National Geographic Goes Inside the Real ‘Top Gun’

Get an unprecedented look at the U.S. Navy’s elite fighter pilot training in a new six-part series.

Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 09:00 AM ET

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A new National Geographic series shows viewers what it takes to become a Naval aviator. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

National Geographic's six-part series, "Top Guns: The Next Generation," offers an unprecedented look into the U.S. Navy's elite "Top Gun" school.
The series follows Navy and Marine Corps aviators through six months of intense physical and emotional strike fighter training, including bombing drills, aerial dogfights, and challenging carrier landings.
Utilizing in-cockpit cameras and talent from *Top Gun: Maverick*, the show immerses viewers in the immense pressures and challenges pilots face to earn a coveted slot flying the Navy's most advanced aircraft.

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If you have ever wondered what it’s really like to take part in the U.S. Navy’s elite “Top Gun” school, you will want to watch National Geographic’s new six-part series: Top Guns: The Next Generation.

The cameras follow a class of Navy and Marine Corps aviators as they enter the final and most “unforgiving phase of elite strike fighter training.” These “nuggets” endure six months of aerial training, physical demands, and emotional reckoning as they work to earn a slot flying the Navy’s most coveted aircraft.

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.