Original subtitles

[Music]

I think everybody's first thought is

mediocrity is no longer

accepted I want to be the best I think

anyone who is in this profession you

have to be type A yeah I just like to

win if you're not first you're last

Ricky

Bobby

you need to do everything right when it

counts and be that guy who comes in

first on game

day I do hold a high standard and I want

to win and I want to be invited back as

an

instructor you have some doubts whether

you belong whether that you were

prepared adequately for this

course you just want to make sure that

you uh not mess up you know very nervous

coming in here this is reputation of not

an easy place to go through one

up

[Music]

it's been

said that to become the

best you must be at your best when it

matters most you must prove what you're

capable of under the most extreme

conditions when Everyone's

Watching in the world of combat Aviation

the elite of the elite are invited to a

program known as

WTI the Marines weapons and tactics

instructor course this is their Top Gun

school and when Pilots take to the skies

here at WTI it's a grueling test and by

the end those who rise to the occasion

prove they are hands down the top combat

Pilots

[Music]

anywhere one be advised got about 8 now

in the courtyard

Embassy Roger

visual here in y Arizona these students

come for the best training in the

world we're more lethal than we've ever

been you do not want to be on the

receiving end of 4 f-35s of flying

across the

range welcome to Yuma on this air strip

wti's intensive 7we training program is

underway the best of the best pilots

from every Squadron in the Marine Corps

are here to prove they are the Elite of

the

elite twice a year every Squadron gets

to send one of their pilots from their

ready room here to participate in the

weapons and tactics instructor course

the whole goal of that is to make them

an instructor who can then go back to

their Squadron provide those lessons

learn and make sure their unit is ready

for

combat

ready the program is an absolute Beast

training over 4,500 Marines on the

ground and in the air their Collective

goal to hone an overall fighting machine

known as the mtav the Marine airr task

force individually though the combat

Pilots invited here are out to perfect

their specialty operating an unrival

Fleet that includes F35 stealth Fighters

c53

helicopters nv22 ospr KC 130 transport

planes f F Hornets as well as Cobra

combat and Huey

helicopters it's about being the best

flight leader and instructor of that

type model series and understanding how

the magf is going to fight and succeed

in

combat the 7we program has broken up

into sections for 3 weeks the students

learn tactics in the classroom and

perfect them in simulators the final

four-week stretch is flight phase where

they'll face large scale combat

exercises known as

Evolutions these are actual missions

most using live ammunition and they are

the true test that defines each

student's performance execute to

Perfection and prove yourself as the

elite of the elite slip up and you might

not graduate at

all two the gun

we hold people to a

standard and if you meet the standard

you graduate and you pass if you don't

meet the standard then you

don't for those that make it through and

graduate they earn the right to wear the

WTI patch recognition that they have

reached the Pinnacle of combat

Aviation when people see you wearing

that patch they know that you passed a

very grueling course they know that you

will hold the standard so you have to

wear the patch

well but there's one thing even more

coveted than the patch itself the holy

grail for every pilot here reserved for

only those who truly stand out an

invitation to return as a WTI

instructor the whole time throughout the

course not only are you being evaluated

on do you have what it takes just to

graduate the course but we're also in

the back of our mind kind of keeping an

eye on like hey this guy's like thinking

pretty well outside the box he might be

a good guy to to ask

[Music]

back pilots are a breed all their own

they're laser focused and determined to

perform without excuses you spend any

time around the students of WTI and you

realize quickly most never speak of

competition

directly Marines are a unit and they

operate as one and each and every

student pilot is gunning to to be

recognized by their WTI instructors as

the very best on the flight

[Music]

line so if you're not first you're last

Ricky

Bobby that is the mentality that makes

Marine fighter pilots so needed by the

Marine Corps is the desire to get better

and do everything right when it counts

and be thaty who comes in first on game

day as wti's 4-we flight phase begins

Pilots immediately take to the air to

hone their skills before tactical

exercises

begin

the F-18 Hornet is the plane made famous

in Top Gun whether it's dropping bombs

or dog fighting the F-18 is known for

its speed and tactical

ability this year only four Elite F-18

students have been invited here two

pilots and two wizzos are weapon systems

officers who ride in the back seat you

know like Maverick and Goose the four

students have been separated into two

teams Spritz with

nire Uncle with

IMS you'll almost never hear their real

names because they go by these call

signs each earned in their own unique

way soed my first unit and I just look

pretty old evidently so everyone I

checked in everyone thought I was a

colonel turned into undercover konel

just got shorten Uncle so so I ended up

with Uncle Uncle is the pilot IM is the

wizo just similar to myself and Neer

Meer they're coming from a couple

different Squadron so they're coming

together to kind of build some of that

non-verbal communication trying to

figure out how do you build that Synergy

with your

crewmate F-18 students Spritz and nidy

have been flying in the same Squadron

for years setting them up for Success

here and giving them a bit of a head

start on Uncle and

I'm but out of the pack Spritz is the

clear front runner entering the course

as an already decorated

pilot Spritz is a Top Gun graduate so

he's pretty good stick and understands

how to tactically employ the aircraft so

looking forward to seeing how well they

do my goal coming here is to become a

better Mission Commander I do hold a

high standard and I want to win and I

want to be invited back as an instructor

if that's where it goes in only 72 hours

the F-18 students will be thrown into

the fire participating in their first

combat exercise and while Spritz is

ready fellow pilot Uncle feels what's at

stake very nervous coming in here this

is reputation of not an easy place to go

through I think I'm an average fighter

pilot at best I'm not a great public

speaker I'm not great in front of a room

of people and organizing that's just

that's never been my strong

suit while uncle and his fellow F18

Pilots focus on the countdown down to

their first

evolution across the base the Cobra

Pilots are gearing

[Music]

up the cobra attack helicopter is one of

the most lethal machines the US military

has ever Unleashed and it's role in

combat is to be a kind of guardian angel

for the troops on the ground a guardian

angel armed with high-powered machine

guns and

missiles the pilots who operate these

helicopters have garnered a reputation

of being as tough and aggressive as the

cobras themselves in this community is

nothing but competition you look to the

left and the right of you and you're

like well if he's still here she's still

here I'm going to still be here

right whether a pilot flies an F-18 or

the Cobra The Gauntlet ahead will test

every aspect of their skill all students

compete against the class as a whole and

within their specialty in the Cobra

division there are six elite students

their call signs

spaz

Dixie s cars

lotion and

CarX I had a butt rash I used all means

available whether it was you know Gold

Bond powder hand lotion and then lip

balm was the one that was actually uh

took the pain

away carmax's call sign always gets a

quick laugh but don't let that fool you

he knows what's on the line and he's

intent to earn an invite back as an

instructor

when all is said and done we check in I

see how well put together the course is

I think everybody's first thoughts just

like mediocrity is no longer accepted

everybody wants to be the best all you

ready for this you're measuring yourself

against everybody else that is also in

the

class first day I arrived honestly it

was just a bunch of nerves impressions

are everything and first impressions

last this is Captain McKenzie space call

sign

spaz I take perfectionism to a different

level being a little that's why

my call sign is what it

is it's worth mentioning spaz is the

only female Cobra pilot invited in this

class but don't mention it to her it's

not how spaz defines

herself no one cares what your gender is

no one cares where your background is

they just care are you a good pilot are

you good at your job and when it comes

to it and if we get called to war are

you ready to do

it I was pretty young when 9/11 happened

being able to do something and protect

other people was something I wanted to

be a part

of when I was at school females still

couldn't be in combat so the closest you

could do was being a pilot and the

closest of that was being a cobra pilot

so I made that decision then and then I

just stuck with it all the way through

at that point cuz it was the best way I

could get there and actually do

something for the guys on the

ground

while spaz and the rest of the cobras

prep for their first major evolution in

48 hours they aren't the only combat

helicopter on base not far away is

arguably the most iconic helicopter in

the

military the

Huey if you've ever seen a movie about

Vietnam you've Cena

Huey Daniel o Conor call sign zika is

the huie division head at WTI he's

logged over 2,000 hours in the past 9

years as a huie instructor pilot and he

demands the incoming students meet his

high

expectations I think what makes us the

best is that we can do everything and

what the Huey gives me is the ability to

provide support either offensively or

defensively it becomes a very customer

service based Focus the term you're

probably going to hear a lot of the

times is Jack of all trade master of

none that he can't do everything at the

highest level of what it's supposed to

do but we are super creative when it

comes to solving problems and then doing

that on the

Fly the four-week flight phase will

force the pilots to do just that in the

huie division five Elite students were

invited to show what they've got their

call

signs Story Time

Coco bush

hog

Chopper and

tinkle it's a nice

day I was flying and had to go we have a

tube in the aircraft that allows you to

do that but I didn't know how to

properly use it and so when I uh

attempted it uh got just a seat full of

of uh tinkle that's where my call sign

came from it also rhymes with my last

name shinkle uh so it it works 4 One

will'll take uh the last 30 packs seven

of them will go to Summers though he'll

never show it to the instructors or

fellow huy students tinkle admits he

feels the pressure of being here not

sure what I'm getting myself into I look

at the other guys start sizing yourself

up immediately feel like you know very

average or that you don't even really

stack

up their first evolution is also only

days away and as they size each other up

and the task ahead tinkle's not the only

one having some doubts fellow Huey

student Chopper has the fewest flight

hours of the group got all the best UI

pilots in the Marine Corps here that are

all looking at you trying to determine

if you have what it takes to kind of

make it through last thing you want to

do is let everybody down that put a lot

of time resources effort into getting

you here and then you kind of mess it up

and get sent home so I would say yeah

High

nerves while Chopper and the rest of the

Huey Pilots feel the gravity of the

situation across the base there's

another crew of Pilots with a lot less

Weighing on their minds can you put my

hair on

winging I don't need hair I look

good the guys in this room carry

themselves a little differently and for

good reason here's the star of the show

right here it's been a while most have

been through the WTI program as students

and now they're the ones that will put

this year's crop to the test don't pay

any attention to what he said that's

right yeah they don't pay attention to

me trying to get these guys red up it's

real La you

know the students in every aircraft are

aiming to prove they're the best

to do it all of them will have to face

off against the guys in this room they

are the Marine adversary

Squadron 3 2 1 pack 121 gentlemen

welcome we're event three TNR 3103 today

uh TMR is going to be 2 there an

adversary Squadron we have one

responsibility train the fleet to where

when we fly with them they see the kind

of tactics that they will be going up

against if they to fight against a peer

or a near peer adversary we study the

enemy we study their Doctrine we study

their formations we study their tactics

we study their weapon systems their

Radars their Communications we study

everything about them awesome thank you

for your time Jens the adversary Pilots

become the enemy to test the students in

real world scenarios and they really get

into their role they are known as red

air and their Squadron looks like the

Soviet Union during the the Cold War if

you want to be the bad guy you have to

immerse

yourself when you walk in the ready room

it's going to be painted a certain color

all your pictures are going to look like

a near peer adversary this picture is

like an old Russian picture but it's

actually a dude that used to fly here he

put his face on the picture yeah it's

going to have a certain flavor to it

that just allows you to stay in the

adversarial

mindset during each Evolution the

students have a lot to deal with but the

adversaries are task with giving them

all they can

handle it's an amazing job you get to

see these guys when they're going

through a weapon School kind of ultra

stressed

out working hard trying to do their best

and you really get to challenge them and

see their stress levels

Peak the students of the F-18 division

will engage in their first evolution

against the adversary Squadron in only

24 hours and while the students might be

nervous these veterans are not not even

a

little who's the best dog fighter me who

would recall say is the best dog fighter

me no recall would say recall that's not

a fair question because we're all the

best in our

[Music]

minds you put everybody in the world in

the F5 what I lose to anybody and I mean

somebody may be able to beat me but as

of right now I'm I've got a pretty good

uh scorecard I'm sure you're going to

put that on there it's going to make me

seem like an but whatever it's

the facts just in case that's what I

keep in my pockets and I keep a pair of

spare earplugs ChapStick and a mustache

comb shock we all have type A

personalities all of us want to be the

best and there's no better analogy than

a sports team so I look at my ready room

as a football squad these guys are

hard-hitting

dudes all of these hard-hitting dudes

will put the WTI students to the test

but there's one member of red air who

will Design the adversary game plan for

each Evolution he goes by the call

sign

slag it's slag for spelled like a girl

cuz his first name is Erin e r i

n slag has been serving as my pilot

training officer for the past year he's

graduated Top Gun he's one of my top

dudes

prior to this WTI I think I've flown in

seven as an adversary in varying levels

it's a lot of the same things I've

already done but I just leave every

single event which is tiring but it's

fun when you aim to prove you're the

elite of the elite it takes more than a

classroom and a simulator

throughout the 4-we flight phase here at

WTI there are a series of combat

exercises growing in size and scale

known as Evolutions today is the very

first one pitting the F-18 students

Spritz and needer uncle and as

head-to-head against slag in the

adversaries the f-18s are the good guys

they're known as blue Air and they'll

have to contend with the red air threat

the first evolution is known as strike

[Music]

one there going to be some color but

yeah as as usual so for strike one

they're looking to search a wide swath

of of ocean find two specific ships

which they had dubbed King Panda and

then the regular Panda and execute a

surface strike on them with any ship

cruise missiles and the whole time

there's going to be a bunch of red air

breathing down their neck that they're

going to have to fight through while

they're searching for these ships and

then attacking these ships so kind of a

multi-layered

problem you guys

feel all right that bad

huh it's one of the first uh big

evolutions I'm the deputy M Commander so

you want to make sure that you uh do it

the right way not mess up you know

so nid Meer is doing his best to shake

the nerves and show his instructors he

belongs you don't really sign up for

this if you don't want to be the guy you

know opportunities big I'm a big

opportunist

so during the first evolution Major John

ezy Martinez will be monitoring the

students performance from the base while

Captain Luke harambe Stephenson flies

with them to assess everything up close

it's going to be a good one nice long

drive out to the Pacific Ocean go meet

up with some tankers get down real low

over the water hopefully Josh doesn't

get me

killed yeah that's part of the other

portion of this thing is we're trying to

get down below the radar Horizon so we

end up ingressing down low so the goal

is to fly under the

radar the guy in the backseat my wizzo

captain Jan call sign Neer incredible

guy from La originally Naval Academy

graduate played on the football team

ended up punting for Bill belich once I

totally shanked it he's not in the NFL

so obviously didn't go so great but it's

awesome he's great I'm done we've been

flying together in the same Squadron for

about 2 years before coming to this

course this call sign became Spritz on

his last deployment because he enjoyed a

spritz of bourbon every once in a while

all right

right I'm the monkey up front just

driving around you know being the stick

pilot and he's the goose in the back

seat that's you know fiddling with The

Radars and actually making the jet do

what it needs to do as far as its

sensors and its weapon Suite

[Music]

goes in this first evolution Spritz and

neire are tasked with leading the charge

an opportunity to distinguish themselves

early on fellow students uncle and IM

will be flying right beside them looking

to execute their role with equal

Precision the mission incorporates 8

F-35 stealth Fighters and eight f-18s on

the blue side assisted by Marine air

intercept controllers on the ground who

will alert them to enemy

aircraft slag and the adversaries have

16 red aircraft that will try to prevent

the blue side from achieving Mission

success we've been doing practice

practice this in the simulators but now

it's kind of time to apply that to the

jet we loaded up a whole bunch of

Harpoon and argam which are anti- ship

cruise missiles and anti-radiation

missiles and they were just like go out

there and don't syn the Carnival Cruise

Lines we're like

okay strike one is about to begin these

are the moments that the students

prepare for and must

seize

there's some natural nerves and some

natural hesitations for myself

specifically being a relatively younger

guy you have some doubts whether you

belong whether that you were prepared

adequately for the course because you

expect to be

tested the plan was briefed well but

there are still some big question marks

in my mind

[Music]

we'll see how we

do

[Music]

Myer BL 61 Mission 5601 checking in a

drag request Alpha check

Rock for us the mission was to

synchronize effects on two separate

boats at the same time so that they

didn't have any warning that we were

coming all well staying below the radar

Horizon and against a pretty robust

air-to-air thread that was defending

those ships FL 61 Bol 91 Target King

panda

the f35s go over the top and plow the

road for us a little bit make it so that

we don't get shot down on our way to

releasing all our weapons FL pushing

to5 status

Panda I personally had a little bit more

nerves than I normally did in the past

of my career with regard to making sure

that all aircraft were in the right

piece of the sky while simultaneously

trying to solve the Tactical problem

that was at

hand whenever a pilot climbs into the

cockpit a lot can go wrong and on this

first high- pressure Mission things go A

bit sideways for

nemire any of these major cities are

going to have tons of ships out there so

it's easy to find a ship it's hard to

find the right ship once you found a

Target how do we verify that it is

indeed the one that you're looking for

that process took more time than we

expected 911 status panda

L 61 B 91 second Panda Rock

21060

stale we did find both ships that we

were targeting one of them was being

very Cooperative it was exactly what we

expected it to be doing the other ship

we expected to be out 5 to 10 mil away

was in fact 60 or 80 M away in a

completely different direction and not

where we expected it to

beer

picture 61 Myer threat group at Rock

targeted by B

B Bonsai Target

threat the clock is ticking and with

enemy Fighters closing in Neer Meer must

decide if they strike both ships or just

one L and salum Target King Panda 185 25

attack the call was eventually made to

just Strike King Panda which was the

primary target but they just sort of

forgot that they had found the other

ship s

flight in hindsight we probably could

have still hit the other ship but at the

last second we were like nope this guy

is too far away and we made that call

real time and it was not the right call

left 61 Bruiser King Panda t35 milleron

milleron not unsurprising that they

didn't strike both uh just a little

disappointing I thought we could get

there but we dropped it there at the

last second mission fail uh on that

part those Spritz and neam Meer uncle

and IMS did locate and destroyed their

primary target there's no denying that

part of the evolution was a

failure though it's early nmy knows any

misstep could jeopardize his shot to

distinguish himself and even cost him

that coveted invitation to return as a

WTI

instructor responsibility rested on my

shoulders to put the rest of the f-18s

in a position to attack those boats at

the right time but I did not execute

that in the most efficient

way

timing is everything it's a very short

window that you've got to get in and get

out if you blow that think about all the

lives all the assets that you put on the

line and if you blew it and the whole

mission fails it's a lot to live

with after each Evolution the students

must debrief with their instructors to

evaluate all that went right and went

wrong and a program that demands

Perfection instructors like harambe

don't hold back assessing everything he

witnessed first

hand I think that the tempo was a little

long um I was not thrilled with

that minutes are huge like minutes are

potentially an aircraft two aircraft

five aircraft lost so that's going to

kind of be the propon of the focus of

the

debrief I expected execution to go a lot

more

smoothly thank you sir have a good night

you

too nothing is ever going to be perfect

but it should be as perfect as it can be

Neer Meer made decisions that had

ramifications on the entire large Force

package we didn't accomplish all of

phase 2 we have Panda uh alive dead

confusion uh in the Target area like

which ones have actually been targeted

which ones are alive which ones are dead

and we're just trying to figure out how

to strike that till the end I know Kanan

Bay from my first year at the Naval

Academy he was one of the seniors uh

that was instructing me then and so I

think he has a particular interest in my

performance because of that he is a

little bit more detailed and thorough on

my debrief yeah nothing else harambe

told me that I was explicitly not

performing to the standard of a future

WTI I feel

inadequate and definitely doubt my

future as potential graduate during WT

guy and then whether or not I even

belong in this

course the first evolution went about as

bad as possible for nidam and though the

Marines don't keep a realtime Scoreboard

when it comes to Performance there's no

denying he's fallen to the back of the

pack for

[Music]

now when in Mission doesn't go well it

can either fortify resolve or break a

pilot for nto Meer it remains to be seen

which way things will

go spas and the cobras will have their

opportunity so will Chopper tinkle and

the huis the flight phase of WTI is now

underway and it won't slow down

Evolution after Evolution each a chance

to lay claim as the best of the

best

[Music]

[Music]

[Applause]