U.S. Navy, Air Force Banking On Top Gun: Maverick Recruitment Boost

The USAF produced a slick recruitment ad featuring high-speed F-35 and F-22 maneuvers to run before Top Gun: Maverick in theaters.

Kimberly Johnson

Monday, May 23, 2022 at 03:38 PM ET

Verified

Top Gun: Maverick is expected to pull in big numbers at the box office. The Navy and Air Force hope it does the same for them. [File Photo; Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

The original 1986 *Top Gun* film served as a highly effective recruitment tool for the U.S. Navy and military aviation, reportedly causing a significant surge in interest in flight training.
The sequel, *Top Gun: Maverick*, is strategically viewed by the military as a means to inspire a new generation of recruits, particularly for the Navy, and help meet recruitment goals.
The movie's release is critically timed as the military, especially the Air Force, faces its toughest recruiting market in over 20 years, struggling with pilot shortages and broader recruitment challenges.
Military branches are actively leveraging the film's popularity, with the Air Force, for example, launching its "Own The Sky" commercial to run alongside *Maverick* to attract recruits.

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In the world of aviation, it’s not a stretch to say we probably all remember where we were when we first saw Top Gun the first time, and that flutter of raw adrenaline sparked by watching the acrobatic dogfight between the F-14 Tomcat and the fictional MiG-28 fighter jet.

The movie was the biggest to land on theater screens in 1986, becoming a one-hour, 40-minute recruitment ad for the U.S. Navy and military aviation.