In both modes of gameplay, players have access to three different categories of weapons that they can use in battles, either selected before or acquired during a game - Main Weapons, covering rifles, sub-machine guns, auto/assault rifles, shotguns and anti-tank weapons; Side-arms, which have infinite ammo and are mainly used as a back-up when out of ammo for main weapons; and grenades. Traditional game mechanics for the game such as crouching and "cooking" grenades, are complemented with the ability to lean out of cover to take shots at enemies, while players may also engage opponents in close combat. Like many games in the Medal of Honor series, players have a health bar, divided into four units, that begins to deplete when taking damage; if the player avoids taking any damage, the current unit of health being depleted will regenerate in time, but any units lost will require the player to find first aid kits. The HUD allows the player to keep track of what weapon they are using, the amount of ammo they have in it and on hand to reload it with, how many grenades they have, and a compass that keeps track of where allies and enemies are, along with markers indicating which direction a player is being damaged from and where active grenades have landed.
What makes Airborne unique in the series is the ability for players to choose where they land as a paratrooper on the battlefield in both modes. Once a player begins descending onto the map they are fighting on, they can direct where they will begin from, controlling the speed of the descent, thus giving greater flexibility and strategy on how they deal with enemies, with the added ability of being able to kick enemies they land upon.