After thirty years of service, Pete "Maverick" Mitchell remains a test pilot, dodging the promotions that would ground him. He is called back to Top Gun to train a new group of elite graduates for a specialized mission that no living pilot has ever seen.

: Maverick must prepare a detachment of graduates, including Lt. Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw, the son of his late friend Goose.

: To capture the action, filmmakers used a new camera system with six IMAX-quality cameras inside the cockpit, allowing the audience to see the actual physical strain on the actors' faces.