This is one of the best flight simulation games I have played on a mobile device thus far – it’s intuitive, yet has a learning curve; realistic, yet lightweight on your device’s battery and resources; fun, yet challenging. If you are into sim games, try it out!
Overview
Positioned as an advanced mobile flight simulation game, Air Navy Fighters Lite combines flight and air combat missions, comprehensive training missions and tutorials, realistic aircrafts and giant carriers, responsive controls and a great deal of missions.
This game has a lot to offer to both sim newbies and pros. Based on Rortors native flight engine, F18 Carrier Landing, the game features smooth graphics and realistic gameplay. It’s immersive, challenging and addictive.
Features
You are a navy pilot flying an F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft on various missions – from training to combat and rescue. There are ground attack and landing operations where you will have to destroy oil tankers and warships, escape attack of the enemy guns and helicopters, shoot your missiles and guns, refuel in the air , avoid radars, shoot thermal bombs to escape enemy missiles and more.
You can download custom-created missions from Air Navy Fighters online community, which gives you a virtually unlimited number of missions.
Moreover, you have a scenario builder that allows you to design your own custom missions, adding targets and terrain.
Controls
The controls are numerous, and newbies will need to go through training missions, which give you a fast and comprehensive introduction to aircraft controls, view modes, requirements and recommendations.
Truth be told, Air Navy Fighter offers the best tilt control a flight sim game can offer – responsiveness can be adjusted, but the defaults are just fine, too. You won’t be fighting the controls, believe me.
Gameplay
There are several missions available by default and you can choose whichever you like, but if it is your first time with flight sim, start with Tutorials. Once you master the basics, you won’t have any difficulty taking off, but landing will require more practice.
On some missions, you have to shoot the enemy bases, while on others you will have to fly over the enemy territory, land on a small terrain and rescue your soldiers. Sometimes, you will have to go back to the carrier to refuel and recharge your ammo, sometimes you have to request in-air refuel. Overall, the gameplay is immersive, challenging and addictive – pair that with worldwide scenario access and advanced weather conditions and time of the day generator, and you get a polished, detailed and realistic combat flight simulator.
Graphics and Sounds
As realistic as the visuals are, it’s still good rather than stellar, and one little detail here is the visuals do not really convey speed. While your hornet goes nearly supersonic on high altitudes, the visuals do not convey that effect. Instead, you feel like you’re driving a comfortable car in the middle of a traffic jam.
Some game physics do not seem to take into account things like pressure, so you can make incredible maneuvers without sending your pilot to eternal limbo. Also, using radar to navigate is not the simplest way to get around, but that’s part of the challenge here.
The sound score complements the gameplay – it’s dynamic, non-intrusive and adds the right elements to the ambient at the right moment.
Conclusion
Air Navy Fighters is by far a superb flight and air combat simulator on Google Play. It will teach you tips, tricks and the basics of controlling the jet, and challenge you with some intense missions. The free version has one jet only, and if you wish more you can buy the Pro version. The game features well-balanced ratio of manual options and tilt control, realistic physics and graphics. You’ll have to practice a bit before you can succeed in a mission, but that only makes the game more realistic and the achievements more rewarding. By the way, the Pro version should still be on sale in Play Store.
Air Navy Fighters Tips
Take off
- You need to adjust the flaps to 1/4 and push the throttle to its max upper limit. You can now push the red button, and start using tilt controls to take off.
Landing
- On a carrier [CAR1]: land from the carrier back. Line up with the carrier trajectory at 200 knots, and once you get close, hit full brake, hold it until the aircraft stops completely. If you miss, hit full throttle and take off.
- On a land airbase [ARP1]: land on the runway, which is actually an airport. The best way is to take training courses, really.
Weapon Controls
- They are on the right where the throttle is. Just swipe left the throttle and you will activate the ammo panel.
Avoiding enemy missiles
- Flares alone are not enough – you have to maneuver to avoid getting hit, whereas maneuvers without flares are ineffective unless you use cover.
- Also, understand the difference between guns and missiles: ships use guns, while SAM sites fire missiles. To avoid being showered by missiles, destroy the SAM sites before you start firing at ships and bases.
Completing the Rescue Mission
- The great challenge here is the chopper that shoots you in no time, so how do you trick it? Go to Settings and set your controls to a less sensitive grade [left], and go slowly, steadily and patiently.
- Align your aircraft with the chopper trajectory and ascend to 3-4k feet, and as you approach the enemy as close as 4 miles, pull your throttle back to 50% and open gun fire. You must fire continuously, steadying your hornet and aiming.
- Hence, slow speed and low controls sensitivity are the key elements of successful aiming and hitting the target.
- You can try calibrating your device while putting the mission on Pause, and you may want to try calibrating when your device is on a flat surface.
- The second challenge is to actually figure out what to do next. You need to land on the runway and drive up to the hangar, where you will pick up the team of soldiers. Once you reach the hangar, the soldiers will run to your aircraft.
Repairs/Refill Ammo
- You have to go back to carrier [land on rest] to repair the damage, or replenish your ammo stock since sometimes there might be more targets than missiles on board.
