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How the US Navy is enhancing TOPGUN training

With the spotlight on the silver screen for Top Gun: Maverick earlier this year, Nate Leong details ongoing changes to enhance training for the US Navy’s own Top Guns at NAS Fallon

Behind the Scenes of Top Gun: Maverick – Filming the aerial sequences

Some of the cast and crew from Top Gun: Maverick describe how the stunning flying scenes were captured on film

Top Gun: Maverick – What it’s like flying in the F/A-18 Super Hornet

The ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ director and producer give some insights into the film and members of the cast describe what it’s like to fly in an F/A-18F Super Hornet

NAWDC operates previously embargoed F-16A/B Block 15 OCUs as part of its adversary fleet. US Department of Defense Feature Premium

What is TOPGUN like today?

More than 50 years after its formation, TOPGUN adheres to the same basic tenet of delivering excellence to the Fleet

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Insights from a real TOPGUN instructor

Retired US Navy CDR Jim ‘Jambo’ Ray shares some of his experiences as a TOPGUN instructor with Dr Kevin Wright

TOPGUN shares access to the Super Hornet with NAWDC’s other components, but on occasion borrows aircraft from other units. Those include VFA-106, one of which squadron’s F/A-18Fs is seen here during a training mission at El Centro, California. US Navy Feature Premium

The F/A-18 Super Hornet: the star of Top Gun Maverick

Like the Hornet before it, the Super Hornet’s arrival into US Navy service was via a somewhat unusual route. Today it delivers world-class capability from the carrier deck

An A-4E ‘Mongoose’ (the unofficial name for this sub-type) awaits its next sortie from Naval Air Station Miramar. These jets were fast and manoeuvrable, making them excellent adversaries. US NAVY Feature Premium

TOPGUN - The early years

Marcelo Ribeiro marked the 50th anniversary of the US Navy’s iconic dissimilar air combat training squadron – TOPGUN – in 2019 by exploring its formative years

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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

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Boeing F/A-18 Hornet vs Super Hornet: what's the difference?

Tom Kaminski assesses the US Navy’s Hornets and Super Hornets and compares their capabilities.

VF-124 was the Tomcat RAG. This Miramar line-up had been prepared for an inspection. US Navy Feature Premium

Miramar – TOPGUN’s Ancestral Home

TOPGUN was established as the Navy Fighter Weapons School, out of VF-121 at Naval Air Station Miramar. Today, the facility is a key US Marine Corps station