United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program

"TOPGUN" redirects here. For other uses, see Top Gun (disambiguation).
"SFTI" redirects here. For protein, see Sunflower trypsin inhibitor.

Emblem of and worn by members of NFWS

The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program (SFTI program), more popularly known as Top Gun (stylized as TOPGUN), is a United States Navy training program that teaches air combat maneuvering tactics and techniques to selected naval aviators and naval flight officers, who return to their operating units as surrogate instructors.

The program began as the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School, established on 3 March 1969,[1] at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in San Diego, California.[2][3] In 1996, the school was merged into the Naval Strike and Air Warfare Center at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada.[4]

"TOP GUN" text at the line shack of NAS Miramar, 1984
  1. ^ "March 3 in Naval History". Naval History and Heritage Command. U.S. Navy. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  2. ^ Michel 2007, p. 186
  3. ^ Senior Chief Deputy Stuart H. Swett (5 July 1994). "Resolution Number R-284202" (PDF). San Diego City Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2018. Retrieved 11 August 2018. [...] on March 1, 1943, the area near Miramar Naval Air Station was commissioned the Marine Corps Air Base, Kearney Mesa, San Diego.
  4. ^ Perry, Tony (1 June 1996). "San Diego bids farewell to Top Guns". Eugene Register-Guard. {Los Angeles Times}. p. 3A.