Combat flight simulators are vehicle simulation games, amateur flight simulation computer programs used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for professional pilot and military flight training which consist of realistic physical recreations of the actual aircraft cockpit, often with a full-motion platform.
Ace Combat Zero: The Belkan War is a 2006 combat flight simulation video game developed and published by Namco for the PlayStation 2. Part of the Ace Combat series, the game was first released outside of Japan by the newly formed Namco Bandai Games. Set in the Ace Combat series' fictional universe of Strangereal, the game's story takes place before the events of most other entries in the series, and follows the actions of "Galm Team", a mercenary fighter squadron led by the player character "Cipher", as they fight to repel an enemy invasion during the titular Belkan War, a World War II-esque conflict that was mentioned but not elaborated upon in previous entries.
Super Strike Eagle is a 1993 arcade-style combat flight simulation video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was later released in Japan as F-15 Super Strike Eagle.
Ace Combat X: Skies of Deception is a 2006 combat flight simulation video game for the PlayStation Portable. It is the first installment of the Ace Combat franchise for the PlayStation Portable, and the second for a handheld game system.
Desert Strike: Return to the Gulf is a shoot 'em up video game released by Electronic Arts (EA) in March 1992 for the Sega Genesis. The game was released on several other formats such as the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, including a much upgraded version for the Amiga home computer. The game was inspired by the Gulf War and depicts a conflict between an insane Middle Eastern dictator, General Kilbaba, and the United States. The player controls an Apache helicopter and attempts to destroy enemy weapons and installations, rescue hostages and capture enemy personnel, while managing supplies of fuel and ammunition.
Dogfights is a military aviation themed television series depicting historical re-enactments of air-to-air combat that took place in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, as well as smaller conflicts such as the Gulf War and the Six-Day War. The program consists of former fighter pilots sharing their stories of actual dogfights in which they took part, combined with computer-generated imagery (CGI) to give the viewer a better perspective of what it is like to engage in aerial combat.
A military helicopter is a helicopter that is either specifically built or converted for use by military forces. A military helicopter's mission is a function of its design or conversion. The most common use of military helicopters is transport of troops, but transport helicopters can be modified or converted to perform other missions such as combat search and rescue (CSAR), medical evacuation (MEDEVAC), airborne command post, or even armed with weapons for attacking ground targets. Specialized military helicopters are intended to conduct specific missions. Examples of specialized military helicopters are attack helicopters, observation helicopters and anti-submarine warfare (ASW) helicopters.
Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation is a 2007 arcade-style combat flight simulation video game developed by Project Aces and published by Namco Bandai Games exclusively for the Xbox 360. It is the seventh entry in the Ace Combat franchise, the first mainline game in the franchise to not see a release on a PlayStation platform as had been done with previous titles, and the first game in the franchise to include downloadable content. Like other Ace Combat games, Ace Combat 6 features standard gameplay from the series that mixes arcade flight with authentic flight simulation.
Vehicle simulation games are a genre of video games which attempt to provide the player with a realistic interpretation of operating various kinds of vehicles. This includes automobiles, aircraft, watercraft, spacecraft, military vehicles, and a variety of other vehicles. The main challenge is to master driving and steering the vehicle from the perspective of the pilot or driver, with most games adding another challenge such as racing or fighting rival vehicles. Games are often divided based on realism, with some games including more realistic physics and challenges such as fuel management.
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X is an arcade flight video game developed by Ubisoft Bucharest and published by Ubisoft for Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, and by Gameloft for BlackBerry PlayBook, iOS, Palm Pre, Android and Symbian^3. It was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in North America on March 3, 2009, for Windows on March 17, for iOS on December 9, for BlackBerry on January 8, 2010, for Palm Pre on April 2, for Android on September 13, and for Symbian on January 16, 2011. A Wii version was announced, but was ultimately canceled. In September 2010, a sequel titled Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X 2 was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The Microsoft Windows and Wii versions were released in November 2010. In November 2018, Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X was added to the Xbox One's Backwards Compatibility list although only through physical media as it is not available on the Xbox Marketplace.
AV-8B Harrier Assault is a combat flight simulator/realtime strategy game developed by Simis and first published by Domark in 1992. An updated version using SVGA graphics was released later the same year, alternatively known as SVGA Harrier. In 1994, a modified version of the SVGA version was released for the classic Mac OS under the new name Flying Nightmares, which was later ported to 3D0.
F-16 Combat Pilot is a 1989 F-16 fighter flight simulator created by British software company Digital Integration Ltd. for Amiga, Atari ST, DOS, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC and ZX Spectrum. It is considered as one of the first combat flight simulators to have a dynamic campaign environment. While the graphics, scenery and audio are quite sparse and basic, the instruments and flight dynamics of a F-16C Fighting Falcon are fully featured and modeled.
Top Gun is a shoot 'em up combat flight simulation game based on the 1986 hit film Top Gun. It was developed and published by Konami for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in the United States and Canada in November 1987, and then in Europe. It is an adaptation of VS. Top Gun, a 1987 Nintendo VS. System arcade game also by Konami. As the second game to establish the Top Gun game series, it was followed by Top Gun: The Second Mission. It is known for its extremely high difficulty.
A flight simulation video game refers to the simulation of various aspects of flight or the flight environment for purposes other than flight training or aircraft development. A significant community of simulation enthusiasts is supported by several commercial software packages, as well as commercial and homebuilt hardware. Open-source software that is used by the aerospace industry like FlightGear, whose flight dynamics engine (JSBSim) is used in a 2015 NASA benchmark to judge new simulation code to space industry standards, is also available for private use. A popular type of flight simulators video games are combat flight simulators, which simulate combat air operations from the pilot and crew's point of view. Combat flight simulation titles are more numerous than civilian flight simulators due to variety of subject matter available and market demand.
Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2 is an arcade-style combat flight simulator video game developed by Ubisoft Bucharest and published by Ubisoft. It is the sequel to Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X, and was released for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in September 2010, and for Wii and Microsoft Windows in November 2010.
Ace Combat: Assault Horizon is a spin-off installment of the Ace Combat flight simulation video game series. It was developed by Project Aces and published by Bandai Namco Games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms in October 2011. The game was later released on Microsoft Windows in January 2013 through Steam and Games for Windows – Live, with the latter notably being the final retail release for the platform shortly before its discontinuation.
Ace Combat Infinity was a combat flight simulation video game developed by Project Aces and published by Bandai Namco Games for the PlayStation 3. It is the sixteenth title in the Ace Combat series, and was released worldwide in May 2014. It is the first partially free-to-play title in the series, and unlike most games in the series, Infinity takes place on Earth. However, it includes certain elements from past Ace Combat games, including historical events, organizations, superweapons, and original aircraft.
Ace is a combat flight simulator video game published for the Commodore 64, VIC-20, and Plus/4 in 1985 by Cascade Games. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Amiga, and ZX Spectrum.
Project Wingman is a combat flight-action video game developed by Sector D2 and published by Humble Games. It was released on 1 December 2020 on Microsoft Windows with optional VR support for the whole game. It was later released on 28 October 2021 on Xbox One. The game was also released as part of the PlayStation VR2 collection for PlayStation 5, titled Project Wingman: Frontline 59, on 3 October 2023. It contains optional VR support via six new missions rather than the whole game. The game features two game modes: Campaign and Conquest.
