What Tomcat was used in Top Gun?
Joseph Russell
Updated on June 03, 2026
The F-14A Tomcat is a unique aircraft released under the original Top Gun flight program by Northrop Grumman. The F-14A was used as the main aircraft for the 1980s hit, Top Gun starring Tom Cruise as “Maverick”. Returning to this iconic film production, you can now build your own F-14A in 1:48 scale!
What F-14 was used in Top Gun?
However, the sequel does remind us of the original starring military aircraft that became a cult icon following the first film. That aircraft is of course the F-14 Tomcat. The Tomcat shot to fame thanks to the original Top Gun film, and was an aircraft already popular with those in the aviation world.Is the F-14 in Top Gun: Maverick?
In Top Gun-Maverick an F-14 piloted by Maverick with Rooster as his weapons systems officer shot down two Su-57 fighters in air to air combat.What fighter jets were used in Top Gun?
The aircraft used for the fictional MiG-28s are Northrop F-5E (single seat) and F (two seat) Tiger IIs, which were used by TOP GUN as aggressor aircraft.What aircraft was in Top Gun?
- This still from "Top Gun: Maverick" shows a cameo by Lockheed Martin's SR-72 hypersonic stealth plane in development now. ( ...
- A look at the fictional piloted version of the SR-72 Darkstar hypersonic plane in "Top Gun: Maverick." ( ...
- Artist rendering of Lockheed Martin's SR-72 (Image credit: Lockheed Martin)
Now We Know What Happens with the F-14 Tomcat in TOP GUN MAVERICK
Did Tom Cruise fly an F-14?
“I got to actually fly in an F-14 jet which was a dream come true, and play a character I loved in Maverick,” the three-time Oscar nominee said. In the latest installmemt of the blockbuster film series, Tom Cruise performed more plane stunts than ever in his life.Is F-18 better than F-14?
The F-14 is much faster and more powerful than the F/A-18, with a top speed of 2.34 Mach, while the Super Hornet reaches Mach 1.8. The F/A-18, however, is more agile than the F-14 as it only needs one pilot instead of two.Did Tom Cruise fly a fighter jet in Top Gun?
Cruise wanted all the actors portraying pilots in the movie to fly in one of the fighter jets, so they could know what it feels like to operate an aircraft under the pressure of immense gravitational forces. Cruise also flew in a jet for the original "Top Gun" in 1986.What jet did Viper fly in Top Gun?
F-16N Viper HistoryThe F-16N was developed as a “chase plane” and used in an aggressor role at Top Gun, Mirimar California, where it would play the role of the “bad guy” in air combat maneuvers (ACM) and training.