Hornet Leader: Carrier Air Operations (2010)

"If the US Navy has it, so do you! "

Hornet Leader – Carrier Air Operations is a huge game based on the material seen in our Vassal/PDF games. We have also further enhanced the game systems and weapon values to make them fully consistent with the new systems seen in Phantom Leader.

Hornet Leader spans all aspects of US naval aviation throughout the service life of the F/A-18 Hornet from 1983 to the present day.

The game places you in command of the pilots and aircraft of a squadron of U.S. Navy strike aircraft in hostile campaigns around the world. The aircraft and weapons available for each campaign are historically accurate.

A major part of the game is mission planning. You decide how to arm your aircraft and which pilots are best for the mission. Pilots are rated for skill level. Deciding which pilots to fly each mission is a major consideration. Your pilots will become fatigued with every mission. If you fly a pilot too often, his skills will degrade. Your pilots also gain experience with every mission flown. This makes for some great decision-making. Should you keep flying the top pilots and further fatigue them to get the job done, or fly the new guys to prep them for the tough missions ahead?

Campaigns included are:

• Libya 1984
• North Atlantic WWIII 1986
• Iraq 1991
• Israeli Defense 2001
• Syria 2004
• Taiwan Defense 2008
• North Korea 2011
• Iran 2014

See also: Leader series games by Dan Verssen