Top Gun: Combat Zones

Hint: Aircraft:
On all levels that contain multiple aircraft bogies, the best solution is to wipe out all aircraft by flying low to the ground, then pulling up on the stick to get a missile lock to destroy them. Take one bogie out at a time, then fly back close to the ground and start the process all over again.

Hint: F-4 Phantom:
Successfully complete the game under any difficulty setting. The F-4 is a decent fighter with a good firepower rating.
Tuxedo Bond.

Hint: JSF:
Get at least a "Bronze" rank for every Academy and Warzone challenge. The JSF's cannon, though a bit on the low side, seems like it damages enemies more.
Tuxedo Bond.

Hint: YF-23:
Get at least a "Silver" rank for every Academy and Warzone challenge. The YF-23's cannon fires very fast, and it is highly maneuverable. Overall, it is a very decent fighter.
Tuxedo Bond.

Hint: V-22:
Get a "Gold" rank on all Academy and Warzone challenges. Though its firepower rating seems like it would only send out one shot every five seconds, it actually has twin machine guns that fire as fast as an enemy helicopter or gunboat. It also has unlimited-use afterburning fuel, and can stop almost completely if the brakes are applied. It is not very fast, however, even with the afterburners activated.
Tuxedo Bond.

Hint: Harrier:
Play all Academy and missions again with the Osprey to unlock the Harrier.
Aaron Mullins.

Hint: Air-to-Ground mode:
Successfully complete all Era 1 Academy missions.

Hint: Air-to-Ground and Air-to-Air mode:
Successfully complete all Era 2 Academy missions.

Hint: Free Flight mode:
Successfully complete all Era 3 Academy missions.

Hint: Anti-aircraft guns:
Flying close to the ground causes the anti-aircraft guns to overshoot your plane. They cannot fire below a certain point due to the risk of hitting their own men.

Hint: Weapons:
While speed in completing missions, extent of damage to your jet, and "First Blood" bonuses help, they will never allow you to gain the points and medals to open new jets. The key to points is ammunition choice. Try to use only guns for everything, saving all the missiles and bombs possible. If you must use missiles, use the self aimed, not the guided. The more bombs and missiles you return with, the higher the scores. By doing this it is possible to advance from the normal 300,000 to 400,000 red star success to consistent scores of over 2 million per mission.

Hint: Leading the target:
Use the following trick to hit enemy planes when you are above them. If there is a plane flying underneath you and you are flying down on it, put the pointer slightly in front of the target and fire your gun, not stopping. Keep the button held. The plane should fly into the gunfire.

Hint: Flying:
As the missions gain in complexity, every fly over must be highly efficient. Instead of tight sweeping turns, use over-the-top turns. This can cut a 10 second turn down to 3 seconds and place you in a better attack mode to start the next run. This requires practice.

Hint: Destroying tanks, vans and most moving ground targets:
Use the afterburners when you are close to the ground. Note: This will not work on BTROs or gunboats (it will just do damage).

Hint: Destroying gunboats:
When attacking gunboats, climb to an altitude of about 2,000 feet and dive down on them. Quickly fire an air-to-ground missile (guided or unguided) at them. Then, pull away and use your afterburners. Using this process should minimize damage.
Harakou.