Thunderbolt-Apache Leader puts you in the cockpits of the world’s best Close Air Support aircraft. In Thunderbolt-Apache Leader, you’ll zoom through canyons hunting enemy tanks and troops while dodging their AAA fire and SAMs.

Thunderbolt-Apache Leader puts you down in the weeds in 8 campaigns spanning the globe. The game system creates immense replayability by pairing a Tactical Situation card with the Campaign card to create a unique environment for the campaign. This means that your campaign in North Korea might be part of a Holding Action, Show of Force, Rapid Deployment, or General War.

The game places you in command of the pilots and aircraft of a squadron of U.S. Close Air Support (CAS) 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?