Akontion
| Akontion air-to-air missile | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type | Long range air-to-air missile |
| Place of origin |  Republic of Syara |
| Service history | |
| Used by | Syaran Army Air Corps Commonality Air Force |
| Wars | Hayren War Refusal War |
| Production history | |
| Produced | 1975 |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 65 kilograms |
| Length | 3.8 meters |
| Diameter | 400 milimeters |
| Effective firing range | 150 kilometers |
| Warhead | High explosive shaped charge |
| Engine | Solid propellant rocket motor |
| Speed | Mach 4.5 |
Guidance system | Semi-active radar homing, terminal active radar homing |
Launch platform | Nephele fighters, some ground based air defense systems |
The Akontion is a beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile developed by the Republic of Syara. The Akontion was introduced in 1975 and was intended for usage against "strategic aviation targets", namely strategic bombers fielded by Ruvelka or airborne warning and control systems (AWACS). The principle launch platform of the Akontion was the Nephele fighter jet, although later variants of the missile were able to be launched by land-based surface-to-air missile launchers as part of larger air defense systems.
The Akontion first saw service in the Hayren War where it was on occasion fired against aircraft of the Ruvelkan Imperial Air Force where they were credited with four shoot downs. The Akontion saw much more extensive service during the Refusal War where it was employed heavily by both the Wardens and Royalists. Warden Nepheles would often carry the Akontion while escorting Coronis bombers for strikes on Acrean and Ossorian fleets, while Royalist Nepheles employed them in usage against Cacertian aircraft operating in support of the Wardens. A common tactic developed by the Wardens would be to employ the long range nature of both the Akontion and the Nephele's radar to illuminate strike packages, forcing them to evade and split up where they could then be pounced upon by awaiting air defenses or other aircraft.
Powerful and with a long range, the Akontion nevertheless saw mixed performance during its service period. Built to take down large, relatively slower and less maneuverable aircraft, it was less adept at taking down more agile fighter aircraft. While the size of the warhead virtually guaranteed a shootdown if successfully impacting, in practice veteran fighter pilots were often able to exploit the Akontions' lack of maneuverability and avoid impact; Syaran records hold that 108 kills were recorded for 422 launches. Stocks of the missile were depleted after the war and production was slow to re-start; by 2000 the Commonality Air Force and Syaran Commonality Navy reported just 150 missiles in inventory. A handful were utilized during the Zemplen War, downing one Ruvelkan AFSB-2 Spettro Strategic Bomber during Operation Eclipse before the Akontion was retired from service in 2012.