Episode list

Dr. Charles Moffet develops a new prototype super-helicopter code named "Airwolf" for the FIRM (CIA cover), but at the demonstration for the brass assassinates Senator William Dietz, destroys the control center, and disappears with it to Khadafy's Libya, where he proves French mirages and American destroyers are no match for Airwolf and sadistically enjoys excessive privileges. FIRM head Michael Coldsmith Briggs III, nicknamed 'Archangel', is hell-bent to recover Airwolf, so he and his sexy colleague Gabrielle Ademaur spare no effort to recruit by seduction or by blackmail the brilliant Vietnam vet pilot Stringfellow Hawke, who lives as a recluse with his dog but works as a Hollywood stunt pilot with his business partner Dominic Santini. Having his grandfather's priceless stolen art collection "taken hostage" and losing the movie job, he accepts under one tough condition: Archangel most locate his brother St. John, MIA and presumed killed in action, hoping for a rescue.

Hawke is reluctant to accept a temporary assignment to his old Air Force test pilots unit in order to identify the traitor who is expected to fly a novel aircraft from Alaska to Siberia. He accepts, with Dominic undercover as cleaner, learning about half-blood orphan boy Ho Minh Truong, whom the KGB took as bargaining chip to blackmail the US presumed father. Hawke believes he sired it with mother Nhi Houng, but she maintains the father is his old Vietnam war buddy major Sam Roper, who now commands the unit and becomes prime suspect. Hawke makes a deal, the boy for Airwolf or preventing the treason, then takes over the flight and delivers nothing but destruction to the Soviets on their own airfield, while rescuing the kid.

While on a job assignment to Acapulco, Mexico, Dominic Santini's regular helicopter (unaware of young stowaway Phoebe Danner) is sabotaged, shot and crashes in a desolate mountain ranching area. Archangel discovers the man behind the bombing is rival brass agent Mitchell Bruck, who wants to topple Archangel's position at The F.I.R.M., using Santini as bait to capture Airwolf. His drug-corrupt Mexican accomplice, colonel Martine Arias, is no match however for Hawke, who uses Airwolf to the maximum, while bribed locals help Rick survive with Phoebe.

Archangel sends Hawke and Santini to help F.I.R.M. double-agent Vladimir 'Moses' Rostoff escape the Soviet Union. He is in possession of a lethal neurotoxin developed by Russian scientists that is valuable to the F.I.R.M., but complicates the mission by refusing to leave without his wife and daughter Tanya and Natalia. Airwolf 's fuel consumption rates mean that she cannot cover the requisite distance with the "extra weight" of three passengers, and pick them up form a residetial area. Hawke and Santini can only make up the difference by removing the weapons systems, leaving the helicopter unarmed as it flies through hostile Soviet territory.

After stunt pilot Vinnie crashes attempting to land on a driving truck, studio boss Philip Maurice and his deputy Simon Sayes hire Santini Air to save the film project. String refuses such a merely commercial job, even as wing-man on the ground, but Dom insists to accept and do the flying to prove if he still can at his age, stating even if it kills him. He even accepts a contract clause to pay for the studio losses if he fails, which he couldn't afford. String asks Archangel to stop Dom by FIRM's government pull, but hearing Maurice is involved, he convinces String to take over as that's an international crime mastermind, who caused the death of an agent Michael cares about, and must plan the stunt as a cover for a major robbery. Racing against time they work out it must be a government gold transport heist and confront the fiends.

Hawke meets a mercenary who claims to have information regarding his missing brother.

Hawke reluctantly agrees, with amused Dominic, to be hired by cocky Israeli Nazi-hunter Sarah Lebow, who seeks revenge on former Dachau camp commandant Helmut Krüger, who turned the tables by killing her father, under the pseudonym Hans Daubert. He's now an international arms dealer with a fortified estate in Paraguay. Archangel strongly advises against meddling with him, but fails to holding back the Santini Air team, who fields Airwolf, risking a confrontation with the prime weapon system on auction right then: US quadruple anti-aircraft missile system Thor. Archangel gets involved, being Krüger's main supplier, as Hawke suspects with a brilliant patriotic agenda, but Sarah stops at nothing - several duels are inevitable.

Dominic accepts to deliver $2,000,000 ransom for two Cuban political prisoners by plane, but raiders steal the cash and he must crash-land back on Cuba due to a storm. Despite the hurricane, Hawke flies to the rescue in Airwolf, and helps Dom shake off suspicion by setting things right. Archangels seems involved in supplying weapons to the thug militia.

North and South Limbawe are in conflict over oil and a despotic General plans to overthrow his own government in South Limbawe and attacks his neighbors to the North. String and Dom are sent by Archangel to aid North Limbawe and it's leader, Seku Logana, but Logana has his own prejudices about receiving aid for his cause. Also in the mix is an old Vietnam buddy of Hawke's, Marty Vidor, who is working as a mercenary for South Limbawe, and Hawke is hesitant to take him on since Vidor just may know the location of the missing Saint John.

Dr. Robert Winchester is a brilliant researcher and a former test pilot who helped design Airwolf. Now, he's asking for Hawke's help in test flying a simulator that he's designed to enable the Firm to train future test pilots to fly Airwolf. Reluctantly, Hawke agrees, but determines that the simulator's "feel" is a little off. Archangel convinces Hawke to let Winchester hook up the real Airwolf to his computers in order to get a more realistic demonstration. This allows Winchester to engage in a little friendly flying competition with Hawke but it also allows the Russians to nearly get their hands on the high tech super copter.

Archangel warns String about a zealous government bureaucrat named D.G. Bogard who will stop at nothing until he finds Airwolf. Dom and Hawke take time out from shooting a military training film to hide Airwolf in a different location before it can be discovered, but Bogard catches on to their ruse and tracks Hawke back to the new hideaway. To complicate things, an eager pilot tails Dom and Hawke in an effort to convince Santini that she deserves a job working for his company.