The Story Behind The Fictional MiG-28 Jet In 'Top Gun'

One of Tom Cruise's most iconic roles was as Lieutenant Pete "Maverick" Mitchell in 1986's "Top Gun." Maverick is a naval aviator who gets sent to the Navy's Fighter Weapons School, known as the titular TopGun. Unlike other military movies that show soldiers and pilots go off to war and fight, the film is less about combat and more about showing off multiple fighter jets. But that doesn't mean there was zero dogfighting in the prolific film. In fact, there were two instances where the Navy pilots went up against adversaries. In both cases, the enemy pilots flew what were called MiG-28s.

Make no mistake, MiG fighter jets are the real deal, manufactured by the Russian company Mikoyan. There are multiple countries that fly the MiG-29, MiG-25, and even the MiG-31. However, no country uses what "Top Gun" called the MiG-28. It doesn't exist. The plane in the '80s flick was a repainted Northrop Grumman F-5 Tiger. The movie had some fun with this fictitious plane, alluding to the real jet by giving some technical details about the MiG-28 when Charlie (Kelly McGillis) says, "Now, then, as most of you know, the F-5 doesn't have the thrust-to-weight ratio that the MiG-28 has."

The movie came out at the height of the Cold War. Not only was every nation antsy and threatening to go nuclear, it would have been impossible for director Tony Scott to get his hands on a real MiG at the time. So the filmmakers instead used an American fighter and gave it a unique paint job that vaguely alluded to a communist nation. It could have been the USSR, China, or even North Korea.

The F-5 Tiger, a twin-engine, single-seat fighter jet, took its maiden flight in 1963 from Edwards Air Force Base in California, where it broke the sound barrier. The first delivery took place in 1964 and the last one in 1989, three years after "Top Gun" premiered. A total of 2,600 F-5s were built and delivered by Northrop Grumman. Roughly 26 countries still maintain use of the F-5, showcasing the quality of this Cold War relic. However, since the United States Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force have used the Tiger to train fledgling pilots, preparing them for the big guns like the F/A-18 Super Hornet or F-35 Lightning II. Its agility makes it ideal for adversary simulations where it acts as an enemy fighter jet. 

The F-5 has also taken a backseat from frontline operations in other countries that also use more advanced aircraft. The twin-engine fighter saw considerable action during the Vietnam war, flying roughly 2,600 sorties for America alone while it was still a prime fighter. The F-5N and F-5F Tiger II are the two variants currently utilized by America's military with the F-5N being a single-seater while the F-5F seats two. They're built with two General Electric J85-GE-21C after-burning turbojet engines. Each one can produce 5,000 pounds of thrust and propel it up to Mach 1.64 (F-5N) and Mach 1.56 (F-5F) at an altitude of 36,000 feet. It's well-armed with its two 20mm pontiac M39A2 cannons in the nose. There are seven hardpoints capable of carrying AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles for air-to-air combat and AGM-65 Mavericks missiles for air-to-surface missions as well rockets and unguided bombs.