This is World War Three, mate – Top Guns: Inside The RAF shows duality of military life
"This is World War Three, mate."
These heart-stopping words were spoken by an RAF Typhoon pilot on the latest series of Top Guns: Inside The RAF.
They were talking while flying above Jordan and western Iraq alongside their USAF counterparts on a mission to intercept Iranian tactical ballistic missiles.
The second series of the Channel 4 News programme offers the audience a behind-the-scenes view of frontline missions such as this, while blending in moments of life perhaps more relatable to a civilian audience.
Speaking to BFBS the forces station, executive producer Mark Tattersall explained that while the pilots were intercepting Iranian missiles it felt like the world was "on the precipice of something... fairly unprecedented".
He said: "Iran were launching those missiles and it felt like World War Three was looming at that time and [Wing Commander] Jenni was massively involved in that."
Wg Cdr Jenni - her surname has been withheld - served as the Chief of Staff while deployed with the 140 Expeditionary Air Wing in support of the Typhoons on Operation Biloxi.
Mr Tattersall added: "It was her first deployment as a mum and that changed the dynamic for her.
"That is a very, very special relationship she has with her daughter and you can see in the film it was quite emotional for her to be away at that time."
At one point, Wg Cdr Jenni speaks with her six-year-old daughter who excitedly tells her mother she has been named Star of the Week at primary school for the first time.
The touching moment is poignant, particularly for those whose jobs keep them away from their families – an experience commonly associated with service life.
Wg Cdr Jenni is keen for all watching to be inspired by her service and consider a career in the RAF as they might be unaware of how supportive the military can be for parents.
"There's so much support out there, not just from friends and family, but from the Air Force itself," she explained.
"The things that were put in place to support both me and my daughter while I was deployed were fantastic.
"My daughter will not see me as a role model unless I am a Red Arrow so I'm not sure I'll be able to inspire her in the same way."
A threat from Russia
Another scene in Top Guns shows the tense moment a Typhoon pilot flying over the Black Sea off the coast of Ukraine is warned by a Russian fighter jet they are getting too close to the border with Russia, saying: "If you don't leave, you will be destroyed."
The RAF pilot explains that if the Russian pilot were to pull the trigger there was absolutely nothing he could do about it, adding: "This could be game over for us."
Flight Lieutenant Josh explained to BFBS the forces station what it felt like at that moment, saying: "You hear the Russian voice come on the radio and effectively tell us that we're approaching the state border of the Russian Federation and turn around now, or you will be destroyed.
"So that's quite nerve-wracking, exciting to hear a thick-set Russian accent come over the radio and tell you 'turn around or you will be destroyed' and then to hear that there's been a fighter jet scramble to intercept you, it definitely gets the heartbeat going.
"It obviously shows the punchier part of the job [but] be under no illusions, there are more mundane bits to the job."
Significantly less high fiving
Many aviation enthusiasts will watch Top Guns: Inside The RAF for a close-up look at training and operations from the cockpit of Typhoons and – for the first time – behind the scenes of the RAF's Reaper force, seeing first-hand how RAF remotely piloted air systems are used on the frontline.
And, thanks to the title of the series, some might expect to see the lives of RAF personnel to be similar to that of US Navy fighter pilot Maverick in the 1986 action film Top Gun.
However, Flight Lieutenant Buzz, a Typhoon pilot, says life in the RAF isn't like that at all, saying: "As much as the show is called Top Guns, I assure you that aside from flying the jets there aren't that many similarities with the movies.
"You know, there's no half-naked beach sports and significantly less high-fiving, I'd say."
What the series attempts to highlight to a civilian audience is the human side of service personnel.
Mr Tattersall explains that as a film-maker it is his job "to hold a mirror up to these events" and to accurately reflect reality.
"I think what's remarkable about working with some of the fast jet pilots is that they're quite normal people," he said.
"Outside of their uniform, walking down the high street they're just like you and I but in that setting... they do have an alternate persona.
"They're very serious people. You can tell how highly trained they are, how highly skilled they are."
Watch Top Guns: Inside The RAF on Channel 4 at 21:00 on 4 February.
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