In February 2025 the second season of Top Guns: Inside the RAF was broadcast to millions, giving unprecedented access to Air Force life. To achieve this, the RAF team led by Squadron Leader Dan Chorley (an RAF Reservist) worked tirelessly over 14 months to create opportunities for our partners True North to film scenarios and personnel that showcased aviation at its finest in three core messaging areas:

-  Always Ready to Fly and Fight: For the first time, the RAF team were able to secure footage of pilots, weapons systems operators and intelligence analysts working inside Remotely Piloted Air Systems, showing Reaper’s incredible capability for surveillance, analysis and targeted lethality. Next, cockpit cameras captured real-time footage of RAF typhoons operating alongside allies to intercept Iranian drones targeted at Israel, showing first-hand the RAF’s role in preventing the escalation of geopolitical tensions. Additionally, RAF strikes against Houthi rebels blocking the Red Sea were captured from the cockpit – showing that the RAF is the Nation’s first responder to protect our national interests.

-  Securing the Skies at Home and Abroad: To highlight the fact that the RAF is working 24/7/365 to protect the UK and our allies, the team successfully lobbied to capture Quick Reaction Alert scrambles, world-class fast jet training, and Air Policing over the borders of Romania. This included footage of the Poseidon P8 on operations over the Black Sea, escorted by typhoons as they met hostile Russian aircraft.

-  No Ordinary Job: More than anything else, the series sought to demonstrate what a life of service truly means – the challenges of being away from home, the pride of succeeding on operations, and the camaraderie of working alongside peers and friends. Nothing could illustrate this more than the dedication and commitment of Sqn Leader Mark Long, whose fatal Spitfire crash was captured during production. The handling of this incident, working with his family and peers to create a sensitive tribute to his service, deserves a special mention.

To support the series’ launch, the multi-disciplined RAF team of service personnel, civilians, contractors and reservists collaborated to create a campaign of content across broadcast, newsprint, magazine and social media. The innovative and holistic approach included content targeting different audiences: a live Q&A on Instagram for those interested in RAF careers, a moment-by-moment posting thread on X for defence industry and commentators, and ‘feel good’ behind the scenes stories on Facebook to engage with RAF fans and families. Their creative ideas pushed RAF life to new audiences – from an Air Cadets ‘take over’ day at RAF Coningsby, to footage viewed more than 20m times on TikTok.

The series was a huge success, receiving widespread plaudits from TV reviewers, defence commentators and internal audiences. Internal evaluation showed that the RAF’s key messages were well received and recognized by viewers. The RAF recruitment website received an unprecedented number of registrations of interest during this period, and visits to the RAF website to find out more about the roles and capabilities featured in the series also hit record-highs.  The RAF Air Media and Comms Team is accordingly awarded the Hugh Field Award for Aviation Journalism.

2006/07  Richard Gardner Esq

2007/08  Hugh Field Esq

2008/09  Flight International

2010  not awarded

2010/11  Global Aviation Resource

2011/12  Air Cdre Graham Pitchfork MBE BA FRAeS

2012/13  Pat Malone

2013/14   BBC Helicopter Heroes Team

2014/15  Sqn Ldr David Webster MBE RAF

2016  Nigel Everett MA

2017  Captain Elfan Dyfed Ap Rees

2018  David Learmount

2019  Benjamin Dunnell

2020  Tim Robinson

2021  Arthur Williams

2022 - 23  not awarded

2024  John King