Carrier Air Wing (bootleg set 1 (with 2xYM2203 + 2xMSM5205), U.S. navy 901012 etc) [Bootleg]

This Carrier Air Wing bootleg plays identically to the official 1990 Capcom release, with an 8-way joystick for movement and three action buttons for standard fire, homing missiles, and screen-clearing special bombs. For new players, start with the F/A-18 Hornet: it offers balanced firepower, reliable homing missile tracking, and a wide-area special bomb that forgives minor positioning mistakes, making it perfect for first playthroughs. If you are an experienced shmup player chasing high scores, pick the F-14D Tomcat, which boasts the fastest fire rate and most concentrated damage output to melt boss health bars quickly, though its smaller bomb blast requires more precise timing to use effectively. For 2-player co-op runs, pair one F-14D pilot for boss damage with one A-6E Intruder pilot, whose wide spread shot clears swarms of small enemy aircraft to protect your teammate. Prioritize collecting red “P” power-ups first to upgrade your main cannon to its maximum level (4 upgrades total), as losing a life resets all your power upgrades entirely, so avoid unnecessary risk while you are stacked. Save your special bombs for two scenarios only: when you are trapped by an unavoidable wall of enemy fire, or when a boss unleashes its high-damage ultimate attack. There are hidden bonus pickups across levels, including a secret 1-UP in level 5, hidden behind the control tower of the background aircraft carrier: fly directly up to the tower and fire repeatedly to unlock it. The final boss’ only weak point is its central cockpit, so focus all your fire there once you disable its side turrets to finish the run quickly.