This U.S. Navy film from the early 1970s starts with a discussion of how in the first five months of 1968, Navy pilots only achieved an “unacceptable” 3:1 kill ratio over North Vietnamese Migs. As the narrator explains, the small Migs were able to outmaneuver U.S. aircraft in combat. The Navy Fighter Weapons School or “Top Gun” was created as a response to this problem, using the A-4 Skyhawk as the adversary aircraft. The results were extraordinary, with an increase in kill ratio to 13:1 in a fairly short time. Top Gun became a permanent command.

At 1:56, the T-38 Talon, a Mach 1 trainer, is shown used at Top Gun. At 2:18, the Northrop F-5E Tiger II is shown being used as an adversary aircraft. Classroom instruction is seen at 3:00, showing the five week curriculum which includes 90 hours of ground school. At 4:29, Navy pilots flying the F-14 Tomcat are seen taking off for dogfight maneuvers against A-4s, T-38s and F-5s, which are seen in camouflage paint schemes. At 5:10, ground crews relay information about bogey locations, and dogfight maneuvers are seen. These maneuvers are recorded on the Air Combat Maneuvering Range (ACMR) which can be used later as a debriefing device in the classroom. At 7:00, classroom analysis of the encounter is conducted in a reconstruction of a dogfight.

At 9:00, instructor staff takes on the students in a classic Top Gun exercise, with the staff playing the role of enemy interceptors that are attempting to penetrate to and then destroy a bomber force. The intense maneuvers shown here are truly remarkable demonstrations of the agility of the F-14 in combat. At 11:00, an aircraft is shown in the crosshairs of the heads-up display, and falls victim. Graduation from Top Gun is then shown, and the awarding of the Top Gun patch to those who participated.

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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com