Top Gun is known worldwide for honing the skills of some of the best pilots to take to the skies. The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (SFTI), more popularly known as Top Gun, is the modern-day evolution of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School (NFWS). The school was created following a 1968 study which researched the failings of air-to-air missiles used in aerial combat over North Vietnam There had been nearly 1,000 aircraft losses in approximately one million sorties. After the study was released, it was recommended that a graduate school for training a nucleus of fighter crews be established, who would receive advanced training in Air Combat Maneuvering (ACM) and weapons systems employment. The Pacific Fleet F-4 Replacement Training Squadron, VF-121, was directed to establish an "Advanced Fighter Weapons School," a graduate level program for the entire Navy F-4 community. Air crews selected to attend the Top Gun course were chosen from frontline units. Upon graduating, these crews returned to their units to teach what they had learned. The first class was convened on March 3, 1969. Top Gun soon established itself as a center of excellence in fighter doctrine. The results of the school's training were dramatic; the Navy kill-to- loss ratio against the North Vietnamese Air Force (NVAF) soared from 3.7:1 to 13:1. Top Gun was formally commissioned as a separate command at NAS Miramar on July 7, 1972. In 1984 Top Gun achieved national fame when it was the centerpiece of a blockbuster motion picture of the same name. The SFTI program carries out the same specialized fighter training as NFWS did from 1969 until 1996, when it was merged into the Naval Strike and Air Warfare at NAS Fallon, Nevada, after Miramar became a Marine Corps Air Station. Today, Top Gun touches each Navy and Marine Corps aviator in many ways. From providing squadron training officers, to orchestrating large training exercises, to the variety of technical and tactical publications authored by the staff, Top Gun stands as the center of tactical thought and theory in Navy and Marine Corps fighter training. Tactics being developed today at the Navy Fighter Weapons School will enable tactical aircrews to carry an aggressive and successful fight to the enemy well into the next century.
Inducted in 2011.
Portrait Location: Modern Jet

Induction Video