SKYHAWK: Rolling Thunder, 1966

Skyhawk is a game which puts the player in the cockpit of an A-4E Skyhawk of VA-72 flying missions during the early days of Operation Rolling Thunder. Your base of operations is the USS Franklin D. Roosevelt on duty at Yankee Station. You play as a Navy pilot flying strike missions against targets in North Vietnam. Your goal will be to survive a mission or a campaign.

The Skyhawk was a nimble aircraft and was capable of carrying slightly over four tons of ordnance. Depending on your target, the player has the opportunity to load out his aircraft to meet the mission requirements. The missions will not be easy. President Johnson and his civilian advisors may even change your target or ordnance loading depending upon the political situation in the USA.

Facing you will be a determined North Vietnamese force. It is possible you will face small arms fire, AAA, SAM launches, and a rare encounter with a MiG.  You will have help. Support Forces allow the player to attack NV defense forces before you attack your target. Their success could make your job easier.

The player may fly a single mission or play one of the three campaigns included in the game. These campaigns are:

• First Tour of Duty: Yankee Station: 10 August 1966 – 10 September 1966
• Second Tour of Duty: Yankee Station 20 October 1966 – 27 December 1966
• The third campaign combines the two campaigns above with additional rules.

The game is not meant to be a detailed simulation of the Rolling Thunder campaign. It is a simple yet engaging, quick game for the player. Concepts for the game come from B-29 Superfortress, Target for Today, Target for Tonight, and Kenney’s Boys as well as Able Dog, a free print and play game by Patrick Millin. Some of the concepts used in Skyhawk will be expanded upon in the upcoming Operation Linebacker II game by myself and Bob Best.