TOPGUN

TOPGUN is the code name and common name of the U.S. Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor (SFTI) course.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

TOPGUN was formerly known officially as the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, and was established on March 3, 1969 at NAS Miramar, California after a United States Navy report recommended that a graduate-level school be established to train Fleet fighter pilots in air combat tactics to counter the relatively poor air combat performance being experienced by Navy aircrews over Vietnam. The school initially operated the A-4 Skyhawk and F-5 Tiger to instruct F-4 Phantom II aircrews, including the first US aces of the Vietnam War, Randy Cunningham and Willie Driscoll. The 1970s and 1980s brought with them the introduction of the F-14 Tomcat and the F/A-18 Hornet as the primary Fleet fighter aircraft flown by students, while TOPGUN instructors retained their A-4s and F-5s, but also added the F-16 Fighting Falcon to better simulate the threat presented by the Soviet Union's new 4th generation MiG-29 'Fulcrum' and Su-27 'Flanker' fighters. During the 1990s, the TOPGUN syllabus was modified to include more emphasis on the air-to-ground strike mission as a result of the expanding multi-mission taskings of the F-14 and F/A-18. In addition, TOPGUN retired their F-16s, A-4s, and F-5s in favor of F-14s and F/A-18s. In 1996, the transfer of NAS Miramar to the Marine Corps was coupled with the incorporation of TOPGUN into the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at NAS Fallon, Nevada. TOPGUN instructors currently fly the F/A-18 Hornet and the F-16 Falcon.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

TOPGUN was made famous in popular culture by the 1986 release of the motion picture Top Gun.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

March 3: March 3 is the 62nd day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (63rd in leap years). There are 303 days remaining....

1969: 1969 was a common year starting on Wednesday...

NAS Miramar: REDIRECT Marine Corps Air Station Miramar...

TOPGUN related Images and Photos (experimental)

Top Gun - Logo	Top Gun - Logo	"Tom Cruise ""Top Gun"" Print"	Tom Cruise, Top Gun Print
Battlestar Galactica Top Gun Beer Stein	Battlestar Galactica Top Gun Stein Replica	Tom Cruise in Top Gun Print