Southern Maryland’s autonomy corridor: A center for naval aviation, ‘Top Gun’ engineers and thriving industry-education partnerships

When “Top Gun: Maverick” was nominated for a Best Visual Effects Oscar, engineers in Southern Maryland had cause for celebration: the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) engineers and technicians had a major role in the film. NAWCAD test engineers helped to customize the film’s aircraft, conducting wind blast tests and doing the camera set-up to ensure excellent shots of the cast of war fighters while also prioritizing actor safety.