Note: This game is also titled Ace Combat 4: Distant Thunder.

Bonus options:
Successfully complete all 18 missions, then save the game. Load the saved game to unlock the following new options at the main menu. The "Special Continue" option allows the entire game to be replayed with new fighters and weapons, plus the money earned in the first game. The "Free Mission" option allows any mission to be played. The "Trial Mission" option allows the game to be played in either score attack or time attack modes. The "Scene Viewer" allows FMV sequences to be played. The "Music Player" option allows any of the 36 songs in the game to be played.

Expert mode:
Successfully complete the game under the hard difficulty setting to unlock the expert difficulty setting.

Ace mode:
Successfully complete the game under the expert difficulty setting to unlock the ace difficulty setting.
Note: There is no reward for completing the game under the Ace difficulty setting.

All aircraft:
Use the following steps to unlock all aircraft, including special colors. First, acquire an aircraft by destroying it in battle. This is easy, except for three aircraft. Forget the ground targets and dogfight instead, which is the true nature of an ace. You can acquire three different paint schemes for each aircraft. Two of the paint schemes can be acquired by destroying that color aircraft in battle. To acquire the special brightly colored third aircraft, you must find and kill the pilot flying it. On each level of the game there is a single hidden aircraft (eighteen total hidden aircraft). Each one of these aircraft has a specific pilot. When you see the aircraft in front of you and lock on, it will display the pilot's name next to the aircraft name and lock on square. For example, "S-37A SMIRNOVA". The hidden aircraft will not show up on radar until you get nearby. On radar, the aircraft will be marked with a red triangle instead of yellow. Each hidden aircraft is always in the same place on their specific level. This is always in an empty spot on the map away from the main combat zone. The aircraft can usually be found directly behind the main combat zone. Last but not least are the three remaining aircraft. To acquire the Yellow Squadron fighter (SU-37) of your nemesis Yellow-13, you must kill all of the pilots with names flying the special colored aircraft (eighteen total). To unlock the X-02 Stealth, get an "S" rank on all 18 missions under normal mode.In order to get the second X-02, finish the game getting an "S" rank under the hard difficulty setting. This will unlock a black plane. Finish the game under the expert difficulty setting with an "S" rank on all missions will unlock the last X-02. This one is silver. You can get the Tiger Striped F-4E by completing the game once under any difficulty setting, then using the Sp. Continue option. To unlock the second X-02 aircraft you must get an "S" rank on all eighteen missions under the hard difficulty setting. The third X-02 is unlocked by getting an "S" rank on all eighteen missions under the expert difficulty setting.

Alternate colors:
Successfully complete the game in ace mode. Note: You may also need to obtain S-class for all missions.

Alternate opening sequence:
To see a different plane other than the F-22 flying lead at the opening, go into a mission or free flight and choose a different plane. Crash your plane or quit the mission and return to the title screen. When the opening sequence plays again, whatever plane and secondary weapon you selected will appear instead of the F-22.

Preview airplanes and weapons:
When you are in the hanger looking at the airplanes or weapons, hold Square. You will be able to look all around the airplane or weapon.

New multi-player levels:
When you complete the game in any mode, you will unlock three more multi-player levels.

Hint: Control view:
Hold Triangle to zoom. Use the Right Analog-stick to pan around.

Hint: Ejection:
Note: this only works if you have a warning message due to a enemy fired missile. Hold L1 L2 L3 R1 R2 R3.

Hint: Aces:
The following is a list of where each Ace can be found and shot down. Shooting them down will unlock an alternate color scheme for that plane. Ace's can only be shot down under the normal or higher difficulty setting. Each Ace is worth 240 points and will have the name of the pilot flying it:

Mission 1: F-5, North of Allied air base.
Mission 2: A-10, North of enemy air base.
Mission 3: F-16, South of second radar station.
Mission 4: Mirage 2000, Northwest of the westernmost radar jamming plane.
Mission 5: Mig-29, Sout of the far western pumping station on map.
Mission 6: F-14, North of northern-most group of enemies on map.
Mission 7: TND, North of solar tower.
Mission 8: F-18, After refueling during the mission, it will appear east of the sub-station.
Mission 9: F-15C, North of the center beach combat area.
Mission 10: RF-01 Multi Role, Far upper northwest corner of map, northwest of sub-station.
Mission 11: SU-35, Will appear with 90 seconds remainingin the mission.
Mission 12: F-2, North of Stonehenge.
Mission 13: F-15E, After balloons are destroyed, fighters will appear; head northeast.
Mission 14: F-22, Northeast of map .
Mission 15: EF-2000, Center of map when mission starts.
Mission 16: F-117 Attacker, Northwest of western-most combat area.
Mission 17: F-15 Active, Far northwestern corner of map.
Mission 18: S-37, North of Megalith.

Hint: Aircraft list:
The following is a complete aircraft list (in order):

F-4E (fighter)
Blue
Camo
Tiger Stripes
F-5E (fighter)
Sky Camo
Gray Camo
Sea-Green (Wang) level 1

F-16C (fighter)
Gray
Camo

White w/ Blue Stripes (Tempel) level 3
A-10A (attacker)
Camo
Desert Camo

Silver (Ciffred) level 2
MIR-2000 (fighter)
Sky Camo
Gray Camo

White w/ Blue Stripes (Rigaux) level 4
F-14A (fighter)
Gray
Sky Camo

Black (LEVY) level 6

TND-ID5 (attacker)
Camo
Green

Yellow Stripes (De Vico) level 7
F/A-18C (multirole)
Gray
Desert Camo

Yellow (Vrisala) level 8
F-15C (fighter)
Gray
Green-Gray

Blue-Silver (Tuttle) level 9
MIG-29A (fighter)
Gray Camo
Camo

Red (Mrkos) level 5
F-117A (attacker)
Black
Gray

Winter Camo (Kwee) level 16
EF-2000 (fighter)
Gray
Brown

White with red stripes (Olmstead) level 15
R-M01 (multirole)
Black
Gray Camo

White with blue stripes (Faye) level 10
F-15E (multirole)
Black
Camo

Blue Tiger Stripes (Gunn) level 13
F-2A (attacker)
Blue-Gray
Camo

White with red stripes (Urata) level 12
SU-35 (fighter)
Sky Camo
Gray Camo

White with blue and red stripes (Neujmin) level 11
F-22A (fighter)
Sky Camo
Gray

Gray (Abell) level 14
SU-37 (fighter)
Camo
Gray
Gray Camo with yellow wing tips (Yellow Squadron)
F-15ACTIVE (fighter)
Black
Gray Camo

White with blue andred stripes (Halley) level 17
S-37A (fighter)
Black
Gray Camo

Silver Camo (Smirnova) level 18
X-02 (multirole) (last aircraft)
Gray Camo
Silver

Hint: Broken Arrows: See northern lights:
Look up in the night sky and you can see the northern lights.

Hint: Breaking Arrows: XB-70:
There is an XB-70 at the top left at about 30,000 ft. The enemy XB-70 can be shot down to earn extra points. The plane can be found all the way at the back of the combat area at high altitude. The plane is visible on radar to the left on the first target.

Hint: Safe Return: Easy completion:
There are about eleven balloons ahead of you, up and down and to the side slightly. Then, turn right and go until you cross a mountain, four to six balloons later. Then, turn right again. Blast balloons until time runs out. It is possible to get an "S" rank under the ace difficulty setting using this method, with just balloons, not counting the planes. When you start the mission, your radar will have blinking dots all around. The dots are actually the blimps and not the noise. This will help find the blimps' location and hopefully increase your score.

Hint: Shattered Skies: Shoot down SR-71:
In the "Shattered Skies" mission, the fast moving plane you are locked onto when the mission first starts is an SR-71. You can shoot it down by heading towards the back of the combat area and climbing to about 30,000 ft. Head it off and you should be able to shoot it down. Quickly tap the Analog-stick Down as the mission starts.
If done correctly, the SR-71 (which is the orange triangle) should still be blinking. This is the chance to get the Sr-71. Using the X-02 is recommended, due to its powerful speed.

Hint: Shattered Skies: Yellows leave early:
Hitting a Yellow early will not kill them, but may make him and other Yellows leave the area early, after he gripes
about being hit.

Hint: Shattered Skies: Radio transmission:
Do not bother going after the Yellow Squadron fighters. They are nearly impossible to hit. If you do manage to get enough hits on one to qualify as a kill, it will not go down. Instead, a red radio transmission will appear as follows. Note: You do not get any points from it. Who was that who shot me? It was a Ribbon fighter!

Hint: Shattered Skies: Early giveaway:
During the mission you will hear one of the fighters say the following line: They are referring to the B-2 bombers that appear after the mission update.

Hint: Shattered Skies: Easy completion:
You will start the level with your enemy. You can blow a plane out of the sky if you do not move the plane at all. Use your afterburners to get close to them. When you can see recticles and the planes is on radar. shoot two missiles. The missiles should hit the plane that is directly on top of your plane. At about 15,000 feet, fly towards where the B2 bombers come from and you will see an E-676 worth 150 points. Then, fly towards the back of the level at about 36,000 feet to shoot down the SR-71, which is worth 200 points. Then, fly back to base shooting down planes along the way. After restocking, fly to the right and you will see a single plane if you are under the normal or higher difficulty setting. Shoot it down and you should have about 800 to 1,000 points. Afterwards, shoot down all the B2s and the rest of the planes to get an "S" rank. This will result in about 250,000 more credits.

Hint: Tango Line: Easy kills:
There are AV-8Bs within the mountains. Fly towards the northeast and a group of targets will appear. They are hidden in holes marked with a watch tower and an antenna. Fly over the hole. When slightly past it, pull up to about 10,000 feet. Dive and shoot as many AV-8Bs as possible. Any plane with spread bombs can be used due to the fact that there are multiple targets in each hole. The bombs will destroy all of them, including the ones taking off. Note: Do not fly into the holes; there is no way out and some practice is needed.

Hint: Whisky Corridor: Second SR-71:
There is a second SR-71 Blackbird on this mission. At any time during the mission, fly to the southwest corner of
the map at about 15,000 feet, just north of the RTB line.

Hint: Fly Erusian planes:
After you have shot down an ace on a level, highlight the plane that he was flying in the hangar. Press Down
after you have acquired or purchased the color. If it is the correct paint job, you will see the letters IF.I.A.IF. somewhere on the plane. The SU-37 has Yellow 13's paint job, the X-02 is white, since there is not an Erusian version. Also, the F-14 does not have the letters F.E.A.F., but has the Erusian symbol (an orange triangle with a white circle inside).

Hint: Missile dodging:
Under some difficulty settings, you can only be hit with a missile two or three times. This is different for the higher difficulty settings. In Ace mode, you will be shot down by one missile. Immediately when someone locks onto you and fires a missile, look at your radar. The moment when the missile is about to hit you, barrel roll. This is a difficult feat to perform but is quite impressive. This move only happens very rarely. If one of the planes lock on and manages to fire a missile and it is on your tail, you can blow a plane right out of the sky with the enemy's
missle. Rush towards an enemy that is coming at you. In the split second it is about there, try your best to dodge it. if done correctly, the enemy missile will hit the enemy. Another way of missile dodging happens when you have a missile on your tail. Dive down, come to about six to seven thousand feet, then rise up. The missile should deflect and hit the ground. This is also successful when you have ground targets. You can save your own missiles. Note: The X-02 stealth plane us recommended. When a you are fighting with difficult enemies, do not fly in a straight line to prevent incoming missiles.

Hint: Easier X-02s:
There is an easier way to get the three X-02s rather than going through the entire game. After the game is completed, the "Free Mission" option will be unlocked. Select this option and choose a difficulty setting (normal for the gray X-02, hard for the black X-02, or expert for the silver X-02). Select any mission to play on that difficulty setting. If you get an "S" rank on all the missions, the X-02 becomes available. This allows you to skip all of the missions you got an "S" on when you went through the full game. For example, if you got an "S" on all but three missions, you only have to play those missions instead of the entire game.

Hint: Easier ground battle:
The best way to destroy multiple ground targets is to fly the F-15 Active using the FREB (fuel - air explosive bomb). This will destroy about six to ten targets if they are close together.

Hint: Easy kills:
The best way to kill is to get in the cockpit view and go to work. When done correctly the kill will happen much
faster and you will save missiles. If done in the HUD view or where you can see the entire plane, then chances are you will waste several missiles trying to kill enemies. Also use your bullets wisely to cut off paths of escape; this will assist you further. When on a mission and are "dog-fighting" in air-to-air combat, press Circle (2). When you do this, you will fire two missiles at the same time. This destroys your target immediately with two shots, rather than hitting it only once and still having the risk of it shooting you and your allies. While dogfighting in air-to-air combat, switch to the cockpit view. Lock on to your nearest enemy and fire a missile. Immediately
after you fire the missile, shoot your guns. However, instead of hitting the enemy fighter, aim for the air in front and around it. The enemy fighter will try to dodge the bullets, thus steering into the missile's path. It is much easier to kill multiple ground targets on missions such as Whiskey Corridor by flying very slowly. You must figure
out what the stalling speed is and stay about 10 mph above it. This will allow you to shoot more than two missiles by letting them reload. It also lets you to get more machine gun rounds off and have better accuracy with bombs. It does not make much difference with napalm or spread bombs.

Hint: Easy "Yellow" kills:
Use the following trick to kill the Yellows during the final missions. First, acquire the SU-37. Then, go into battle
with the QAAM (the SU-37's default weapon) equipped. When you engage a Yellow, immediately lock-on and fire a QAAM at him. This weapon will travel to the ends of the earth to hunt down its target. Even if it takes five minutes, the missile is 99% likely to hit the Yellow. With an average of five Yellows a mission (except the last one), they will be easy. This trick also works with other airborne targets. Note: You may not always hear the Yellows say that they have been shot down. Sometimes you will hear AWACS or a friendly say "A Yellows hit and trailing smoke. Whose kill was that?"

Hint: Defeating Megalith:
Use the following trick to defeat Megalith with an "S" rank. First, destroy all Yellow aircraft possible. Next, fly past Megalith until you see an red-orange triangle. Shoot that aircraft down and return to Megalith. Go through the right tunnel and shoot the generator. Continue to destroy the next generator in the left tunnel. Now, go to the side of Megalith and destroy the last generator. After all generators are gone, destroy the two missiles that appear just ahead. Turn around as fast as possible, as the next two missiles will only remain for a minute after the generators are destroyed. Next, destroy the big missile in the center and do not forget to pull up. You will first start the mission with a few groups of Yellow Squadron. You can fight these or go directly to the Megalith by flying up to about 35,000 ft. then going back down after you have passed the Yellows. When you get to the Megalith you should see green lines on the radar. These are tunnels. First, go to the one on the right. Unless you are a very skilled flier it is recommended that you fly slowly down the tunnel. When you get to your target, use missiles. It should only take one, but fire two anyway. After you fly out of the tunnel must go left to the other one. When you get to it, circle around and go in. This tunnel is a little difficult; if you want to get out as fast as possible you must fly through a small area in the roof of the tunnel. Then, go back to the final tunnel by the left side of the Megalith. The entrance is in between two big things. After you destroy that you will be notified about several rockets (big and small ones). First, go as fast as you can and destroy the smaller ones for more points.
Then quickly go to the tunnel directly in front of the Megalith. Go slightly faster and shoot several missiles at the target missile. You must be careful when exiting. If you wreck or crash into the wall you must restart the entire mission. If you make it out you will have completed the game.

Hint: Dogfighting:
When in a dogfight, there are some things you can do to help. First, do not go after the Yellows. Also, choose a plane that does well in air to air attacks. Use the machine gun if the target is close. Do not waste your missiles, as there may be a surprise during the mission (as in the Shattered Skies level). In this level, after the time is up and you have enough points, six B2 bombers appear. Finally, Do not stay too low. You must to learn how to control every aspect of your fighter. One thing you must do is learn how to use your airbrakes. Mastering the use of this will help you swing the tail end of your jet around and get behind your enemy faster. Also, learn how to do is maneuver at high speeds, close to the ground. This not only helps evade missiles (which will crash harmlessly into the ground), but in multi-player mode when your playing someone who is not proficient at flying low. Even in close range, if you have a straight lock, use it. If you definitely know that the enemy will not move in time, taking them down with a missile is faster and more efficient than using guns. Besides, you can reload at any point in the mission. Finally, use your radar to its full advantage, watching for enemies not only behind you, but on your left and right as well. If you know they are coming, then the attacks they send can be easily avoided and have no effect on your fighting. Mastering these things are the main ways to become a top ace at dogfighting.

Hint: Destroying SAMs:
Fly straight towards the SAM. Pitch the plane up and down when the SAM fires a missile. Once you get a lock on the SAM. fire a missile and continue doing the up and down maneuvers until the its missile loses track.

Hint: Evading SAMs:
In order to successfully evade a SAM, fly directly at it at full speed. If you feel the engagement is not good, then
break off. However, do not break off until you have tried at least once. If it works, you will pass over it and any missile fired will miss you. When you pass over the SAM, hit the brakes, turn sharply, and head at it again, but this time fire. Pass the SAM at about 100 feet. It is possible to make two missals that are following you collide
by doing a tight and fast barrel roll.

Hint: Evading AA gunfire:
Barrel roll and you will only get hit with one or two bullets maximum. Note: This trick is especially useful in Ace
mode, when a good round of bullets can get you killed.

Hint: Losing tough enemies:
Use the following tricks when you have a group of enemies on you, or just one that will not give up. Find a very mountainous area and try to lose your enemy in there at full speed. Zigzag in and out until the enemy cannot find you. They will not follow you into this mountain area. If dealing with multiple enemies, disengage, climb to 40,000 feet at full throttle, take a breather, then re-engage and destroy the enemy. Use this technique against
the Yellow Squadron in the second part of the Siege Of Farbanti mission.

Hint: Larger area of destruction with FAEB:
On any ground mission, choose a plane with the FAEB equipped. Enter the mission and fly to the area that you want to destroy. Once you have a target selected, instead of just flying over it to drop the bomb, fly vertically and flip over to go straight at the targets. Drop the bomb while nose diving towards the target; the higher the better. You may want to reduce your speed to gain better accuracy. Once the bomb is released, quickly nose back up so you do not crash into the ground. This may take some practice, but is well worth it. Note: this trick works very well on the oil rig in mission 5.

Hint: Dive bomb:
Make sure your plane is at least 400 feet in altitude, then pull back on the Analog-stick until you flip. When
you go down, shoot at your target then pull up to an altitude of at least 100 feet.

Hint: Watch missile or bomb when fired:
While flying any jet, lock on to a target (ground or air) and hold Circle. This will allow you to watch your missile or bomb from the time it leaves the jet until it hits the target. Note: You have to be careful or your jet may crash.

Hint: Fly with missile:
Play in free flight mode with a fast jet. Flip on the afterburners and fly up at a 45 degree angle. Get up to about
47,000 ft. When you get up to 1120 mph, do a vertical nose dive with the afterburners still on. Continue in the dive until you get down to 15,000 feet and level off. If you got your speed up to at least 1375 mph, switch the view to behind the plane and fire a missile. If you are flying fast enough, you should see the missile flying along side your plane.

Hint: Fly at Mach 1:
It is possible to fly at Mach 1. Get any aircraft and accelerate to 760 mph, which is Mach 1.

Hint: Nose dive recovery:
If you are in a nose dive and your speed is over 700 mph, do not drop below 2,000 feet. There is a small chance that your plane will pull up again because gravity will pull it down into the ground. If you are, lucky you will escape with 98% damage.

Hint: Flying low:
In any of the missions that require you to fly below 2,000 feet to avoid Stonehenge attacks, just fly slow. The slower you fly the easier it is to maintain a steady flight.

Hint: Eliminating ground targets:
Ground targets such as SAMs have the same lock-on range as you do. If you are targeting a SAM, as soon as you get a lock-on, so does the SAM. Similarly, AA guns have the same firing range as your gun. If you can hit them, they can hit you. The best way to take on SAMs is to play chicken and fly into them head on. Do not bother using your guns or secondary weapons, even if they are for ground targets. Most ground-based secondary weapons are
for multiple targets. As soon as you get a lock-on, fire one missile then bank to avoid the SAMs missile. One missile is enough to destroy targets such as SAMs, AA guns, tanks, launchers, howitzers, watchtowers, and most ships. Ground targets such as pillboxes and batteries take two missiles under the harder difficulty settings.

Hint: Returning to base:
If you are in a mission and you run out of ammunition or sustain more than 70% damage , there is nothing more you can do since you can no longer attack. Immediately fly south toward the dotted line on your map at full throttle. If you cross this line, you will return to base to refuel and refit your plane as well as repair all the damage you have taken. When you cross the dotted line, you will get a message stating you are returning
to base. You will see a sequence where your plane drops its landing gear, preparing to land. You can try to land the plane yourself or press Start to skip the landing and go directly to sitting on the runway. Either way, you will have a chance to change your secondary weapon. This is useful when you get a mission update and go from taking on ground targets to dog fighting in the middle of a mission.

Hint: Shorter time in chases or returning to base:
Players can travel a long distance when going into battle or when returning to base in all the missions. Long distances are quickly covered by flying below 300 feet with afterburners. Over oceans, the altimeter is safe to trust however be careful when flying where battle missions are at high altitude, such as at mountain elevations. If you are not sure, skim the battlefield and read the ground elevation mark. Whiskey Trench or Broken Arrows
are both high altitudes in the desert or Arctic. Use the altimeter instead of judging by sight. The sea is filled with icebergs, but there is a path to fly below 300 feet to quickly reach its most northern targets. Generally the lower you fly, the farther you will cover. Watch your altimeter and look for canyon floors, low valleys, or the sea if nearby to get the chance to do some low fast flying.

Hint: Recommended aircraft:
The best aircraft (non-X02) for each level are as follows. Note: Every plane except the F-14 and F15 ACTIVE should use secondary weapons.

Level 1: F-14
Level 2: F-15 ACTIVE
Level 3: SU-37A
Level 4 :F-4, F-16
Level 5: F-16
Level 6: F-16
Level 7: F-14
Level 8: SU-37A, F-14
Level 9: F-18
Level 10: F-18
Level 11: F-14
Level 12: SU-37A
Level 13: F-22
Level 14: F-14
Level 15: F-15 ACTIVE
Level 16: F-22, F-18, SU37A
Level 17: SU-37A
Level 18: SU-37A

Glitch: Impossible speed:
This trick only works with jets that have high speed and can go over 40,000 feet in altitude (X-02, S-37, Su-37). Press R2 to go way up holding down over 40,000 feet (near space). Keep going in a circle while R2 is held. Go up and down slightly until the speed reaches 1665, then dive. If done correctly, when you dive the impossible speed should be about 1788 (if fast enough). Actually it will be about 1725. Note: Try practicing this trick in free flight mode.

Glitch: Knife edge super strong wings:
It is possible to dip your wing under water at high speeds. If you fly knife edge on any water level, you can slowly
dip one of your wings into the water. This can be done at speeds up to 1200 mph. You must go to the reverse view to see the water splashing. One combination that definitely works is the F-15 ACTIVE on the Shattered Skies level.