With Tom Cruise). However, this time around Maverick won’t be piloting his famed F-14 Tomcat from the original film, but rather a more modern and agile aircraft.
Throughout the original film Top Gun, Maverick piloted the F-14 Tomcat. The plane was built in the early 1980s to defend the Navy’s carriers from potential soviet attacks, mainly bombers. The F-14 Tomcat was designed to intercept these bombers at high speeds in enough time to keep the carriers out of range of an attack. The F-14 Tomcat boasted a large radar along with the AIM-54 Phoenix air-to-air missile, which could be carried in clusters of up to six on the aircraft. Additionally, the craft could hit speeds up to 1544 mph (miles per hour) making it ideal for intercepting other aircraft. Over time, the F-14 Tomcat became less popular due to their cost to maintain and difficulty to operate. Ultimately, the aircraft was retired in 2006.
In Top Gun: Maverick, the ace pilot will now be flying the F/A-18F Super Hornet. The Aviationist posted leaked photos from a Hollywood gossip site back in September of 2018 that showed a F/A-18F Super Hornet with “Capt. Pete Mitchell ‘Maverick’” labeled on its side, along with a blue stripe and three fighter jet markings, most likely for the three fictional MiG-28s he shot down in the original film.
Maverick’s new aircraft was introduced in the mid 1990s. The aircraft provides a more diverse role than the F-14 Tomcat, as it has both air-to-ground and air-to-air capabilities, with its primary function being the suppression of enemy air defences. The F/A-18F Super Hornet is designed for a two-person crew, both seats have pilot capabilities; however, the back seat is generally for a Weapons System Officer. The F/A-18F Super Hornet can reach speeds up to 1190 mph, putting it 350 mph slower than the F-14 Tomcat, but the F/A-18F Super Hornet has increased agility and better control than the F-14 Tomcat. In an interview with Popular Science, former F/A-18F Super Hornet pilot and TOPGUN instructor Vincent “Jell-O” Aiello says, “The F-18, while very capable, and extremely competent in its own right, doesn’t quite have the same bad-boy image as an F-14.”
The F/A-18F Super Hornet should provide a new modern element to Top Gun: Maverick. Additionally, the two-person crew of the aircraft is expected to give more dialogue between characters, specifically Maverick and whoever his co-pilot is (maybe Goose’s son?).
Fans should also be excited because even though the F-14 Tomcat has been retired, at the very end of the Top Gun: Maverick trailer, the plane can be seen flying over snowy mountaintops. It is unknown if Maverick will once again fly his famed F-14 Tomcat or whether it was just a flashback. Find out for yourself on June 26, 2020 when Top Gun: Maverick makes its anticipated release.
More: Top Gun 2 Trailer Breakdown: 13 Characters And Story Reveals
