WI Top Gun Actually Happened

the only part that would affect history would be the last 20 mintues of the movie

basically an intelligence trawler of some sorts is disabled in the indian ocean and land based soviet fighters and us carrier fighters hotly contest the skies over the trawler. a shooting incident breaks out and the americans lose 1 fighter with another damaged. The Russians lose 5 planes.

both sides would hotly deny anything ever happened and it would quickly be forgotten
 
Indian Ocean: US F-14s encounter Soviet "MiG-28" fighters of a new design that are disturbingly similar to US F-5s. After fancy flying during the stand-off encounter, a celebratory LT "Maverick" Mitchell violates ATC directions and buzzes the flight deck in total violation of safety of life protocols.

Six weeks later Ensign Mitchell enters into Lieutenant Commander Jim Wallace's office at the Naval Supply office at NAS Oceana. "Here's you coffee, sir. Had to go to the Chief's Mess to get it, so it's a bit strong." "Thank you, Ensign. Could you get me that report on the Solvent shipment?" "Yes, sir."

"Maverick" walks along the corridor. He hears the unmistakable sound of Tomcats taking off in afterburner. He feels an ache in his heart and instinctively reaches for the blank spot above his shirt pocket where a pair of gold wings once hung.

Meanwhile over the Indian Ocean one Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, a by-the-book yet aggressive and skilled pilot, is involved in an incident with Soviet "MiG-28s". His RIO shoots down two at long range using the Tomcat's Phoenix missiles. Both Kazansky and his RIO are awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the incident is quietly covered up. One of several "regrettable" incidents to occur during the Cold War.

The US and Soviet ambassadors agree to pretend the incident never happened, though for the coming months both sides will be on higher alert.

History proceeds as OTL from there. :p
 
Who said it was the Russians? It could have been one of their various flunky nations. Anyways, in the movie, the vessel disabled is supposedly a communications ship.
 
The original script had the foe as Cuba, but the USN had the location and enemy changed to avoid sensitivities.
 
I didn't think it was Russians, since the movie specifically says that the Migs are carrying Exocet missiles; it's unlikely the Russians would use a French made weapon... I always thought it was some junior ally of the Russians...
 
Indian Ocean: US F-14s encounter Soviet "MiG-28" fighters of a new design that are disturbingly similar to US F-5s. After fancy flying during the stand-off encounter, a celebratory LT "Maverick" Mitchell violates ATC directions and buzzes the flight deck in total violation of safety of life protocols.

Six weeks later Ensign Mitchell enters into Lieutenant Commander Jim Wallace's office at the Naval Supply office at NAS Oceana. "Here's you coffee, sir. Had to go to the Chief's Mess to get it, so it's a bit strong." "Thank you, Ensign. Could you get me that report on the Solvent shipment?" "Yes, sir."

"Maverick" walks along the corridor. He hears the unmistakable sound of Tomcats taking off in afterburner. He feels an ache in his heart and instinctively reaches for the blank spot above his shirt pocket where a pair of gold wings once hung.

Meanwhile over the Indian Ocean one Lt. Tom "Iceman" Kazansky, a by-the-book yet aggressive and skilled pilot, is involved in an incident with Soviet "MiG-28s". His RIO shoots down two at long range using the Tomcat's Phoenix missiles. Both Kazansky and his RIO are awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the incident is quietly covered up. One of several "regrettable" incidents to occur during the Cold War.

The US and Soviet ambassadors agree to pretend the incident never happened, though for the coming months both sides will be on higher alert.

History proceeds as OTL from there. :p
If you're doing it that way, just drum Maverick out via court-martial, or have him resign his comission rather than face court-martial.
 
Inside poop... While sitting in the squadron commander's Tomcat, Tom was getting frustrated with delays in shooting. He took off his sunglasses and threw them down. They broke. The Tomcat was taken off line for the difficult job of removing glass bits. I suppose he was just trying to be Maverick.
 

CalBear

Moderator
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Nothing much. The movie gets it about right. The papers make a big deal of it, especially since the U.S. lost a Tomcat, the "bad guys" BS about it, and the driver gets choice of assignment and probably a Silver Star (Navy Cross may be a stretch, but he did have the biggest day for a navy pilot since Korea, so the chance is there).

The scenario was always about a third country, not the USSR. The IO location was, as noted, done to make the enemy generic instead of making an issue with somebody who might show the movie.

Cuba makes sense, but I always figured Libya as the model for the enemy. We had just had a couple dust-ups with them and they were about the only bunch who was actually willing to come up and play with the U.S.
 
I always wondered if the bad guys weren't Iranian... not sure about the timing on this, but didn't we have our little tiff with them during the Iran/Iraq war not long before the movie was made? Or was that afterwards...
 

MacCaulay

Banned
I always wondered if the bad guys weren't Iranian... not sure about the timing on this, but didn't we have our little tiff with them during the Iran/Iraq war not long before the movie was made? Or was that afterwards...

That was in the 80s. Actually an F-14 pilot got in a bit of hot water according to Iranian F-4 Phantom II Units in Combat. A Tomcat (part of a pair on CAP) actually launched against an Iranian F-4 from Mehrabad. The Phantom evaded the first Sidewinder and managed to get away.
 
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