The game uses the F-14B version of the F-14 Tomcat even where anachronistic because the developers found the original, underpowered F-14A unforgiving and "not much fun" in an entertainment flight simulator.

[2] Fleet Defender models detailed carrier operations including air traffic and take-off/landing under various conditions.

Emphasis is placed on using the AIM-54 Phoenix missile as a standoff weapon where possible, rather than engaging the more nimble Soviet fighters in close-quarters dogfighting.

Wingmen formations and support aircraft can also be controlled; unlike previous MicroProse simulations, as Computer Gaming World reported in 1994, "No longer do you alone, armed with a single aircraft and eight missiles, engage the entire third world".

The magazine concluded that "Fleet Defender is an outstanding simulator that will serve to reestablish MicroProse as a major player in the flight sim wars".