Why didn’t the F-35 take the lead fighter role in Top Gun: Maverick? Tom Cruise’s new movie, Top Gun: Maverick, is a really fun movie. Like its predecessor, it gives the viewer a good feeling for what it is like to fly a modern combat aircraft. The critics seem to like it well enough and current box office receipts suggest the public does too.
You should see the new Top Gun movie for one additional reason. It is likely to be one of the last of its genre. The introduction of stealthy fifth-generation aircraft, the increased sophistication of electronic warfare systems, and the proliferation of advanced unmanned systems, long-range precision missiles, and hypersonic weapons will change the character of the future fight for air superiority. The days of within-visual-range engagements with aircraft blasting away at each other with cannons are about over. So too is the need to fly into the teeth of land-based air defenses.
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