In this episode of Know Your Plane we feature one the most famous original aircraft of the
Ace Combat series: the CFA-44 Nosferatu, a jet fighter that made its first appearance
in Ace Combat 6, released exclusively the Xbox 360 in 2007.
The Nosferatu is a fast and agile carrier capable stealth aircraft that packs some serious
weaponry including all direction multi-purpose missiles and electromagnetic launchers - furthermore
its advanced electronic systems also allow the craft to control several UAVs simultaneously.
Since its creation, the Nosferatu has appeared in two more Ace Combat games: Ace Combat Assault
Horizon, which was released on the consoles in 2011 and on Steam two years after, featured
the Nosferatu as a playable aircraft via DLC on the consoles and the aircraft came included
by default in the standard PC version.
The CFA-44 was only a minor addition in Assault Horizon, but in the subsequent release of
Ace Combat Infinity the Nosferatu became extremely important to the story of the game as it was
piloted by the main antagonist - the Butterfly Master.
Apart from the Ace Combat games, the Nosferatu has been also featured on the Ace Combat novel
Ikaros in the Sky, on the ASF-X Masterfile and even on the arcade game Mach Storm as
we will talk further along in the video together with the specifications, variants, trivia,
and most importantly - the history of Nosferatu - an aircraft that spans across several Ace
Combat universes.
In the Strangereal universe, the Nosferatu was developed by the Federal Republic of Estovakia
prior to the Emmerian-Estovakian war and with the end of the conflict it is suggested that
Emmeria also got its hands on the aircraft.
In the Assault Horizon universe, the Nosferatu had been developed by the Soviet Union in
the early 1980s and it is quite possible that several other nations began to operate it
after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Meanwhile, in the Infinity universe it is believed that the Nosferatu still had been
developed by the Soviet Union, however in later years information on its design fell
to both the Usean Federation and the United Nations Forces.
Design
The CFA-44’s design consists of a delta wing configuration with slats, outer-canted
tails, canards and paddles that direct the exhaust gases, thus giving the Nosferatu thrust
vectoring capabilities which makes the aircraft extremely unstable and agile.
Perhaps even more unique than its surface controls are the placement of the weapons
bays that hold the special weapons.
The Nosferatu has three of them, one in the ventral section of the aircraft between the
two air intakes and two weapons bays on the upper part of the fuselage.
These weapons bays actually protrude out of the aircraft and once that happens it is possible
to see the ADMM holders, electromagnetic launchers and ECM pods.
As for the standard missiles, there are actually two hardpoints under each wing but in the
games only 1 hardpoint under each wing is used, to complete its armament the two cannons of
the Nosferatu are placed on the wing roots and remain hidden until the gun is activated.
Given that the aircraft was meant to be operated from aircraft carriers, an arrestor hook is
included and its wingtips can be folded to save deck space.
It is because of its compatibility with aircraft carriers that some fans have associated its
name with Carrier Fighter Attacker number 44, although this name has never been used
officially in the Ace Combat series.
Because of the unique design of the weapons bays that I’ve mentioned earlier, the air
intake design had to be adjusted accordingly in other to prioritize offensive capabilities
instead of flight performance.
This complex air intake system, coupled with the weapons bays’ mechanisms, arrestor hook
and strengthened landing gear for carrier operation added a lot of weight and this seriously
deteriorated the stability of the aircraft.
Furthermore, because the aircraft was already so heavy, it wasn’t possible to add external
fuel tanks and the range of the Nosferatu ended up being relatively short.
To compensate this, the Nosferatu was fitted with an air refueling probe that is kept hidden
inside the left portion of the fuselage when it is not being used.
As far as radar detection goes, the Nosferatu is considered a light-to-moderate stealth
aircraft.
The airframe was mainly built with light alloy and carbon materials capable of absorbing
electromagnetic waves.
But not everything is perfect, the gap between air intakes and the fuselage coupled with
the standard missiles being carried externally reduces the stealth capabilities of the Nosferatu,
that goes to show that its offensive capabilities even had priority over its detection enemy forces.
As for its interior, the cockpit of the CFA-44 gives its pilot excellent visibility and the
interface is completely digital with several multi-function displays.
All what I’ve said so far applies to CFA-44 in general, but is important to clarify that
there are different variants of the aircraft.
Variants
At first we have the CFA-44 Nosferatu known
as the Fandance ‘A’.
This is the standard version of the aircraft that is playable in Ace Combat 6, Assault
Horizon, Infinity and Mach Storm.
It is also mentioned in both Ikaros in the Sky and the ASF-X Masterfile.
In case you are wondering, the name “Fandance” refers to NATO’s reporting callsign for
the Nosferatu in the Assault Horizon universe and we will go into further detail in the
upcoming lore section of the video.
The next aircraft is the CFA-44 Nosferatu Fandance ‘B’.
Both the wings and canards of this aircraft are slightly longer and are placed higher
on the fuselage, additionally the gun compartment on the right side of the aircraft is exposed.
This aircraft is only mentioned in the ASF-X master file and unfortunately there are no
pictures available.
The next variant is the QFA-44 Camilla, a modified and remotely piloted version of the
Nosferatu that appears exclusively in Ace Combat Infinity.
This drone is controlled from extremely long range via satellite links however it can only
be piloted for a short period of time.
Specifications
This time let’s compare the standard Nosferatu, the Fandance ‘A’ variant, with a Sukhoi-33
since both are Soviet aircraft capable of operating from aircraft carriers.
Overall the Nosferatu is slightly smaller than the Sukhoi 33 with a length of 20.4 meters,
a wingspan of 12.4 metres and a height of almost 4 metres.
From the size comparison we can infer that the Nosferatu is lighter than the Sukhoi even
though its weight hasn't been published, and more interestingly its engines are more powerful.
The Nosferatu has two unspecified Saturn engines that provide the aircraft with a dry thrust
of 90 kilonewtons per engine, meanwhile the engines on the Sukhoi are rated at 74.5 kilonewtons
each - from this we can assume that the top speed of the Nosferatu is superior.
As for armament, the CFA-44 has two 30mm Gryazev-Shipunov 301 autocannons while the Sukhoi 33 has only one.
Besides the standard missiles, the Nosferatu can carry the following three special weapons:
the All Direction Multi Purpose Missiles, Electromagnetic Launchers and Electronic Countermeasures.
The standard Nosferatu in Ace Combat can fire 18 salvos of ADMM, each consisting of 12 fast
and powerful missiles that can target up to 12 air or ground targets simultaneously.
One drawback of this system is that it takes a long time to reload and it was nerfed in
Ace Combat Assault Horizon and Ace Combat Infinity.
The next weapon are the electromagnetic launchers mounted on each side of the aircraft, the
EMLs are basically mini-railguns mounted on the aircraft for long-range engagements and
whereas it took a long time for the ADMMs to recharge, the firing and recharge time
of the EML is almost instantaneous.
Lastly, the Nosferatu can be equipped with electronic countermeasures that can neutralize
incoming enemy missiles.
Lore
In the Strangereal universe, the CFA-44 Nosferatu
was developed by the Federal Republic of Estovakia sometime during the first decade of the 21st century.
Based on the markings of the prototype, the CFA-44 was developed for the Estovakian Navy
to be used together in tandem with the Estovakian Aerial Fleet - more specifically the Nosferatu
was meant to be operated from the P-1112 Aigaion flying aircraft carrier where it would replace
the Sukhoi 33.
However, unlike the Estovakian Aerial Fleet, the CFA-44 program did not come to fruition.
Only one Nosferatu was built and the aircraft was used as a test platform for new weapons
including the ADMMs and EMLs.
As the tide of the Emmeria-Estovakia war turned against Estovakia, Lieutenant Commander Ilya
Pasternak, one of the most experienced pilots within the Estovakian Air Force, was assigned
the mission to shoot down the Emmerian ace Garuda 1 in an effort to halt the Emmerian counterattack.
For this mission he took control of the sole CFA-44 Nosferatu aircraft which was further
modified for an increase in speed, maneuverability and had the addition of a control system which
could operate several UAV-45 drones known as the Malebolge or Malgebolg.
In the fight between Garuda and Pasternak, the Nosferatu is shot down and explodes in
mid-air, killing Pasternak and most likely leaving no traces of the Nosferatu.
By the end of the Emmerian-Estovakian war, one could argue that Emmeria got its hands
on the CFA-44 and its technology but there is no confirmation of this.
Interestingly, the history of the Nosferatu in the Assault Horizon universe was greatly
expanded in the ASF-X Master file even though the Nosferatu was a DLC aircraft that came
long after the release of the game.
The CFA-44 was developed by the Soviet Union between the late 1970s and early 1980s.
It is confirmed that production of the aircraft took place in the Romanian county of Constanța
by an unknown manufacturer, however there is possibility the plane was manufactured
in other locations in the Soviet Union or in other countries of the Eastern Bloc.
NATO only became aware of the Nosferatu’s existence in the early 1980s when the aircraft
was sighted by satellites over the Romanian coast by the Black Sea.
The unique shape of the Nosferatu was met with disbelief by intelligence officers amongst
the western nations because it was very different from contemporary designs operated by the
communist air forces.
Upon further examination of satellite imagery, units of the CFA-44 were found to be operating
from air bases in both Romania and the Ukraine.
Better imagery gave western intelligence officers a better visual on the Nosferatu and at the
time it was believed that the aircraft was a new model from either Mikoyan-Gurevich or
Sukhoi - but the origin of the Nosferatu was never found.
NATO’s Air Standardization Coordinating Committee gave the “Fandance” designation
for the CFA-44 while the United States Department of Defense called the aircraft “Uni-D”
or “Unidentified Delta”.
With the mass production of the new Soviet fighters in the early 1980s, namely the MiG-29
and the Sukhoi 27, the Nosferatu is said to have disappeared from Western eyes.
However that is not say the CFA-44 didn’t get to see any action, but merely received
less attention.
As a response to the reveal of the F-117 Nighthawk by the US military in 1988, the Soviets and
then the Russians, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, deployed the Nosferatu
in both the Middle East and Africa.
The ASF-X masterfile doesn’t mention the specific conflicts in which the Nosferatu
had been deployed but some possibilities include the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan that ended
in 1989, the first and second Chechen Wars and other conflicts in which Russia could
have sent military assistance -and since is a fictional universe there are many possibilities.
In one of these conflicts, one Nosferatu had a mechanical failure and ended up crashing
in a certain African country.
The pilot died in the crash and because this certain African country was in the western
sphere of influence the NATO powers were able to examine the wreckage.
They were able to get a considerable amount of information on the engines, weaponry and
avionics but because the cockpit had a self-destruct device meant to destroy to the cockpit they
were not able to make a complete study of the aircraft.
It is important to mention that with the Romanian Revolution of 1989 and the dissolution of
the Soviet Union in 1991, a considerable amount of information regarding military equipment
fell into the black market, and it is a possibility that other nations have got their hands on
the design and technology of the Nosferatu - an enormous threat that can challenge the
superiority of the NATO countries.
With the dawn of the new millenium and more specifically on the year of 2002, two CFA-44
Nosferatu aircraft units of unknown origin performed unauthorized flights over the Japanese
islands of Hokkaido and Kyushu.
This intrusion of advanced aircraft over Japanese air space only a year after the September
11 attacks coupled with the inability of the Japanese Air Self-Defense Force to intercept
them pushed Japan to develop its own next-generation fighter, the ASF-X Shinden II.
Years later, in 2016, there were further engagements between CFA-44s and Shindens.
These events are described in the Ace Combat novel Ikaros in the Sky, were the two main
characters, Kei Nagase and Wataru Asano, entered in combat with the unknown Nosferatus.
The translation of the Ace Combat novel is still ongoing by the time I’m making this
video, but once I get more details on the events I will post a comment covering the
story so please check for a pinned comment after you watch the video.
In the Infinity timeline it is assumed that the Nosferatu had been developed by either
the Soviet Union or Russia just like in the Assault Horizon universe.
But with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and the subsequent Ulysses disaster, the CFA-44
Nosferatu technology was leaked to the black market and eventually it found its way to
the United Nation Forces, Wernher and Noah Enterprises and lastly the Usean Federation.
Wernher and Noah used the CFA-44 as the basis for the Papillon Project were the Nosferatu
was modified to become the QFA-44, a drone remotely operated by the Butterfly Master
from a Wernher and Noah Satellite.
The QFA-44 could be operated from the Moby Dick aircraft carrier and was capable of controlling
smaller UAVs, more specifically the MQ-90L Quox bis, a modified version of the Quox fitted
with laser pods.
The QFA-44 piloted by the Butterfly Master was shot down at least twice during the engagements
between the United Nations Forces and the Usean Federation, but it is very likely that
the latter was able to mass produce the aircraft.
Unfortunately there is no more information available on the Nosferatu in the Infinity
universe since the story mode was left unfinished.
Trivia In addition to the variants of the Nosferatu
that I’ve mentioned previously, it is worth pointing out that the following aircraft were
added to Ace Combat 6 as DLCs: the Nosferatu Prototype, the Nosferatu Aces and the Nosferatu Razgriz.
All of them have slightly different performance stats with the prototype being the least powerful of them.
Interestingly, the paint scheme of the prototype aircraft shows that the Nosferatu was a test
aircraft that belonged to the Estovakian Navy and the tail code “AI” implies that the
Nosferatu was to be operated from the Aigaion heavy command cruiser.
A slightly modified version of this paint scheme is also used on the QFA-44 aircraft
flown by the Butterfly Master in Ace Combat Infinity.
In addition, another Nosferatu has been added called -Strigon Leader-, featuring the paint
scheme of Ilya Pasternak from Ace Combat 6.
The origins of the name Nosferatu are hard to find, however the name become very popular
in the early 20th century as a synonym for “vampire” with the release of the 1922
German silent film called “Nosferatu” which was inspired by the legend of Count Dracula
Since the legend of Dracula takes place in Romania it is no surprise that Project Aces
decided to make this a reference when they said the Nosferatu aircraft were produced
in Romania in the Assault Horizon universe.
Lastly, I should also mention that the Nosferatu is the only playable aircraft in Bandai Namco’s
arcade game Mach Storm and that it appears frequently as an easter egg in other games
such as Tekken 6 and Tekken 7.
This concludes the lore on the CFA-44 Nosferatu also known as Fandance which appears in Ace
Combat 6, Assault Horizon, Infinity, two Ace Combat books and on even other games from
Bandai Namco - making this one of the most popular original aircraft of the Ace Combat series.
If you enjoyed this video please be sure to leave a like, subscribe and I’ll see you
guys next time!