PlayingTips

Tip 1:
When flying a mission that doesn't have a time limit, periodically return to your home air base or carrier to repair damage and reload weapons. Both are rarely more than a few minutes away, and this can be the key to surviving and completing many of the game's tougher missions.
Tip 2:
The game will allow you to lock up ground targets with air-to-air missiles and vice versa, so feel free to improvise with whatever you've got the most of.
Tip 3:
The best way to spoof incoming missiles is to dial your radar down to its minimum range so that you can see its inbound red icon more closely; then yank and bank abruptly just before a missile hits while pumping out plenty of chaff and flares (or better yet, turn on auto chaff/ flares at the options menu).