--- title: "‘Top Gun 2’ cast went through legit military training exercises" description: "It’s no surprise that he wanted the filming of Top Gun: Maverick to be as real as possible in F/A-18 Super Hornets." date: "2023-12-15" modified: "2023-12-15" authors: - name: "Shannon Corbeil" job_title: "Contributor, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/scorbeil/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-movies/top-gun-2-cast-went-through-legit-military-training-exercises/" categories: - "Entertainment" - "Movies and TV" --- # ‘Top Gun 2’ cast went through legit military training exercises ![Top Gun 2 training]() Tom Cruise is known for going balls out with his stunts and film training. Over the course of the *Mission: Impossible* franchise alone, Cruise climbed the world’s tallest building (the 2,700 foot Burj Khalifa in Dubai), hung off the side of an airplane, and fell four stories and ran an Australian rappel down the surface of a building while being chased by an actual helicopter. And that’s just the beginning of the list. So it’s no surprise that he wanted the filming of *Top Gun: Maverick* to be as real as possible — which meant the Top Gun 2 cast shooting it practically — in F/A-18 Super Hornets. ## Watch the epic Top Gun: Maverick training featurette: https://youtu.be/yM389FbhlRQ “I wasn’t ready to make a sequel until we had a special story worthy of a sequel and until technology evolved so we could delve deeper into the experience of a fighter pilot,” Cruise insisted. Cruise designed a unique boot camp for the actors, who went through three months of training – underwater evac training, aerial aviation training to build up spatial awareness inside the aircraft, and flights in the back of the F-18 to pull Gs. ## The Top Gun 2 cast includes: Tom Cruise as [Captain Pete Maverick Mitchell ]() Val Kilmer as [Adm. Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky]() Jon Hamm as [Adm. Beau 'Cyclone' Simpson]() Monica Barbaro as [Lt. Natasha 'Phoenix' Trace]() Jay Ellis as [Lt. Reuben 'Payback' Fitch]() Glen Powell as [Lt. Jake 'Hangman' Seresin]() Manny Jacinto as [Lt. Billy 'Fritz' Avalone]() Greg Tarzan Davis as [Lt. Javy 'Coyote' Machado]() Raymond Lee as [Lt. Logan 'Yale' Lee]() Miles Teller as [Lt. Bradley 'Rooster' Bradshaw]() Bashir Salahuddin as [CWO4 Bernie 'Hondo' Coleman]() Charles Parnall as [Adm. Solomon 'Warlock' Bates]() Lewis Pullman as [Lt. Robert 'Bob' Floyd]() Danny Ramirez as [Lt. Mickey 'Fanboy' Garcia]() Jack Schumacher as [Lt. Neil 'Omaha' Vikander]() Kara Wang as [Lt. Callie 'Halo' Bassett]() Jake Picking as [Lt. Brigham 'Harvard' Lennox]() Jennifer Connelly as [Penny Benjamin]() “The actors also had to learn how to run the cameras because when they’re up in the jet they have to direct themselves essentially,” shared producer [Jerry Bruckheimer](). From cinematography to lighting to acting while flying, those actors definitely had the experience of a lifetime. Watch [the official trailer for *Top Gun: Maverick*]() on We Are The Mighty: https://youtu.be/giXco2jaZ_4 “After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of Top Gun graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.” Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.” *Top Gun: Maverick* hit theaters in May 2022 and was an instant Blockbuster success. ## Author Shannon Corbeil has worked for We Are The Mighty as a digital video producer, writer, and host, as well as a staff writer covering military history, trivia, and valor. Shannon is a fierce veteran advocate, covering the achievements of members of the military community and volunteering in multiple veteran non-profit organizations, including Pin-Ups for Vets and Warriors for Peace Theatre. Her undergraduate degree is in Humanities and Philosophy and her Masters is in Strategic Intelligence. A screenwriter and actor recently seen on SEAL TEAM and THE ROOKIE, Shannon writes about exciting projects in the entertainment industry. She is an alum of the Writers Guild Foundation Veterans Writing Project, a Finalist in the Disney TV Writing Fellowship, an inaugural fellow for the STARZ/VME #TakeTheLead Program, and has performed at the Geffen Playhouse and Kennedy Center as a writer, dancer, singer, and actor. As a U.S. Air Force Intelligence Officer, Shannon supported the 25th Fighter Squadron at Osan Air Base, South Korea, and conducted Cyber Threat Analysis at the National Security Agency. Her work has been seen in Business Insider, Task & Purpose, Military.com, and various other publications. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()