Combat Air Patrol 2

Combat Air Patrol 2 is a flight and naval combat simulator in which you fly the AV-8B Harrier II, carry out air and ground missions, and command a fleet. Its open-ended campaign responds to strategic decisions and your performance in the air. After flight and tactical training, you face ground-, sea- and air-based enemies; the outcome depends on how you plan and conduct your operations.

Fly the Harrier II

The Harrier has a 3D cockpit with air-to-air and air-to-ground radar modes, MFDs and HUD displays. Selectable controls include water injection, the canopy latch, MFD buttons, landing gear and flap settings. Cockpit lighting includes adjustable illumination for self-lit instruments and floodlights, while the flightstick, throttle and nozzle angle are animated.

The aircraft has fuel tanks with fuel-flow logic and displays, and supports air-to-air refueling from a KC767 tanker, with realistic hose physics, three difficulty levels or the option to turn refueling off. Radio features include exchanges, background chatter and formation-control commands, and 3D environmental audio accompanies the flight. The Harrier fuselage and cockpit photo can be modified.

Its weapons and equipment include the Litening pod, AIM-9 Sidewinder, AIM-120 AMRAAM, AGM-65 Maverick, AGM-84 Harpoon, AGM-88 Harm, MK82, MK83 and MK84 bombs, and the LAU76.

Campaign and mission planning

The campaign includes air-to-air, air-to-land, maritime and training missions. In the mission planner, you control fleet and air assets, plan mission waypoints and target ingress and egress, and set your fleet's formation, route and speed. Civilian traffic moves through shipping lanes and enters and leaves ports.

You can protect the Straits of Hormuz and train at Yuma in Arizona, Kaneohe Bay in Hawaii and The Mach Loop in Wales. Campaign results reflect your tactical-map fleet commands and performance in the air: an all-out assault can leave the outcome in the balance, while planning ahead can lead to victory.

World and conditions

The environments are based on real-world geography. Lighting reflects longitude, latitude, date and time, and OpenStreetMap data places buildings, vegetation, railways and roads. Thousands of objects are already present, alongside custom objects such as power lines, lighthouses, water tanks, air traffic control towers and rigs. Roads, runways, taxiways and buildings have lighting, including in villages and cities.

The game also includes an accurate star map and realistic weather effects. Time-of-day and lighting controls are available; the full 24-hour cycle and the ability to advance mission time are described as planned additions.

Aircraft and naval assets

Available assets include the USS Nassau (LHA-4), with animated elevators, a deck crane and deck tugs; MiG-21s; F4 Phantoms; fast attack boats; ships and submarines; and the KC767 tanker.

Multiplayer

Combat Air Patrol 2 is currently single-player. Planned multiplayer modes include campaign co-op, where you can join another player's campaign missions or request help, and Fleet vs Fleet, where players can cooperate against an AI fleet or play against other players. Players will be able to send requests or enable open invitations.