Microsoft's latest entry in its Flight Simulator series allows you to explore the world as the pilot of any aircraft you wish. It even allows you to fly fighter jets into the skies for you to do so.
However, the game doesn't have a way for you to roleplay as a fighter jet pilot. Microsoft promised this option to players in the "Top Gun: Maverick" movie tie-in expansion, but the movie's delay came in the way.
That is no longer the case.
Microsoft has recently released the much-awaited "Top Gun: Maverick" expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020, which will be free to download to all players on May 25, per Microsoft's announcement on the official Flight Simulator page.
Microsoft Flight Simulator Top Gun: Maverick DLC Details
According to Microsoft's announcement, the "Top Gun: Maverick" expansion will provide players with challenges to develop the skills and navigate the complexities Top Gun pilots encounter in "authentic locations."
To be specific, the expansion comes with three training missions for the F/A-18E Super Hornet that will allow players to train their skills to master radical flight maneuvers, including unrestricted take-offs, split S maneuvers, and low altitude, high-speed maneuvering through complex terrain.
It also has five high-speed, low-level challenges requiring players to put their skills on the highway to the danger zone to navigate mountain tops and through canyons.
Additionally, the expansion will provide players with a never-before-seen hypersonic aircraft capable of reaching Mach 10 and altitudes greater than 150,000 feet above sea level. This aircraft will come in handy, as the expansion comes with a mission that tasks players to reach the Earth's stratosphere.
The stratosphere is a part of the Earth's atmosphere where all jet aircraft and weather balloons reach their maximum operational altitudes, according to the University Corporation For Atmospheric Research Center for Science Education.
Finally, the expansion will task players to hone their skills for them to land their fighter jet to perform one of the most difficult feats in the world of military aviation: landing on the deck of an aircraft carrier.
As for cosmetics, players can get a "Top Gun: Maverick Edition" jet pilot uniform to use for the F/A-18E Super Hornet for roleplaying purposes.
Never-Before-Seen "Hypersonic" Aircraft Speculation
As previously mentioned, the "Top Gun: Maverick" expansion includes a never-before-seen hypersonic aircraft capable of reaching Mach 10 and altitudes greater than 150,000 feet above sea level.
Although not much is known about the aircraft being described, Eurogamer mentioned in its article that the mystery aircraft might be the Aurora Darkstar SR-91, citing posts in the Flight Simulator subreddit, r/MicrosoftFlightSim.
The Aurora Darkstar SR-91 is rumored to be a spy plane developed by the US in the 1990s, but never made it past the drawing board, according 19fourtyfive.com.
Not much is known about the aircraft due to its inclusion in the U.S. military's special access program. Still, it was rumored to be able to fly at hypersonic speeds above Mach 5 and reach unheard of altitudes to avoid enemy air defense systems. It also featured a triangle shape for stealth capabilities to confuse radar.
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