Developed by Ubisoft's Bucharest studio, Tom Clancy's HAWX delivers an intense and authentic aerial combat experience by fully leveraging the benefits of the next-generation platform. The story begins in the year 2012. As the era of the nation-state draws quickly to a close, the rules of warfare evolve even more rapidly. More and more nations become increasingly dependent on private military companies (PMCs), elite mercenaries with a lax view of the law. The Reykjavik Accords further legitimize their existence by authorizing their right to serve in every aspect of military operations. While the benefits of such PMCs are apparent, growing concerns surrounding giving them too much power begin to mount.

Tom Clancy's HAWX is the first air combat game set in the world-renowned Tom Clancy's video game universe. Cutting-edge technology, devastating firepower, and intense dogfights bestow this new title a deserving place in the prestigious Tom Clancy franchise. Soon, flying at Mach 3 becomes a right, not a privilege.

Tom Clancy's HAWX uses an Enhanced Reality System to turn novice gaming aviators into the elite fighter pilots of the future, featuring weapons systems, interception trajectories, incoming missile detection, anti-crash systems, damage assessment, tactical maps and the ability for pilots to issue orders to their squadron and other units – all of which will be radically enhanced through amBX. The Philips amBX PC Gaming Peripherals range, including RGB LED lights capable of 16 million different colours, variable speed desktop fans capable of up to 5000 RPM and the variable rotation speed wrist rumble strip, will create all kinds of spectacular air combat lighting, air movement and rumble effects, taking the gameplay out of the screen and into the real world.

Composer and music producer Tom Salta, whose previous credits include the MTV VMA-nominated original score for Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon: Advanced Warfighter (GRAW) and the sequel GRAW 2, has written and recorded the exhilarating original music score for Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X.

To emphasize the game's cutting-edge technology, devastating firepower, and intense dogfights, Salta composed an adrenalized and emotionally-charged live orchestral / electronic hybrid score recorded at Legacy Studios in New York with A-list musicians from the New York Philharmonic and Metropolitan Opera Orchestra.

"In Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X we had to explore five emotional dimensions: the patriot, the life of a mercenary, betrayal, hopelessness and open war on U.S. soil," said Emil Gheorghe, producer of H.A.W.X. "Tom Salta managed not only to tie all these elements together in an astoundingly rich and memorable score but he also crafted an acoustical identity for our game to stand up in the midst of the Tom Clancy's titles. Using orchestral arrangements, high-tech sounds and a mix of traditional instruments, he built an incredibly diverse soundtrack ranging from flavorful traditional themes to military tracks."

A Tom Clancy’s H.A.W.X demo is currently available for download on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, with a PC scheduled for Feb. 26, 2009.

Key features of the H.A.W.X demo:

• Co-op enabled for up to 4 players – Jump in/Jump out
• Gain experience points and unlock up to three real, licensed planes in the demo:
  • F-16A Fighting Falcon
  • SU-35 Super Flanker
  • AV-8B Harrier II
• Choose between two different game modes:
  • Normal – Default control type
  • Expert – Allows full control over the aircraft in “Assistance Off” mode
• Two heart-pounding missions:
  • Operation: Off Certification (Training mode)
• • Operation: Glass Hammer (Rio De Janeiro)
• Take flight over GeoEye technology (the world’s best satellite data), and witness Brazil like never before
• Learn the skills of an elite pilot in “Assistance Off” mode and pull extreme maneuvers
• Learn to use the Enhanced Reality System in “Assistance On” mode, where your plane’s computer calculates the best interception course for you to follow to attack an enemy, evade a missile or hit a ground target

Key Features:

• E.R.S. is in-game technology that helps turn novice aviators into elite pilots of the future. The Enhanced Reality System is the backbone of the HAWX flight experience: radars and incoming missile detection, anti-crash system, damage control system, tactical map and information relay, and weapons trajectory control. E.R.S. also allows players to issue orders to their squadron, making this system as iconic to HAWX as the Cross-Com system is to Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter!
• Players can ease into their flight missions and gain a level of comfort with the use of the assistance mode. Once employed, players can take full advantage of their technological support through the E.R.S and gain maximum piloting security. If the situation calls for the player to unleash the full potential of the aircraft, the assistance mode can be switched off and all safety features will be deactivated. This comes with increased risks, but allows the player advanced dogfighting maneuvers and stunning third-person views.
• For the first time ever in the air-combat genre, players will be able to experience the entire solo campaign in four-player JUMP IN co-op mode. In PVP mode, players can challenge up to 15 friends in intense dogfighting sessions and find out who's the top gun. Winning players are rewarded with experience points and money to unlock more weapons.
• Players have the opportunity to take the throttle of over 50 of the world's famous aircrafts, as well as being able to dogfight over realistic modern landscapes that have endured years of post-war trauma.