Pete Hegseth takes flight in F-18 fighter jet with elite ‘Top Gun’ pilots in latest social media stunt

WorldPolitics
22 Oct 2025 • 9:25 PM MYT
The Independent
The Independent

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Pete Hegseth has taken flight in a F-18 fighter jet dressed in Top Gun attire from a Nevada naval air base.

On Sunday (19 October), the Secretary of Defense took a tour of the skies in the same fighter jet that Tom Cruise used in 2022’s Top Gun: Maverick.

He was accompanied by Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Dan Caine, who flew in his own F-16 fighter jet.

“The Chairman and I took a ride into the danger zone with TOPGUN at Naval Air Station Fallon,” Mr Hegseth posted on X. “Incredible Americans.”