Pressing button 2 launches a powerful special attack; uses are limited to how many B items the player has collected (every life starts with two).

[3] In Japan, Game Machine listed Aero Fighters on their May 1, 1992 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit of the month.

"[6] GamePro gave the Super NES version a negative review, saying the weapons are imaginative but the game suffers from slowdown, mediocre graphics, weak sound effects, and "monotonous" music, concluding that "Aero Fighters' action won't stay with you - it's a temporary thrill that eventually retreats to the hanger.

"[7] An emulated version of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 as part of the Japan-exclusive Oretachi Gēsen Zoku series.

Shin Nakamura, the main designer of Aero Fighters and a number of other Video System games, disliked the company's plan to start developing on the Neo Geo.

He wanted to make more vertical games like Aero Fighters, but found it difficult to do so on a horizontal monitor.

Back at Video System, meanwhile, other employees teamed up with the remaining Aero Fighters staff to begin work on sequels.

Sonic Wings Special, a sort of "dream match" game based on the three previous entries, was released for the Sega Saturn and later for the PlayStation.