Ah okay, yeah the trick there is that you can usually out range the soldiers manning the MG's on the ground, and they have blind spots that you can exploit. If you can take out one head on, then you can usually work your way through the rest by attacking them from behind. There's a new mission coming out in a demo update this week where you can fly around attacking targets of opportunity, that only ends when you return to your airfield. There's also missions under development that specifically target convoys of trucks and trains.
Yes, sim-lite is probably a good description of the game, it's possible to play it like an arcade game if that's what you enjoy, but it's also possible to play it more like a simulator if that's what you're looking for.