Quick answer
In ACE COMBAT 8, special weapons belong to the plane. Each plane on the community wiki has a set of three, and you buy the extra ones with MRP on the Aircraft Tree.[1] Bandai Namco says to choose your aircraft and special weapon for each mission, using the mission briefing to decide.[2]
As of October 2, 2026, the wiki lists special weapons for 21 of the 34 playable planes. Across those 21, there are 28 different special weapons. The most common is the 4AAM, on 6 planes.[1]
Quick picks from the guides:
- Lots of enemy aircraft: a multi-lock missile such as the 4AAM or 6AAM.[3]
- Packed ground targets, AA or ships: area weapons such as FAEB, SFFS or UGB.[4]
- A bit of everything: the X-40's UAVT hits both air and ground targets, but you do not get much ammo for it.[5]
Which planes carry each special weapon
| Weapon | Full name (wiki) | Group (ours) | Planes that carry it, with MRP unlock price | Planes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2AAM | 2 Target Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air, multi-lock | F-16C (first listed); EA-18G (35,000) | 2 |
| 4AAM | 4 Target Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air, multi-lock | F/A-18C (first listed); F-15C (first listed); Typhoon (first listed); Mirage 2000-5 (13,000); F/A-18F (24,000); EA-36 (no price listed) | 6 |
| 6AAM | 6 Target Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air, multi-lock | F/A-18E (first listed) | 1 |
| QAAM | Quick Maneuver Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air | Su-33 (first listed); F-16C (18,000); F/A-18E (24,000); X-40 (no price listed) | 4 |
| HCAA | High-Capacity Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air | MiG-29A (first listed); F-15C (24,000); F-15E (35,000) | 3 |
| HPAA | High-Power Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air | FA-36 (first listed); MiG-29A (no price listed) | 2 |
| HVAA | Hyper-Velocity Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air | F-14A (first listed); F-2A (no price listed); Su-33 (no price listed) | 3 |
| LAAM | Long-Range Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air | F-14D (first listed); Gripen E (24,000); Typhoon (no price listed) | 3 |
| SAAM | Semi-Active Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air | F-14D (9,000); F-14A (no price listed) | 2 |
| SASM | Short-Range Aerial Suppression Air-to-Air Missile | Air-to-air | Gripen E (first listed); F-15C (24,000); FA-36 (no price listed) | 3 |
| 4AGM | 4 Target Air-to-Ground Missile | Air-to-ground missile | A-10C (first listed) | 1 |
| 6AGM | 6 Target Air-to-Ground Missile | Air-to-ground missile | Gripen E (24,000) | 1 |
| 8AGM | 8 Target Air-to-Ground Missile | Air-to-ground missile | Typhoon (no price listed) | 1 |
| LAGM | Long-Range Air-to-Ground Missile | Air-to-ground missile | EA-6B (9,000); F-16C (18,000); MiG-29A (no price listed) | 3 |
| UGB | Unguided Bomb | Bomb or dispenser | Mirage 2000-5 (first listed); F/A-18C (2,500); A-10C (18,000); F-14A (no price listed); F-2A (no price listed) | 5 |
| GPB | Guided Penetration Bomb | Bomb or dispenser | F-14D (9,000); F/A-18F (24,000) | 2 |
| XSDB | Advanced Small Diameter Bomb | Bomb or dispenser | F-15E (first listed); EA-36 (no price listed) | 2 |
| SFFS | Self-Forging Fragments Submunitions | Bomb or dispenser | F-15E (35,000) | 1 |
| SOD | Stand-Off Dispenser | Bomb or dispenser | F/A-18E (24,000); FA-36 (no price listed) | 2 |
| LASM | Long-Range Air-to-Ship Missile | Anti-ship | F/A-18F (first listed); F-2A (first listed); F/A-18C (3,000); Mirage 2000-5 (13,000) | 4 |
| ECM | Electronic Countermeasure | Electronic warfare | EA-6B (first listed); EA-18G (35,000) | 2 |
| ESM | Electronic Support Measure | Electronic warfare | EA-18G (first listed); EA-6B (9,000) | 2 |
| IEWS | Integrated Electronic Warfare System | Electronic warfare | EA-36 (first listed); ADFX-02 Morgan (no price listed) | 2 |
| UAVT | Laser Turret UAV | Other | X-40 (first listed) | 1 |
| EMLB | Electromagnetic Launcher (Burst) | Other | X-40 (no price listed) | 1 |
| TLS | Tactical Laser System | Other | ADFX-02 Morgan (first listed) | 1 |
| MPBM | Multi-Purpose Burst Missile | Other | ADFX-02 Morgan (no price listed) | 1 |
| RKT | Rocket Launcher | Other | Su-33 (no price listed); A-10C (18,000) | 2 |
How we built this table: The wiki lists weapons plane by plane. We took the Ace Combat 8 weapons list from each of the 34 playable aircraft pages, checked on October 2, 2026, and turned it around so each row is one weapon.[1] The full names are the wiki's names. The "Group" column is our own sorting based on those names. We put a weapon under "Other" when its name does not say what it hits.
How to read the prices:
- A number is the MRP price the wiki gives to unlock that weapon for that plane.[1]
- "First listed" means it is the first special weapon on the plane's wiki list, which never has a price. On the planes with prices, the other two weapons cost MRP. That points to the first one coming with the plane, but the wiki does not say so in words.
- "No price listed" means the wiki gives no price yet. It does not mean the weapon is free.
Not in the table: the wiki has no Ace Combat 8 weapon list yet for 13 planes. They are the A-6E, F-4E, F-15J, F-22A, F-35C, MiG-21bis, MiG-31B, Rafale M, Su-25SM, Su-34, Su-35S, Su-47 and Su-57.[1] For two of them, Power Up Gaming gives a partial list. It shows the F-22A with "SP QAAM (free)" plus 4AAM and XSDB at 55k MRP. It shows the F-35C with "SP LACM (free)" plus HCAA and 8AGM.[4] The LACM, and the FAEB that Power Up Gaming recommends, are not on any plane's wiki list yet.
Which special weapon for which job
| Job | Weapon the guide picks | Who says so |
|---|---|---|
| Missions full of enemy aircraft (for example Mission 28) | A multi-lock weapon such as the 4AAM or 6AAM, to clear groups quickly | KeenGamer[3] |
| Dogfights and air superiority | QAAM as the high-performance guided pick, 4AAM or HCAA for several targets at once, HVAA or LAAM for range | Power Up Gaming[4] |
| Dense tanks, AA and ships | FAEB, SFFS or UGB, which hit an area | Power Up Gaming[4] |
| Other ground attack | GPB, 8AGM, LACM | Power Up Gaming[4] |
| Most missions on Ace S-rank runs | The X-40 with UAVT, which works on air and ground targets. Watch the limited ammo | PowerPyx[5] |
| Clusters of ground targets | A plane with area-of-effect air-to-ground weapons instead of the UAVT | PowerPyx[5] |
| Huge numbers of ground targets (PowerPyx's Mission 07 route) | FA-36 with SOD. It does not lock onto planes, even parked ones, but its blast can still catch them | PowerPyx[5] |
| Four bombers arriving together (PowerPyx's Mission 02 route) | One UAVT launch to take out all four A-6Es at once | PowerPyx[5] |
Our calculation: how common each weapon is
From the 21 planes with a wiki weapons list (3 special weapons each, so 63 slots):[1]
- 28 different weapons fill those 63 slots.
- Most common: 4AAM (6 planes), UGB (5), LASM and QAAM (4 each).
- 9 weapons are on just one plane so far: 6AAM, 4AGM, 6AGM, 8AGM, SFFS, UAVT, EMLB, TLS and MPBM. To use one of those, you need that exact plane.
- Unlock prices are 10% of the plane's price. Our aircraft tree page spotted this pattern, and we rechecked it on October 2: it holds for all 11 planes with both prices (for example, Mirage 2000-5: 130,000 MRP, its weapons 13,000 MRP).[1] Power Up Gaming's 55k MRP for the F-22A's extra weapons would fit that pattern for a 550,000 MRP plane. Power Up Gaming also says the best endgame planes cost 550,000 MRP.[4] The F-22A's own price is not confirmed, so this is a pattern, not a fact.
Where to buy them and how to equip them
- Buy on the Aircraft Tree with MRP. On the wiki's colour key, blue nodes are air-to-air weapons, red are air-to-ground, green are electronic warfare, and grey are multi-purpose weapons.[6]
- Read the briefing first. Bandai Namco says the briefing gives you the information you need to choose a loadout.[2]
- Use Free Mission to swap freely. In Free Mission you pick any owned plane and set its parts and special weapon for each sortie. Your Aircraft Tree purchases carry over to Free Mission and new campaign runs.[3]
- One exception: Mission 14 always puts you in an unarmed A-6 Intruder, even in Free Mission.[3]
Which planes to buy first: best planes. Earning the MRP: MRP farm.
Source conflict: does the F/A-18F carry the 6AAM?
- Bandai Namco's game overview has an image whose caption describes a special weapons menu with an "F/A-18F loadout and 6AAM missiles".[2]
- The community wiki lists the F/A-18F with LASM, 4AAM and GPB. It puts the 6AAM on the F/A-18E instead.[1]
We cannot tell from these sources which is right for the release version. The image was published before launch.
Not confirmed yet
- Damage, range, lock-on and reload numbers for any special weapon
- Prices for the weapons marked "no price listed", and weapon lists for the 13 planes above
- Which plane carries the FAEB
Sources & References
- Ace Combat Wiki (wiki.gg): Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve/Aircraft, plus the linked page for each aircraft (Ace Combat 8 "Weapons" sections, checked Oct 2, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
- Bandai Namco Entertainment: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE Game Overview ↩ 1, 2, 3
- KeenGamer: ACE COMBAT 8: WINGS OF THEVE – All Missions List (Rafly Wibowo, Sep 29, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4
- Power Up Gaming: Ace Combat 8: Wings of Theve — Best Loadouts & MRP Paths (Serhii Patskan, Sep 30, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
- PowerPyx: Ace Combat 8 All Ace S-Ranks Walkthrough (Oct 1, 2026) ↩ 1, 2, 3, 4, 5
- Ace Combat Wiki (wiki.gg): Aircraft Tree ↩
