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

Please note that all items within our outlet section contain a level of damage to the packaging, which in no way effects gameplay.A Grade products will arrive in their cellophane and have superficial damage to the box. Full descriptions of our grades can be found on our Outlet page, for more information please check our terms and conditions.