set off chain reactions that destroy nearby enemies.^[3]
• Test planes in Free Mission. After the campaign you can fly any plane you own there and set its parts and weapons for each mission.^[1] See best planes.

Not confirmed yet

• An official list of PSM-capable planes, or official PSM inputs for Xbox and keyboard/mouse.
• Exact timing windows for dodging missiles with chaff, flares or high-G turns.
• Gun range or gun damage figures.