Bonus options:
Successfully complete all 18 missions, then save the game. Load the saved game to unlock the following new options at the main menu. The "Special Continue" option allows the entire game to be replayed with new fighters and weapons, plus the money earned in the first game. The "Free Mission" option allows any mission to be played. The "Trial Mission" option allows the game to be played in either score attack or time attack modes. The "Scene Viewer" allows FMV sequences to be played. The "Music Player" option allows any of the 36 songs in the game to be played.

Expert mode:
Successfully complete the game under the hard difficulty setting to unlock the expert difficulty setting.

Ace mode:
Successfully complete the game under the expert difficulty setting to unlock the ace difficulty setting.

All aircraft:
Use the following steps to unlock all aircraft, including special colors. First, acquire an aircraft by destroying it in battle. This is easy, except for three aircraft. Forget the ground targets and dogfight instead, which is the true nature of an ace. You can acquire three different paint schemes for each aircraft. Two of the paint schemes can be acquired by destroying that color aircraft in battle. To acquire the special brightly colored third aircraft, you must find and kill the pilot flying it. On each level of the game there is a single hidden aircraft (eighteen total hidden aircraft). Each one of these aircraft has a specific pilot. When you see the aircraft in front of you and lock on, it will display the pilot's name next to the aircraft name and lock on square. For example, "S-37A SMIRNOVA". The hidden aircraft will not show up on radar until you get nearby. On radar, the aircraft will be marked with a red triangle instead of yellow. Each hidden aircraft is always in the same place on their specific level. This is always in an empty spot on the map away from the main combat zone. The aircraft can usually be found directly behind the main combat zone. Last but not least are the three remaining aircraft. To acquire the Yellow Squadron fighter (SU-37) of your nemesis Yellow-13, you must kill all of the pilots with names flying the special colored aircraft (eighteen total).

To unlock the X-02 Stealth, get an "S" rank on all 18 missions under normal mode.

In order to get the second X-02, finish the game getting an "S" rank under the hard difficulty setting. This will unlock a black plane. Finish the game under the expert difficulty setting with an "S" rank on all missions will unlock the last X-02. This one is silver.

You can get the Tiger Striped F-4E by completing the game once under any difficulty setting, then using the Sp. Continue option. To unlock the second X-02 aircraft you must get an "S" rank on all eighteen missions under the hard difficulty setting. The third X-02 is unlocked by getting an "S" rank on all eighteen missions under the expert difficulty setting.

Alternate colors:
Successfully complete the game in ace mode. Note: You may also need to obtain S-class for all missions.

Hint: Aircraft list:
The following is a complete aircraft list (in order):

F-4E (fighter)
Blue
Camo
Tiger Stripes

F-5E (fighter)
Sky Camo
Gray Camo
Sea-Green (Wang) level 1

F-16C (fighter)
Gray
Camo
White w/ Blue Stripes (Tempel) level 3

A-10A (attacker)
Camo
Desert Camo
Silver (Ciffred) level 2

MIR-2000 (fighter)
Sky Camo
Gray Camo
White w/ Blue Stripes (Rigaux) level 4

F-14A (fighter)
Gray
Sky Camo
Black (LEVY) level 6

TND-ID5 (attacker)
Camo
Green
Yellow Stripes (De Vico) level 7
F/A-18C (multirole)
Gray
Desert Camo
Yellow (Vrisala) level 8

F-15C (fighter)
Gray
Green-Gray
Blue-Silver (Tuttle) level 9

MIG-29A (fighter)
Gray Camo
Camo
Red (Mrkos) level 5

F-117A (attacker)
Black
Gray
Winter Camo (Kwee) level 16

EF-2000 (fighter)
Gray
Brown
White with red stripes (Olmstead) level 15

R-M01 (multirole)
Black
Gray Camo
White with blue stripes (Faye) level 10

F-15E (multirole)
Black
Camo
Blue Tiger Stripes (Gunn) level 13

F-2A (attacker)
Blue-Gray
Camo
White with red stripes (Urata) level 12

SU-35 (fighter)
Sky Camo
Gray Camo
White with blue and red stripes (Neujmin) level 11

F-22A (fighter)
Sky Camo
Gray
Gray (Abell) level 14

SU-37 (fighter)
Camo
Gray
Gray Camo with yellow wing tips (Yellow Squadron)

F-15ACTIVE (fighter)
Black
Gray Camo
White with blue andred stripes (Halley) level 17

S-37A (fighter)
Black
Gray Camo
Silver Camo (Smirnova) level 18

X-02 (multirole) (last aircraft)
Gray Camo
Silver

Hint: Broken Arrows: See northern lights:
Look up in the night sky and you can see the northern lights.

Hint: Safe Return: Easy completion:
There are about eleven balloons ahead of you, up and down and to the side slightly. Then, turn right and go until you cross a mountain, four to six balloons later. Then, turn right again. Blast balloons until time runs out. It is possible to get an "S" rank under the ace difficulty setting using this method, with just balloons, not counting the planes.

Hint: Shattered Skies: Shoot down SR-71:
In the "Shattered Skies" mission, the fast moving plane you are locked onto when the mission first starts is an SR-71. You can shoot it down by heading towards the back of the combat area and climbing to about 30,000 ft. Head it off and you should be able to shoot it down.

Quickly tap the Analog-stick Down as the mission starts. If done correctly, the SR-71 (which is the orange triangle) should still be blinking. This is the chance to get the Sr-71. Using the X-02 is recommended, due to its powerful speed.

Hint: Whisky Corridor: Second SR-71:
There is a second SR-71 Blackbird on this mission. At any time during the mission, fly to the southwest corner of the map at about 15,000 feet, just north of the RTB line.

Hint: Breaking Arrows: XB-70:
There is an XB-70 at the top left at about 30,000 ft.

The enemy XB-70 can be shot down to earn extra points. The plane can be found all the way at the back of the combat area at high altitude. The plane is visible on radar to the left on the first target.

Hint: Easier X-02s:
There is an easier way to get the three X-02s rather than going through the entire game. After the game is completed, the "Free Mission" option will be unlocked. Select this option and choose a difficulty setting (normal for the gray X-02, hard for the black X-02, or expert for the silver X-02). Select any mission to play on that difficulty setting. If you get an "S" rank on all the missions, the X-02 becomes available. This allows you to skip all of the missions you got an "S" on when you went through the full game. For example, if you got an "S" on all but three missions, you only have to play those missions instead of the entire game.

Hint: Easier ground battle:
The best way to destroy multiple ground targets is to fly the F-15 Active using the FREB (fuel - air explosive bomb). This will destroy about six to ten targets if they are close together.

Glitch: Impossible speed:
This trick only works with jets that have high speed and can go over 40,000 feet in altitude (X-02, S-37, Su-37) .Press R2 to go way up holding down over 40,000 feet (near space). Keep going in a circle while R2 is held. Go up and down slightly until the speed reaches 1665, then dive. If done correctly, when you dive the impossible speed should be about 1788 (if fast enough). Actually it will be about 1725. Note: Try practicing this trick in free flight mode.