It's late summer, 1952, and I am piloting an F51D Mustang in Korea in support of the ground offensive. On this particular mission we are carrying napalm and hard bombs, and I am leading the second flight of four aircraft.

We pull low over a hill, and something catches my eye at the edge of my vision. Damn! The telltale glint of sun off a canopy indicates bandits coming in at 10 o'clock high. A flight of four MiGs is bearing down on us and we are forced to drop our ordnance as we pass the crest of the hill.

I call the element to break right and my wingman and I break left. It won't be an even match but my pilots are all WWII vets and can push their aircraft to the maximum...

MiG Alley Mustang

Inbound in F51D

Welcome to MiG Alley

MiG Alley is based on the Korean War: 1950-53. It was the first conflict that saw major jet vs jet dogfights, but in this transitional era there were also jet vs prop encounters. Flyable aircraft include all the following with the exception of the B29 and F82.

• F86 Sabre
• MiG 15
• F84 Thunderjet
• F80 Shooting Star
• B29 (big bomber)
• F51 Mustang and F82 Twin Mustang

The Campaigns

The conflict started in 1950, and Rowan models the beginnings with a sequence of small contained mini-campaigns. The face of the war changed constantly throughout the first year and much as they did with Flying Corps, the designers felt that approaching each key turning point as a separate campaign was the way to go.

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The mini-campaigns cover such moments as North Korean's initial shock invasion of the South, the UN's desperate defence at the Pusan perimeter until the Inchon landing, the Chinese Intervention and UN retreat from North Korea, and the appearance of MiGs in MiG Alley.

1951 sees the beginning of the "Spring Offensive," the main Campaign that covers the period from January to July when the Reds are preparing for their big offensive. At this stage UN ground forces have stabilised a front line and the war could go either way. During this campaign, the player takes on the role of Supreme Air Commander and must manage the entire UN effort in support of the ground forces. This covers the whole country and every aspect of warfare.

By 1952 the war turned into a bloody stalemate with both sides trying to gain advantageous positions before the end of the peace talks. During this period, the player is given the chance to fly special missions like an attack on a Hydro-Electric dam.

Mission Planner

The campaigns revolve around the map screen which is essentially a Mission Planner. Rowan has enabled three distinct methods of mission generation depending on how much involvement in the process the player prefers. This is a VERY powerful tool and you can get much more involved than you can with Falcon4.

Up to ten completely independent missions can be set up for any session, with each mission consisting of up to six waves of aircraft. A "wave" is made up of the Strike or Main Duty Group that can be supported by an Air Cover Group and an AAA group. Each wave can have its own Time on Target. This system allows the player to design many small missions or a few complex missions in a session. You even manage the pilots themselves!

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