Real Analysis at the Real TOPGUN

CNA analysts have worked side-by-side with TOPGUN instructors for almost as long as the fighter pilot school has been in existence. Since 1975, CNA analysts have been continuously billeted to the commands responsible for TOPGUN, currently the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center. TOPGUN instructors establish best practices in tactics for the Navy, and CNA complements their expertise with scientific experimentation and mathematical modeling.

CNA's TOPGUN partnership has advanced fighter tactics with science since 1975

Robyn Lalime, CNA representative to TopGun, pictured left, back row in the blue shirt

TOPGUN & CNA: Fighter Aviation Tactics, Grounded in Science

Three analysts describe the role of science and mathematics in the evaluation of tactics during their years at TOPGUN.

Strike and Air Warfare Program

The CNA Field Representative to TOPGUN and the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center is part of a team of more than 30 CNA analysts devoted to aviation systems and tactics. Learn more about their work.

Flights of Analysis

From Proceedings magazine: Learn how TOPGUN instructors integrate CNA analysis into the fighter pilot tactics they teach.

Making Parachute Safety Top of Mind at TOPGUN

CNA analyst Dr. Robyn Lalime describes her high-impact analysis of the risks of parachute ejections in high winds, conducted when she was at TOPGUN.

Who Was the Real Charlie Blackwood?

In the original Top Gun film, Kelly McGillis played an astrophysicist assigned as an analyst to TOPGUN. Read about the real CNA analyst who inspired this character. Spoiler alert: She’s not an astrophysicist, and she never wore high heels at TOPGUN.

Meet the Real Charlie from 'Top Gun'

An interview with Christine Fox, originally heard on the podcast Left of Boom, from Military.com

Dr. Timothy Roberts, Research Program Director

Robertst@cna.org