Carrier Air Wing, known as U.S. Navy in Japan, is a shoot 'em up game released in 1990 by Capcom for it's CPS-1 Arcade board. It is a spiritual successor to U.N. Squadron, released in the year prior. It never received any console ports until 2021 where it was included as part of Capcom Arcade Stadium.
Story[]
During the decade of the nineties, many things in the world have changed. Growing cooperation between old rivals and friendships between the superpowers of the globe were examples of such occurring changes in political and economical scenarios of the world, but this fragile peace was not to last for long: in the year 1997, the fictional Middle Eastern country "Rabu" built several weapons of mass destruction, such as ICBM's, tactical nuclear bombs, and even a satellite-based tactical laser weapon, able to strike anywhere in the world.
With such weaponry in hand and benefiting from several terrorists over the world, Rabu was ready to declare war on mankind and aspire to their dream of global conquest.
An emergency call arrives to the U.S. government when, in 1999, Rabu strikes Tokyo, Japan with its extensive weaponry. The Americans decide to fight back against Rabu, and the USS Carl Vinson (CVN-70) slips out to sea carrying three of the finest Navy fighter pilots in the world: Rick Ford, Mark Olson, and James Roy, launching them on a campaign to remove the threat of Rabu and bring peace and freedom back to the world.
The greatest air war in human history is about to begin...
Gameplay[]
Carrier Air Wing plays much like it's predecessor, with the player choosing between three jet fighters and being able to purchase weapons and power ups between stages. The health gauge now works much like in 1943: The Battle of Midway, constantly depleting during the stage.