TOP GUNS: THE NEXT GENERATION
With unprecedented access to one of the U.S. Navy’s most demanding training and selection programs, this adrenaline-fueled and emotionally searing documentary series follows the world-class U.S. Navy student pilots as they work to join the next generation of the Navy’s most elite strike fighter pilots.
A Zinc Media commission for National Geographic/Disney 2025
Edit Producer: Kate Hampel
Showrunner: Chris Parkin
Executive Producers: Lana Salah, Karen Edwards
The series follows a group of officers as they push their limits on the gruelling Advanced Flight Training Program. For the first time ever, they'll be embarking on some of the most challenging flight tests possible including landing on an aircraft carrier at sea. The elite nature of the course means that only a minority - the very best - will make it to the top to fly the world’s most advanced jet - the F-35C Lightning II.
The emotional character-led stories is told through the perspective of a diverse range of Navy student pilots. This first-time access will allow the series to follow the prospective naval aviators every step of the way - in the air, in the classroom, off-base and at home - as we discover who’s got what it takes to make it to the F-35C.