"Firefox" stars Clint Eastwood as Mitchell Gant. Other notable characters include
Kenneth Aubrey, played by Freddie Jones, Captain Buzckholz played by David Huffman, Colonel Kontarsky played by Kenneth Colley, General Vladimirov played by Klaus Löwitsch and First Secretary played by Stefan Schnabel.
The Russians develop a new fighter jet with the code-name "Firefox." The top speed of the aircraft is six times the speed of sound. The plane's weapons are activated by the pilot's brainwaves, so reaction time is decreased, giving the pilot an advantage. American and British intelligence officials plan to steal the plane from deep inside the Soviet Union and they convince Mitchell Gant, a retired pilot who speaks Russian, to accomplish the task. He is covertly dropped into the Soviet Union and infiltrates the Russian military base where "Firefox" is stored. Gant steals the aircraft and flies the plane toward friendly territory. Along the way, he must battle multiple hostile aircraft to reach safety.
"Top Gun" stars Tom Cruise as Maverick. Other notable characters include Charlie, played by Kelly McGillis, Iceman played by Val Kilmer, Goose played by Anthony Edwards, Viper played by Tom Skerritt, Jester played by Michael Ironside and Cougar played by John Stockwell.
A daredevil pilot, known as Maverick, is accepted to Top Gun, the Navy's elite jet fighter school. The pilots fly F-14 Tomcats, considered a modern jet in 1986 when the film was released. Maverick becomes romantically involved with Charlie, a female specialist in Maritime Air Superiority who tutors Maverick and gives him advice throughout the film. Much of the air combat in the film is about combat practice maneuvers, though eventually some real combat occurs between Maverick's team and Soviet era MIG fighters over the Indian Ocean.