30 years ago, Top Gun opened in theaters this month and reinvented how Hollywood and the Pentagon could work with each other to mutual benefit. 

All 5 military services including the US Coast Guard maintain offices in Los Angeles to facilitate film requests and if you have a project they can work with, it might be worth a call to see if you can take advantage of the generous support they can offer.

The U.S. Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office recently invited a group of industry professionals to March Air Reserve Base on a USAF Orientation Tour aboard a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker of the 452d Air Mobility Wing, 336th Air Refueling Squadron to witness the in-flight refueling of F-16 Falcons, F-35 Lightnings, and A-10 Thunderbolts jets.

This unique opportunity provided the U.S. Air Force a vehicle to educate and inform Hollywood creatives through direct contact with Air Force people and missions to showcase the latest assets and training capabilities. All the services attempt to provide various levels of outreach to Hollywood as seen in previous posts.

Like their sister services, the USAF Entertainment Liaison is the primary contact for processing film and television production requests seeking support from the United States Air Force. Through their efforts, they have recently assisted in the productions of ‘Amazing Race’, ‘Bridge of Spies’, ‘Hawaii Five-0’, ‘Transformers’, and ‘Whiskey Tango Foxtrot’. 

If you're interested in finding out more about how you might be able to access military assets or knowledge for your project, give the Department of Defense a call and see if it is something they might be able to support.