The game is presented as a strategic command simulation. Players organize aircraft and missions, determine where available forces should be committed, and respond to changing operational conditions instead of controlling an aircraft from a cockpit view.

Progression is campaign-based, with success depending on planning, resource management, and the results of successive operations. The central challenge is balancing objectives, aircraft availability, and the risks of sending forces into contested areas.

Plan sorties around the campaign objective instead of treating every target as equally important. Preserve aircraft and crews when a marginal mission is unlikely to change the operational situation.

Review available forces before committing them, and avoid exhausting a particular type of aircraft or capability early in the campaign. Because the game is a command simulation, careful preparation is generally more valuable than impulsive attacks.