F18 Hornet

F18 Hornet was one of those games you'd find on a Flash gaming portal in the early 2000s. It fit right in with the era's simple, accessible shooters you could load in a browser. The game captured a specific kind of military flight simulation, scaled down for quick play sessions.

You control an F/A-18 fighter jet from a top-down perspective. Your main job is to fly over enemy territory, destroying ground targets like tanks and installations while dodging incoming fire. The mouse steers the aircraft, and clicking fires your machine gun and missiles. You need to manage your limited ammunition and fuel, often making quick passes over targets before circling back. The pacing is steady, but the screen can get crowded with threats, demanding constant movement. It feels like a focused, tactical exercise in precision and evasion.