The evil alien Hood demands that the Thunderbirds hand over all their vehicles within a 60 day time period or threaten to bombard Earth with meteors. The Thunderbirds have decided to search for places containing Hood's energy sources during this time, taking them on missions across North America, the Indian Ocean, and Asia.
As you fly through each location, you'll pilot five different futuristic aircraft: the Mach 20 Thunderbird 1 Rocket, the Neptune Hydro-Turbojet, and the Fire Flash Atomic plane. Each vehicle has a limited number of hits before being grounded, after which it will require three days to repair.
Enemies include poisonous space scorpions, mutant sea worms, and even environmental hazards like fire-spitting volcanoes. Defeating certain enemies can grant you power-ups, such as replenished health, increased firepower, or additional orbital ships to aid in combat.