Factual error: Admiral Cain is sitting in the control room together with the Darkstar team looking at the mission control screens when the camera zooms in on one particular screen in the control room. It shows the density gradients around the airplane, visualizing the shock waves in a so-called schlieren image. The angle depicted between the shock wave and the Darkstar's fuselage appears closer to Mach 1.5 than Mach 7.5. (00:09:47)
Other mistake: When Cyclone and Warlock show Maverick the 12 candidates, Maverick looks at Rooster's profile, left of which is that of Hangman. There you see that Rooster and Hangman have the same Department of Defense ID: 720,956,349. (00:20:06)
Continuity mistake: In the bar scene when the other aviators meet BOB, Phoenix says: "Nine ball, Bob. Rack 'em." In the subsequent shots, you can see they are playing 8 Ball. Especially after Hangman says: "That don't confront me" you can see the 14 ball. (00:26:05 - 00:27:00)
Continuity mistake: When Maverick calls Comanche, the sun is behind the Daggers. When they descend below radar a few seconds later, the sun is ahead of them. (01:31:16)
Revealing mistake: When Maverick and the team are heading into enemy territory after leaving the carrier, they start dropping below enemy radar. There is a shot from a "belly camera" under a plane facing rearwards. The wings are moving around, then disappear upwards out of the picture. This is because the low flying aircraft (supposedly not an F-18F) pulled up in the shot, while the belly of an F-18F was overlaid / pasted into this cut in post. (01:31:45)
Deliberate mistake: On the Hawkeye's radar screen, the Bandits virtually stand still after switching course to defend target (after destruction of the enemies' runway). While the Daggers complete their way to the Uranium plant, destroy it, evade the SAMs and return (save for Maverick, who got shot down), the bandits are still in the same place. This is a deliberate error: If the Bandits had progressed with normal speed, the Daggers couldn't have possibly avoided a confrontation on their way back. (01:34:42 - 01:40:30)
Other mistake: In movie, Harvard and Yale are the crew of one of the dual F18. Harvard is wearing the Navy Aviator Wings on his patch, Yale is wearing WSO wings. Later, in aerial scenes, Yale is in the front seat of the plane and Harvard in the rear - the wrong way round. (01:40:00)
Plot hole: How could the E-2 Hawkeye not spot the enemy helicopter? It must have been airborne for many minutes at least before attacking Maverick. But less than 90 seconds before we see the helicopter, Comanche only confirmed the two Bandits approaching. (01:40:29 - 01:42:00)
Suggested correction: The helicopter is never shown on film more than 50 feet off the deck. It was previously established that the Hawkeye lost radar contact of Dagger Flight when they lowered their altitude on the approach-and they were over water at the time. The helicopter was shown exclusively within the heavily forested area which would almost certainly mask it from radar regardless of altitude.
Only the carrier lost radar contact, which is why they switched to "E-2 picture." The Hawkeye had radar contact with the Daggers all the time when they were cruising low through the narrow, forested, snowy canyon. The enemy helicopter would be as visible to Hawkeye radar as the Daggers.
I stand correction-corrected. Thanks.
Continuity mistake: At the beginning of the final dogfight, when the 5th gen fighter releases its first missile after achieving missile lock, a second missile is in flight for two seconds, missing the F-14. This missile must have been released first and is missing the F-14 to the left by a long shot. (01:51:18)
Revealing mistake: When Maverick uses the Cobra Maneuver in the F-14 he was piloting and being chased by the 5th-Gen Fighter and moves above it, the onboard camera in the 5th-Gen fighter captures the supposedly F-14 moving back from above. Only that it does not look like an F-14 with its movable wings spread out. The scene is fast and so a normal user might not notice this infraction. (01:52:40)
Other mistake: After Hangman shoots down the last 5th Gen fighter you can see his F-18 in all remaining shots including landing still has all its missiles. (01:55:41 - 01:56:20)
Factual error: The radar guided SAMs are consistently evaded/triggered by the pilots' flares, which in reality only work against heat seeking missiles. Radar guided missiles would be defended against using chaff, basically clouds of aluminium foil strips. It was mentioned in some interviews they didn't want use chaff as it wouldn't really be visible for the audience - hence why they only deploy flares.
Plot hole: Any strike on a military facility by incoming aircraft would first take out the SAM sites with missiles to clear the way for said aircraft to operate freely. After all, the Tomahawks fly right past the attacking planes and take out the runway with no issues at all - no reason they couldn't hit the high and exposed SAMs.
Suggested correction: The idea was to use the tomahawks to take out the airfield and prevent enemy planes from taking off. The SAMs could be evaded by flying through the canyon so the airfield was considered a higher priority target.
While that may be so, those planes exit would have a difficult time out running and avoiding that many SAMs. It's not like the ship wouldn't have enough tomahawks to take out the SAMs as well.
Taking out the airfield was deemed necessary to complete the mission, taking out SAMs beyond the canyon was not. The original plan didn't take into account the pilots surviving the mission in the first place, so the Navy didn't bother with extra strikes on SAM sites. Maverick had to struggle to get them to approve this plan in the first place too, so he wouldn't be able to convince them to put even more effort into it.
They still have to avoid the SAMs on the way out, no canyon to protect them then.
Deliberate mistake: During the scenes where Maverick is flying the Darkstar spy plane, his helmet is lit up on the inside, so we can see his face. In reality the light would be reflecting off the plexiglass, meaning we would not be able to see his face, and he would not be able to see at all.
Factual error: The F14 could never have got airborne with such a short clear run unassisted. It needs about 800m, about half a mile.
Factual error: When the blue tactical screen is shown, four ships are displayed. Bottom ship is labeled CG-49. CG-49, the USS Vincennes, was a Ticonderoga-class guided missile cruiser that was decommissioned in 2005, and scrapped in 2011.
Plot hole: Given the mission parameters, why wouldn't the facility be taken out with a barrage of ballistic missiles instead of weapons dropped from manned aircraft? "GPS jamming" wouldn't be a factor with ballistic missiles.
Suggested correction: Likely incorrect. The movie makes a big deal out of the steep climb and descent of the narrow mountainous valley in which the target is located, and the wide arc of a ballistic missile from launch to strike would be geometrically unable to hit the target. It would in essence have to be launched straight down at the target (akin to what a Javelin does), something that in this case only aircraft overhead would be able to do.
Actually, the Tomahawks can use inertial guidance.
Sounds like a perfect mission for a B2.
TLAMs can navigate terrain like that.
Revealing mistake: During the scene with Maverick and Rooster in the F-14A, you can see the cockpit of the F-18F being reflected off Rooster's visor on the helmet.
Factual error: The left turn the Dark Star makes at Mach 9 is not possible. The G force stress would tear the aircraft apart. The turn radius is far too small at that speed.
Suggested correction: Incorrect. Dark Star is a theoretical aircraft, so we have no idea of its capabilities. Also, race car drivers can pull 9G's and somehow live.
What is being said is not that it is subjected to 9G's, which is completely doable (Maverick gets to 10 during the mission sequence). What is being stated is that a turn with that radius at Mach 9 (not 9Gs) would generate a much higher G.
There is no scale given, so it is unknown how tight the turn radius is and, consequently, how many g's would be produced.
Again, as Dark Star is purely hypothetical, we have no idea of its capabilities or positive G capabilities. What's to say that it doesn't have a way of being able to execute such turns? You are comparing it to an actual aircraft, not a theoretical one.
Even being theoretical, such a turn in that speed is not just a matter of a slightly better technology, but a difference that would be almost science fiction at this point. Darkstar is based on the Lockheed Martin SR-72, which can theoretically get to Mach 6. Even at Mach 6, to make a U turn would take a turn radius of more than 200 miles. I understand your point, that being fictional it can do whatever the filmmakers want, but that would in no way meet reality.
Suggested correction: You are basing this opinion on the capabilities of conventional aircraft. Dark Star isn't real and doesn't have to be realistic.
Some very rough dead reckoning based on screen grabs of the turn show that if the plane had been similar in size to the SR-71 and had pulled that turn at mach 10 the pilot would be experiencing 970-990 G.
Continuity mistake: In the first scene when Maverick enters the airbase on his motorcycle it is mid-morning based on the sun and shadows. When he takes off in the test jet it is pre-dawn.
Suggested correction: The movie sequencing/reveal is shoddy for this. Prior to him uncovering the motorcycle and heading out he slaps the calendar on the wall where it says, If I recall, "Mach 8." the day before on the calendar says something like "training" or "physical test" or something (I honestly forgot). That happens the first day ("afternoon") as shown with him on the treadmill; he sleeps on-base to get up "pre-dawn" and that's when the admiral arrives and he takes off.
This shot is likely referring to the fact that at Mach 10 he's travelling so fast towards the west that the sun (which only just set) appears to be rising again, as he outraces the darkness.
Travelling that far west would bring aircraft and pilot well over the pacific. No chance to find a lift back there.
I've watched this movie many more times since my comment. The runway assigned is "21", which has a heading of 210°, roughly southwest. This puts him facing the setting sun, but at his speed he's covering such a distance that he's actually seeing it "set" again. Even with the turn, the POV of the breakup appears still heading west. Somehow he ends up in rural (Northern?) California, walking all night to arrive at the diner for breakfast.
