The Next Generation’ Brings Real Navy Training To Nat Geo

Student Captain Steph Harris mid flight. (Credit: National Geographic)

National Geographic

In 1986, Top Gun hit theaters, and like a lot of people my age, I was hooked. Watching Tom Cruise take to the skies as Maverick was more than just entertainment—it was formative. It inspired me to join the U.S. Air Force. I never made it all the way to becoming a fighter pilot, but I did experience the thrill of flying in an F-111 over the mountains of Turkey and breaking the speed of sound over the Mediterranean. That rush—the mix of precision, danger, and raw exhilaration—stays with you.

That’s why National Geographic’s new docuseries Top Guns: The Next Generation hits so hard. It’s not a movie. It’s not scripted drama. It’s the real thing.

Starting September 16 at 9pm Eastern time on Nat Geo, and streaming the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, viewers will follow Navy and Marine Corps student pilots as they face the most unforgiving stage of strike fighter training. Over six months, every flight could make or break a career.

The Human Story Behind the Cockpit

The six-part series goes beyond the cockpit to capture the full scope of what it takes to earn those coveted wings of gold. These aren’t just pilots—they’re young men and women balancing ambition with sacrifice, chasing dreams while missing time with family and friends. The cameras catch the candid moments that reveal what’s at stake emotionally, not just professionally.

It’s that blend of grit and humanity that sets the series apart. You see the pressure building as students prepare for bombing runs, dogfights, and nail-biting carrier landings. You also see the doubt, the frustration, and the occasional crisis of confidence.

I recently sat down with Capt. Juston “Poker” Kuch, commodore of Training Wing One at NAS Meridian and one of the instructors featured in the series, to talk about the program and the challenges the students face. He emphasized that the most stressful flights aren’t always the most dramatic. They’re the ones where students have to prove they can fly solo without an instructor backing them up. “Within each of the phases, there’s typically an event called a ‘safe for solo,’” he explained. “That’s the most stressful flight for them because we want to make sure that they are able to safely execute the mission.”

Hollywood Meets Reality

One thing that pleasantly surprised me is how well the Nat Geo team bridged the gap between Hollywood’s Top Gun and the U.S. Navy’s real program. Or maybe it’s the other way around? Perhaps Tom Cruise and team just did a great job accurately portraying what it’s like.

Either way, the vibe is there: volleyball games on the beach, motorcycle cruising down the road, even the “bad boy” pilot pushing the limits with unsanctioned high-speed maneuvers. These moments aren’t staged—they’re glimpses into the culture of young aviators living life on the edge of discipline and rebellion.

The parallels to the Tom Cruise films are unmistakable, but they’re not copycat gimmicks. Instead, they show how much the Hollywood version got right about the energy and camaraderie of fighter pilot culture. Top Guns: The Next Generation pays homage while grounding everything in the authentic stress, sweat, and skill of real training.

The Technology That Makes a Top Gun

At its core, the Navy’s strike fighter program is as much about mastering technology as it is about raw flying skill. Students train on some of the most advanced jets in the world, where every cockpit display, targeting system, and flight control demands precision under pressure. Landing on a moving aircraft carrier at night in rough seas requires trust not just in your instincts, but in the technology guiding your descent. Dogfighting drills push both the airframe and the pilot to their physical limits, with G-forces that test human endurance.

This technology isn’t static. Avionics systems, weapons platforms, and even pilot helmets are constantly evolving. For students, that means learning not just how to fly, but how to integrate with machines that blend software, sensors, and raw power in ways that leave little to no margin for error.

The series makes clear that becoming a fighter pilot today means learning to operate as part of a larger technological ecosystem, not just as an individual ace.

The Technology That Makes the Story Possible

If the training pushes the limits of aviation, the docuseries pushes the limits of cinematography. Capturing supersonic jets isn’t as simple as mounting a camera on a tripod. Nat Geo’s team used in-cockpit cameras capable of withstanding extreme vibration and G-forces to place viewers right inside the action. They relied on aerial cinematography techniques refined on Top Gun: Maverick to deliver sweeping, cinematic shots that make the series feel as visceral as the Hollywood blockbuster.

This kind of storytelling technology has been a Nat Geo hallmark for years. Crews filming Life Below Zero in Alaska had to engineer battery solutions to withstand subzero temperatures. Here, the challenge was capturing speed, altitude, and precision in a way that feels immediate without distracting from the story.

The result is immersive—viewers don’t just watch a carrier landing; they feel the jolt when the arresting wire catches.

Why It Matters

For those of us who grew up with Top Gun, the docuseries is both nostalgic and eye-opening. It taps into the excitement that first drew so many to military service while showing the reality behind the myth. For a new generation, it’s a look at the effort and drive required to become one of the few trusted to fly supersonic jets off the deck of an aircraft carrier.

More broadly, it’s also a story about technology—the machines that stretch human potential and the storytelling tools that let the rest of us experience it. The series is a reminder that innovation doesn’t just live in Silicon Valley or defense labs. It’s in the skies, in the cockpits, and in the cameras that bring those stories down to earth.

Top Guns: The Next Generation is a story of ambition, resilience, and the fine line between triumph and failure. And it reminds us why the dream of flight—whether on the big screen, in the cockpit, or through the lens of a Nat Geo camera—still matters.