What is the real TOPGUN like?

The long-awaited sequel to the movie Top Gun will be a Hollywood depiction of what happens at the US Navy Fighter Weapons School. Jamie Hunter and Richard Collens tell the story of the real TOPGUN — a school of combat excellence in the high desert

Mention the term TOPGUN and many will immediately recount a line or refer to a scene from the 1986 Hollywood blockbuster starring Tom Cruise. The eagerly awaited sequel is placing the spotlight firmly back on the US Navy Fighter Weapons School (NFWS), the formal name for this surprisingly publicity-shy organization. With its 50th anniversary in 2019, the real TOPGUN is focused on the mission at hand — creating the world’s greatest fighter pilots. Yet from both sides of the silver screen, this famous school is once again locking an exemplary public image of US naval aviation into the minds of millions.

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