Strigon Team

Strigon Team

Part Of

Eastern Faction
Estovakian Air Force

Designation

Central Forces Precinct
370th Aviation Regiment
9th Tactical Fighter Squadron

Leader(s)

Victor Voychek
Ilya Pasternak †

Members

Toscha Mijasik
Karlo Bogdanovic
Darijo Kovac
Cvitko Dudic †
Federiko Jarni
Franz Leko
Nino Ljubek
Aleksei Cheshenko
Yaroslav Deryagin †
Stepan Feigin
Klaus
Chico
Milos
Various other members

Equipment

Su-33 Flanker-D
Su-33 -Strigon-
CFA-44 Nosferatu
CFA-44 -Strigon Leader-

Deployment

Estovakian Civil War
Emmeria-Estovakia War

"A reaper's emblem! Those are the aces who attacked Gracemeria!"

― Marcus Lampert

Strigon Team, officially the 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron, and later known as the Chandelier Defense Team, was an elite squadron comprised of Estovakian aces.

The squadron was known to have been deployed during both the Estovakian Civil War and the Emmeria-Estovakia War.

Etymology

The "Strigon" name is derived from the strigoi, undead vampiric beings from Romanian mythology, which is reflected in their choice of colors. The hooded figure in their emblem led them to gain a reputation as "Reapers".

History

Estovakian Civil War

Part of the 370th Aviation Regiment of the Estovakian Air Force's Central Forces Precinct, the Strigon Team was an elite air unit formed by the Eastern Faction during the Estovakian Civil War, along with the Vampire Team, with Victor Voychek as its leader. His formation included Ilya Pasternak as his second in command, along with Karlo Bogdanovic and Cvitko Dudic. Despite being created after its inception, the Vampire Team soon overshadowed Strigon in prominence, leading it to struggle with a small pilot roster.

As the war progressed, the unit increased in size with Vampire transfers and exceptional rookies, as did its fame. The skill of the squadron's pilots was a major asset of the Eastern Faction.

On January 15, 2013, under the command of General Lyes, the Lyes United Front launched a large offensive against the Eastern Faction. However, with Strigon and Vampire squadrons deployed alongside the P-1112 Aigaion and prototype CFA-44 Nosferatus, they were beaten back. On October 29, in a battle near the Emmerian border, Strigon Team aided in the battle that ended the civil war. By early 2014, the new government had effectively consolidated power.

Emmeria-Estovakia War

"Engage the enemy at will following Nimbus impact. Finish them off."

― Victor Voychek

At the start of the Emmeria-Estovakia War, the Strigon Team was deployed on the P-1112 Aigaion heavy command cruiser in Estovakia's invasion of Gracemeria. Strigon attacked the Emmerian Air Force in conjunction with the Aigaion's Nimbus missile strikes.

Strigon pilots over Gracemeria

While attacking Emmerian fighters in the midst of their retreat from the city, Voychek was shot down by Talisman of the Garuda Team, leaving him with a crippled leg that would put an end to his flight career, causing his wingman Darijo Kovac to temporarily assume the role of Strigon's leader. During the occupation of Gracemeria, Strigon worked with the Aigaion and South Sea Fleet to repel the Emmerian King & Balloon Operations aimed at recapturing the capital.

When the Emmerian military launched their counterattack from Khesed Island, Bogdanovic and a wingman were deployed to assist in the defense of Bartolomeo Fortress at Mount Marcello, but were killed by Garuda as the site was being overrun by ground troops. After the start of operations in western Anea, a similar outcome met Dudic and three other pilots in the siege of Silvat Town.

In February 2016, Kovac and a detachment of other members stationed at the Aigaion over the Fuscum Sea were shot down while attempting to defend the Aerial Fleet from an Emmerian surprise attack. Along with the detachment of Strigon Team, the P-1112 Aigaion and their creator, Lorenz Riedel were also shot down. To compensate for the excessive number of fatalities in the unit and to maintain it as a source of Estovakian morale, Vampire Team was dissolved and its members would be placed into the Strigon Team. During the battle of the Moloch Desert, Nino Ljubek, Franz Leko, and other pilots were killed by the Garuda Team.

Dissolution

"Be joyful. Our generals who brought us out of despair have given us a place to die."

― A Strigon survivor during Emmeria's assault on the Chandelier

During the events of Operation Free Gracemeria, Ilya Pasternak led a flight of several Strigon pilots in a futile effort to defend the city from the Emmerian onslaught. Flying a personalized CFA-44 Nosferatu, Pasternak ordered his wingmen to escape from Gracemeria before committing a suicide attack on the Emmerian forces, giving them a chance to flee. The remaining Strigon members fled to Estovakia, where they collaborated with Gustav Dvornik in his plan to attack Emmeria with the Chandelier railgun. The survivors were briefly stationed at the Razgriz Straits on the Chandelier's internal airfield for the rest of the war.

The Strigon survivors over the Chandelier

On April 1, 2016, the survivors took part in the Chandelier Defensive Operation when Garuda Team and several Emmerian Air Force squadrons attacked the Chandelier in an effort to destroy it. The Chandelier Defense Team was split into two separate squadrons, one led by Aleksei Cheshenko and the other by Yaroslav Deryagin. Many of the remnant's members died or disappeared during the operation, except for Toscha Mijasik, who surrendered to Emmeria.

Postwar

Replica Strigon aircraft on an Osean runway behind the aircraft of Garuda Team

On June 30, 2020, replica Strigon Team aircraft, including a CFA-44 Nosferatu, were showcased on a runway at Redmill Air Force Base alongside the aircraft of Strider, Sol, Mobius, Yellow, Garuda, Avalanche and Galm squadrons at a ceremony commemorating the 25th anniversary of the end of the Belkan War hosted by the Osean Federation.

Pilot roster

1. Victor Voychek (Strigon Leader)
2. Ilya Pasternak (Strigon Leader NEW)
3. Darijo Kovac (Strigon 2/Strigon 1 from the invasion of Gracemeria to the destruction of the Aerial Fleet)
4. Aleksei Cheshenko (Strigon 2 NEW)
5. Karlo Bogdanovic (Strigon 3)
6. Yaroslav Deryagin (Strigon 3 NEW)
7. Cvitko Dudic (Strigon 4)
8. Franz Leko (Strigon 4 NEW)
9. Federiko Jarni (Strigon 5)
10. Nino Ljubek (Strigon 5 NEW)
11. Stepan Feigin (Strigon 10 NEW)
12. Toscha Mijasik (Strigon 12)
13. Klaus (Strigon unknown)
14. Chico (Strigon unknown)
15. Milos (Strigon unknown)

Gallery

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  Emblem

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  Strigon emblem in Ace Combat Infinity

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  Strigon Team over the Fuscum Sea

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  Strigon Team escorting the Aerial Fleet

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  Strigon Team with the Aerial Fleet

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  Strigon Team landing on the P-1112 Aigaion

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  Strigon Team flying over Gracemeria

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  13 Strigon Team members over Gracemeria

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  Strigon Team leaving Gracemeria

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  Another shot of Strigon Team leaving Gracemeria

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  Melissa Herman and Ludmila Tolstaya watching the squadron

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  "Storigon" in Ace Combat: Joint Assault

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  Strigon Team skin in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

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  Ilya Pasternak's CFA-44 livery in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon

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  The Su-33 -Strigon- from Ace Combat Infinity

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  The CFA-44 -Strigon Leader- from Ace Combat Infinity

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  Strigon Team skin in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

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  Ilya Pasternak's CFA-44 livery in Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown

Trivia

• In Ace Combat: Joint Assault, the Su-37 Terminator can use the Strigon livery, as is the team's emblem for all aircraft through the Emblems system. As well, a Terminator ace named "Storigon" appears in the extra mission " Ace of Aces". Their livery also appears as Color 4 of the Su-33 in Ace Combat: Assault Horizon, being available after achieving a certain online score.
  • Noticeably, the description of the color describes the hooded figure in the squadron emblem as a "magician", as opposed to a reaper.
• Stepan Feigin is interesting as the assault record lists him as a replacement for "Strigon 10" even though no "original" Strigon 10 appears on the assault record unlike other original members.
• The serial number on the front of all the Strigon Aircraft is '009', this is because they are part of the 9th Tactical Fighter Squadron and not the serial of 'Strigon 9' as originally thought.
• The Strigon team could be considered a sort of spiritual successor to the Yellow Squadron. Both fly Sukhoi aircraft with canards, both are enemy aces that are part of the story, and both are rivals to the player team; Strigon rivaling 28th Fighter Squadron "Garuda", and Yellow rivaling 118th Tactical Fighter Wing "Mobius". They also have nicknames associated with them (Yellows with the Yellow Squadron and Reapers with the Strigons), and pilots in their squadron ( Victor Voychek and Ilya Pasternak for Strigon and Yellow 4 and Yellow 13 later) are shot down during the course of the game.
• It is possible, though difficult, to shoot down the entire Strigon Team in the first mission. However, this is considered non-canon, as all Strigon members excluding Victor Voychek and Ilya Pasternak will still appear in their respective missions.

Footnotes

References

https://youtu.be/VfHVUKwuAFI