Yukikaze (novel)

More than thirty years ago, a hyper-dimensional passageway suddenly appeared over the continent of Antarctica, the first stage of an attempted terrestrial invasion by an enigmatic alien host. Humanity, united by a common enemy, managed to push the invaders back through the passageway to the strange planet nicknamed "Faery." A special air-combat force was then created to go there and eliminate the alien bases once and for all.

Now, in the midst of a war with no end in sight, Second Lieutenant Rei Fukai carries out his missions in the perilous skies over Faery. Attached to the 5th Squadron of the FAF's Special Air Force, an elite tactical combat and surveillance unit, his duty is to gather information on the enemy and bring it back--no matter the cost. His only constant companion in this lonely task is his fighter plane, the sentient FFR-31 Super Sylph: YUKIKAZE.