On this page
Unfamiliar word? Select a dotted-underlined term for its meaning.
Reach the main menu
- Choose LOGIN, then select or create your profile.
- Read the menu choices: COMBAT READY, INSTANT ACTION, TRADE TRAINING, BASIC TRAINING, LOAD GAME and SETTINGS.
- Choose the session you want using the table below. BACK leaves this menu without starting one.
Choose the right starting point
| Choice | Use it when… |
|---|---|
| BASIC TRAINING | You want guided practice with identification and the Assets controls. |
| TRADE TRAINING | You want a defined exercise with objectives that combine the operating skills. |
| COMBAT READY | You want to start a fresh operational game with the selected profile. |
| INSTANT ACTION | You want a fresh game with an already escalated situation. The starting tension and public-state values differ from the normal new-game start. |
| LOAD GAME | You want the situation recorded in an existing save rather than a fresh start. |
| SETTINGS | You want to check display, audio or keyboard settings before starting. |
Can I choose a mode that guarantees a quiet shift?
Neither mode guarantees a quiet whole watch. COMBAT READY starts a new game with an opening quiet period. INSTANT ACTION skips that period and starts with the situation already escalated—made more serious. Choose COMBAT READY for the normal start, but be ready for the watch to become busier after its opening period.
For guided practice with a particular skill, choose BASIC TRAINING or TRADE TRAINING instead and follow the lesson’s objective. If you are wondering why nothing is happening in your game, use the clock, visibility and session checks.
Is Instant Action a different difficulty?
No. INSTANT ACTION starts a fresh operational situation with already raised tension and public-state scores. Your profile difficulty remains a separate setting. It does not resume your previous position; use LOAD GAME for that. When the scope opens, read HANDOVER BRIEF, check the current scores and inspect aircraft already operating before giving orders. Do not assume the same contacts or timings as a previous session.
Do not confuse the menu choice with a training result
COMBAT READY is a session-start button. Your recorded training scores are shown separately in the Basic and Trade Training menus. To check what you have passed, open the lesson cards and read their status, Best and Last scores.
Why did clearing the first raid not finish the game?
COMBAT READY and INSTANT ACTION start an operational watch: a period of managing the air situation, rather than a lesson with one objective. Defeating the first raid deals with that attack; the wider enemy campaign may still be underway. For an ordinary victory, that campaign must be complete and no active enemy aircraft can remain. A quiet scope or reopened airspace alone does not confirm that the watch is finished.
Keep reading ASMA messages and managing aircraft in ACTIVE OPS, including their fuel and return to base. The end-of-watch summary confirms the result; this is not a promise of an ending after a fixed number of minutes. To take a break earlier, save and leave the session.
Your role in the game
You play Air Defender and manage the combined picture and assets. The normal login path does not ask you to choose a separate identification, allocation or weapons-control role. Names used inside individual lessons describe what they teach; they do not limit the overall player role.
Continue a situation rather than replace it
Use LOAD GAME for an existing operational or training save. Before leaving a running situation that you want to retain, save it and check the save’s name. Entering training from the in-game menu replaces the current session rather than opening a second exercise alongside it.
Choose what happens after the watch summary
| Button | What happens next |
|---|---|
| NEW WATCH | Leaves the finished situation and opens the game-mode menu. Choose COMBAT READY or INSTANT ACTION to start a new situation; the button does not automatically launch it. |
| MAIN MENU | Leaves the finished situation and returns to the login screen. Select your profile to reach the game-mode menu again. |
| ENDLESS | Offered on the successful-watch summary. Closes the summary and resumes the same situation in Endless Mode. Civilian airspace is reopened; this is not a restart. |
After ENDLESS, check ENDLESS MODE ACTIVATED, the airspace status and the aircraft still operating. For a saved situation instead, use LOAD GAME from the menu. These are watch-summary choices, separate from a training result’s Retry/Continue.
A quiet screen does not answer every question
If you are waiting for something to happen, use the quiet-radar checks. They separate advancing game time, hidden tracks, normal event spacing, training and a loaded save before you restart.
Read the end-of-watch result
Use the watch-summary guide for duration, performance changes, XP and the different NEW WATCH, MAIN MENU and ENDLESS choices. A watch summary and a lesson result are separate screens.