Forget Tom Cruise’s Hollywood heroics, Top Guns: Inside the RAF returns for a second season, offering a sobering look at the real-life pressures and split-second decisions facing the Royal Air Force. This week, the cameras capture the action from multiple fronts, from the nerve center of RAF Waddington to the vast expanse of the Falklands.
We witness a Reaper spy drone, controlled remotely, execute top-secret orders against ISIS targets in Iraq, a stark contrast to the idyllic English countryside surrounding the base. Meanwhile, a new father stationed as an air traffic controller grapples with the emotional complexities of deployment to the Falkland Islands.
And in Cyprus, a squadron receives the urgent directive to neutralize Houthi missile sites in Yemen following attacks on a Royal Navy vessel. The series continues to excel at providing viewers with an unvarnished view, shifting effortlessly between high-tech warfare and the human stories behind the uniforms.
Top Guns: Inside the RAF airs Tuesday, February 11, 2025, on Channel 4.
