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The fighter jets used or depicted in the Top Gun movies are the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, Northrop F-5 family, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, plus fictional enemy aircraft. The original movie’s “MiG-28” was an F-5-based movie stand-in, while Maverick’s enemy fighter is a fictional, Su-57-inspired design.
The answer depends on whether “used” means a real aircraft flown for production, a type visible on screen, or a fictional aircraft named by the story. The inventory below keeps those categories separate so the MiG-28 and Su-57 are not mistaken for real filming aircraft.
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Key takeaways
- The Grumman F-14 Tomcat is the signature aircraft of Top Gun (1986) and appears again in Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
- The original movie’s “MiG-28” is fictional; Northrop F-5-family aircraft represented the enemy fighters on screen.
- The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk appears in the original film’s TOPGUN training and adversary-aircraft context.
- The F/A-18E/F Super Hornet is the principal Navy fighter in Top Gun: Maverick, and Naval Air Systems Command confirms that two Super Hornets were used for production.
- Maverick’s unnamed fifth-generation enemy fighter is fictional and visually resembles a Russian Su-57; the film did not use an operational Russian Su-57 supplied for filming.
- The P-51 Mustang is important to Top Gun: Maverick, but it is a propeller-driven fighter rather than a fighter jet.
What fighter jets are in Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick?
The fighter jets used or depicted in the Top Gun movies are the Grumman F-14 Tomcat, Northrop F-5 family, Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, plus fictional enemy aircraft. The original film’s “MiG-28” was an F-5-based movie stand-in, while Maverick’s enemy fighter is a fictional, Su-57-inspired design.
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This list uses “fighter jet” for a jet-powered fighter or fighter-attack aircraft materially shown in either film or used in the films’ aviation production. It separates real aircraft types from fictional designations and excludes important non-jet aircraft such as the P-51 Mustang.
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Fighter-jet comparison
| Aircraft or designation | Film | Real or fictional? | Film role | Configuration or production note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grumman F-14 Tomcat | Top Gun and Top Gun: Maverick | Real aircraft type | Maverick and Goose’s principal Navy fighter; later an enemy Tomcat | Depicted through different production methods in the two films |
| Northrop F-5 family | Top Gun | Real aircraft type representing a fictional enemy | On-screen “MiG-28” adversary | F-5-family aircraft supplied the opposing-aircraft imagery |
| Douglas A-4 Skyhawk | Top Gun | Real aircraft type | Training and adversary-aircraft context | Compact, single-engine Navy attack aircraft |
| F/A-18E/F Super Hornet | Top Gun: Maverick | Real aircraft type | Principal Navy fighter and mission aircraft | F/A-18E is single-seat; F/A-18F is two-seat; two Super Hornets were used in production |
| Unnamed fifth-generation enemy fighter | Top Gun: Maverick | Fictional aircraft visually resembling the Su-57 | Enemy fighter | Not a documented operational Russian Su-57 supplied for filming |
Why is the F-14 Tomcat the most famous Top Gun jet?
The F-14 Tomcat is the defining aircraft of the original Top Gun. The F-14A is Maverick and Goose’s aircraft, and the Tomcat dominates the carrier launches, training sequences, and climactic combat imagery. The U.S. Department of Defense’s Top Gun aviation feature calls the F-14 the “star” of the film, while the National Naval Aviation Museum’s F-14 page notes the aircraft’s widespread recognition from its starring role.
The F-14 also returns in Top Gun: Maverick, when Maverick and Rooster encounter an enemy Tomcat. The story presents the aircraft as a surviving enemy fighter, but the production did not simply put an operational front-line F-14 into every combat shot. Practical aircraft elements and visual effects were used, so the accurate summary is that the F-14 is depicted in both films while the production methods differ between films and individual shots.
For readers asking “What kind of plane is the F-14 in Top Gun?” the answer is a real Grumman F-14 Tomcat, specifically an F-14A in the original film’s central aircraft role. The F-14 is a variable-sweep-wing Navy fighter, but the film’s importance comes from its role as Maverick’s recognizable mount rather than from a single technical specification.
What aircraft represented the MiG-28 in the original Top Gun?
The movie’s “MiG-28” was fictional, and Northrop F-5-family aircraft represented the opposing fighters on screen. The characters call the aircraft MiG-28s, but no genuine Soviet MiG-28 aircraft existed as the real-world type shown in the movie.
The F-5 family was a practical choice for adversary imagery because the aircraft had the compact appearance and maneuverability needed to portray an opposing fighter. The Department of Defense describes the F-5F as a two-seat fighter used for training and adversary combat tactics. Paramount’s archive discussion of the original film’s aviation materials also identifies F-5s and MiGs in the production context.
The safest canonical answer is therefore “Northrop F-5 family,” not a particular E- or F-model in every shot. Some fan and museum discussions assign exact variants to individual aircraft, but the strongest official sources do not establish the exact variant of every aircraft visible throughout the movie.
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What is the A-4 Skyhawk doing in Top Gun?
The Douglas A-4 Skyhawk appears in the original film’s real TOPGUN training and adversary-aircraft context. The National Naval Aviation Museum identifies an A-4 Skyhawk at TOPGUN, making the type relevant to the movie’s training-aircraft world even though the A-4 is not Maverick’s principal fleet fighter.
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What jet does Maverick fly in Top Gun: Maverick?
Maverick and the other Navy pilots primarily fly the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in Top Gun: Maverick. The F/A-18E is the single-seat version, while the F/A-18F is the two-seat version. The Naval Air Systems Command aircraft description identifies those crew arrangements and describes the Super Hornet as the replacement for the F-14 Tomcat.
The film uses the Super Hornet as the aircraft assigned to the fictional squadron and its fifth-generation training mission. That choice is a story and production circumstance, not a claim that the Super Hornet is a fifth-generation fighter. The aircraft is commonly described in official Navy material as a fourth-generation-plus fighter, while the movie’s opposing threat is presented as more advanced.
NAVAIR’s production account confirms that two F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter aircraft were used for the movie. An F-model Super Hornet cockpit was modified with audio and visual equipment so the production could capture convincing cockpit scenes. Naval Air Systems Command also states plainly: Tom Cruise did not actually fly an F/A-18 Super Hornet. A real ‘Top Gun’ piloted the aircraft.
The statement appears in NAVAIR’s 2022 production account.
The Navy’s production support was substantial. According to Naval Air Systems Command (2022), production activity involved approximately eight months, and Fleet Readiness Center personnel devoted more than 1,000 hours while continuing their normal duties. Those figures describe production support, not the number of aircraft visible in every scene.
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Was the enemy jet in Top Gun: Maverick a real Su-57?
No. The enemy aircraft in Top Gun: Maverick is a fictional, unnamed fifth-generation fighter that visually resembles the Russian Sukhoi Su-57; the evidence does not support saying that the film used an operational Russian Su-57 supplied for filming.
The film deliberately leaves the enemy country and fighter designation ambiguous. In the story, the aircraft is an unnamed or ambiguously identified fifth-generation threat. In its visual design, the aircraft draws on the appearance of the Su-57. In production terms, the movie used real F/A-18s along with practical and visual-effects methods rather than Russian Su-57 combat aircraft.
The Los Angeles Times’ explanation of the movie’s enemy describes the aircraft as an American-made production stand-in with a design visually based on the Su-57. “Su-57-inspired fictional enemy fighter” is more accurate than “real Su-57.”
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Top Gun (1986) centers its aviation imagery on the F-14 Tomcat, with F-5-family aircraft representing the fictional MiG-28 and A-4 Skyhawks connected to the TOPGUN training environment. Top Gun: Maverick (2022) centers on the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, while returning to the F-14 as a story element and using a fictional Su-57-inspired enemy aircraft.
| Production question | Top Gun (1986) | Top Gun: Maverick (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Principal hero aircraft | F-14A Tomcat | F/A-18E/F Super Hornet |
| Enemy aircraft presented in the story | Fictional MiG-28 | Unnamed fictional fifth-generation fighter |
| Real aircraft behind the enemy imagery | Northrop F-5-family aircraft | Production stand-ins and effects; design resembles the Su-57 |
| Returning legacy aircraft | F-14 is central | F-14 appears in the late enemy-Tomcat sequence |
| Training/adversary context | A-4 Skyhawk and F-5-family aircraft | Super Hornets assigned to the fictional mission |
According to Paramount, Top Gun was released in 1986. According to Naval Air Systems Command (2022), Top Gun: Maverick used two F/A-18 Super Hornets for production. The two films therefore connect their eras through the F-14 while portraying the Navy’s principal fighter aircraft through two different generations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What aircraft should not be counted as a fighter jet?
The P-51 Mustang should not be counted in the exact fighter-jet inventory because it is a propeller-driven fighter, not a jet. The P-51 is important to Maverick’s home-life scenes in Top Gun: Maverick, but its presence does not make it one of the franchise’s fighter jets.
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The Wired aviation breakdown also treats the P-51 as a separate aircraft category. Background aviation footage, including references to an A-5 Vigilante in Paramount’s archive, should likewise remain outside the main list unless the article is specifically expanded to cover every aircraft visible in archival or background material.
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One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchWhich Top Gun aircraft is best for a model-building project?
The F-14 is the most natural model-building choice because the Tomcat is the signature aircraft of the original film and returns in Top Gun: Maverick. Revell’s official catalog lists licensed Top Gun kits for Maverick’s F-14A Tomcat and the F/A-18E Super Hornet, including a product specifically marketed as Top Gun F-14 Tomcat model kit. Availability, price, scale, and retailer stock can change, so verify those details before publication or purchase.
A model kit is a hobby representation, not a museum-certified replica. Choose the F-14 kit for the franchise’s most recognizable aircraft, or choose an F/A-18E kit if the goal is to represent the aircraft that dominates Top Gun: Maverick.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the MiG-28 from Top Gun a real fighter jet?
No. The MiG-28 is a fictional designation created for the original Top Gun. Northrop F-5-family aircraft represented the supposed MiG-28 fighters on screen.
Was the enemy jet in Top Gun: Maverick a real Su-57?
No. Top Gun: Maverick depicts an unnamed fictional fifth-generation enemy fighter that visually resembles the Russian Su-57. The production should not be described as using an operational Russian Su-57 supplied for filming.
What jet does Maverick fly in Top Gun: Maverick?
Maverick primarily flies the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet in Top Gun: Maverick. The F/A-18E is single-seat and the F/A-18F is two-seat; NAVAIR confirms that real Super Hornets were used in production, but Tom Cruise did not pilot the aircraft.
Why is the P-51 Mustang not included as a Top Gun fighter jet?
The P-51 Mustang is a propeller-driven fighter, so it is not included in the exact fighter-jet list even though it is important to Top Gun: Maverick.
The Bottom Line
The complete principal jet inventory is the F-14 Tomcat, F-5 family, A-4 Skyhawk, and F/A-18E/F Super Hornet. The MiG-28 is fictional, the Maverick enemy is a fictional Su-57-inspired fighter, and the P-51 Mustang is excluded because it is not a jet.
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