Ace Combat 8 Mission 16: identify the disguised ships and stop the UAVs

Identify the ship before firing

The recorded briefing at 2:46–2:55 specifies two identifying features: three cranes on the deck and a sun emblem on the hull. Use both cues rather than treating every container ship as a hostile. Keep enough distance and altitude to inspect the selected hull; do not commit to a low pass while changing targets.

Read the displayed target label and confirm the ship you intend to attack. If selection keeps jumping, use the target-selection checks before making another pass. This guide does not supply a complete coordinate map or a fixed order for every spawn.

Search the harbor and respond to launched UAVs

1. Follow the mission briefing and look for the three-crane ships.
2. Use the hull emblem to confirm a candidate, then attack the disguised ship.
3. Move to the next candidate promptly rather than circling a destroyed target.
4. If UAVs launch, read the new objective and destroy the airborne drones. The creator’s first demonstrated route has a launch followed by a successful UAV cleanup.
5. Wait for objective completion and the mission result before treating the run as finished.

_Halt19_ describes recurring broad locations, starting toward the right middle/back and cutting across to the opposite side. That is a player’s search cue, not proof of one fixed map. Their reply also recommends guns against the UAVs. The video includes three pattern demonstrations at 1:23, 4:19 and 6:04, so compare the pattern you actually see.

Use it as a repeat route without promising a payout

scratch422 reports about 100k MRP in three minutes on Ace; another player includes menus and reports about four minutes. Other reported difficulties/setups take longer and pay less. Do not turn one result into a guaranteed reward for a first-time player.

Complete a repeat run on your selected difficulty, record its reward and include loading/menu time. Compare it with the Mission 16/27 farming comparison. If this mission is not unlocked, continue the campaign rather than assuming a hidden free-mission access method. If the run fails, resolve ship identification or the remaining UAV objective before optimizing time.