Tom Cruise to Fly Last Manned Fighter Jet in 'Top Gun 2' | F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Films

Tom Cruise to Fly Last Manned Fighter Jet in 'Top Gun 2' | F-35 Joint Strike Fighter Films | LiveScience:


Hollywood is going back to "Top Gun" school with its upcoming sequel to the 1986 film, but hotshot pilot Maverick won't be flying any killer robot drones. Instead, Tom Cruise is set to return in the starring role as a test pilot for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter — a plane that could well be the last manned fighter aircraft made in the West.

The news slipped from the lips of the Lockheed Martin's F-35 program manager during a National Aeronautics Association luncheon last week, according to FlightGlobal's military aviation blog The DEW Line. If that plot decision shapes the final "Top Gun 2" film, the choice to feature a manned aircraft stands out in a time when U.S. military drone pilots can see far more action in a week than most fighter pilots see in months.

While Tom Cruise may jump into the seat of an F-35, entire squadrons of real U.S. military fighter pilots have already switched over from manned aircraft to remote-controlled drones such as the Predator or Reaper. Many of the best test pilots from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School now graduate having extensive flight time with drones.