The Pentagon's Help in Making Top Gun

Top Gun earned over $350 million at the box office, making it the highest-grossing film of 1986. Paramount Pictures reportedly paid only $1.1 million to borrow warplanes and an aircraft carrier. The Pentagon asked for an exchange was for the filmmakers to change any scenes they didn't like. For example, author David L. Rob found that in the original script, Maverick's love interest, Charlie, was a fellow soldier.