US nuclear aircraft carrier used in Top Gun filming… Super Hornet fighter jet takes to the sky in 3 seconds [밀착취재]

On the deck of an aircraft carrier floating in the high seas south of Jeju on the 11th. Tom Cruise prepares for takeoff of the F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter plane that took control in the movie ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. As the crew raised their hands, the aircraft carrier launched its fighter jets with a deafening thunderclap. The fighter jet, which flew like an arrow leaving a bowstring, seemed to lean to the left in the air, but soon corrected its posture and soared into the sky, drawing a large arc. The acrid smoke and hot steam created by the catapult quickly covered the flight deck where the fighter jet left in 3 seconds. Over 10 minutes, more than 5 fighter jets quickly kicked off the aircraft carrier and took off.

The ROK-US Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force conducted maritime exercises between Korea-US-Japan on the 11th and 12th. The U.S. Navy unveiled the Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71, 100,000-ton class), which led the maritime training, to reporters from Korea, the United States, and Japan. It is unusual for the U.S. military to jointly reveal its nuclear aircraft carrier, its strategic asset and ‘flagship’, to reporters from the three countries during joint exercises between Korea, the United States, and Japan.

The reporters boarded a C-2 Greyhound transport plane and landed on the aircraft carrier at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, Japan. The transport plane came to a halt in the middle of the flight deck, caught like a fish by the ‘arresting wire’, a thick iron line. The flight deck of an aircraft carrier is much shorter than the ground runway, so when landing, you have to hold it with a thick iron rope to slow it down and use a catapult to rapidly accelerate the fighter jet and launch it off the deck.

The deck of the Roosevelt was packed with aircraft, including F/A-18s, EA-18G Growler electromechanical planes, and MH-60 Seahawk maritime operation helicopters. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, such as the USS Roosevelt, are nicknamed ‘floating military bases’ because they usually carry about 90 aircraft, which is equivalent to the air force of most countries. It is known that the Lee and Nice scene in ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ was also filmed on the Roosevelt.

While getting off the transport plane and entering the ship, weapons that appeared to be air-to-air missiles to be mounted on the ship were also visible. The captain’s office was filled with photos and busts of Theodore Roosevelt, the 26th president of the United States and the owner of the aircraft carrier’s name. The TV installed in the captain’s cabin was a Korean LG product, and underneath the TV was a Japanese-made Sony soundbar.

In the room next to the captain’s office, a ‘big stick rack’ with baseball bats and hockey sticks personally signed by famous players from the American Major League (MLB) and Hockey League (NHL) attracted attention. President Roosevelt’s ‘Big Stick (Exercise of Power)’ diplomatic stance, which emphasized military power and pursued a hardline foreign policy during his term, was linked not only to the American professional sports, but also to the nuclear aircraft carrier, the ultimate strategic asset.

On this day, Commander Christopher Alexander (Navy Commodore) of the U.S. 9th Carrier Strike Group, to which the Roosevelt belongs, met with reporters and expressed satisfaction, saying, “I am very pleased to be able to work with the Korean Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, which are great allies in this region.” indicated. However, Director Alexander declined to comment when asked whether the recent ROK-US-Japan exercises were a warning message to North Korea and China. He responded, “This training is a routine operation on the high seas and was well coordinated (in advance).”

He emphasized, “This (training) is an opportunity for us to meet our allies face-to-face, which is absolutely important in times of crisis.” When asked about his thoughts on North Korea’s continued nuclear threat and missile provocations, Director Alexander repeatedly drew a line against political interpretation, saying, “It is beyond my rank and authority to send a message to other governments.”

Reporter Koo Hyun-mo, Jeju = Ministry of National Defense joint reporting team

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