12 Best Airplane Battle Scenes In Movie History

As cool as the space battles that "Star Wars" popularized are, there is something undeniably thrilling about a high-flying aerial battle sequence. Whether it's biplanes in the earliest days of aerial combat or modern fighter jets breaking the speed of sound while carrying out dangerous missions, these scenes are just breathtakingly cool. Though advances in CGI have made for exciting airplane battles on a larger scale, there is also something still timelessly effective when real planes are involved in filming. These sequences have been keeping audiences on the edge of their seat since the first-ever Best Picture winner at the Oscars, 1927's "Wings."

From aerial battles depicting real-life wartime events or original stories featuring nebulous enemies, a great airplane fight captures what the cinema experience is all about. A memorable aerial sequence places the viewer right in the cockpit, offering an immersive perspective into the soaring spectacle. This distinction works for both grounded air battles and flashy sequences set to contemporary tunes to get your pulse up. With all this in mind, here are the 12 best airplane battle scenes in movie history, ready to thrill the inner aviator in all of us.

In between directing some of the most essential James Bond movies, English filmmaker Guy Hamilton helmed 1969's "Battle of Britain." The film is set during the pivotal summer of 1940, when the Nazis successfully defeat France and set their sights on subjugating Great Britain during World War II. With the United States still staying out of the war at the time, Britain must defend itself from blistering waves of German warplanes for months. This leads to a climactic battle in September 1940, with the British military calling up every able warplane it can to defend London from an unrelenting onslaught.

The sheer scope of "Battle of Britain" and its large number of period-appropriate aircraft alone earns it a spot on this list. The rest of the movie is standard '60s ensemble cast WWII filler, but that's not really what we're tuning in for with this flick. Instead, stick around for the dazzling aerial battles that make up much of the movie's back half as these classic aircraft get a high-flying send-off. A passable war film that makes up for its shortcomings in the air, "Battle of Britain" earns points primarily for its impressive scale.

The 1970 international production "Tora! Tora! Tora!" is one of the most realistic war movies depicting the Second World War ever made. The movie details the lead-up to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, starting with the breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two countries in 1940. This includes months of meticulous planning by the Japanese military and warning signs of impending hostilities deduced by the Americans. This all culminates in a massive aerial attack on the U.S. Naval base on the morning of December 7, 1941, with two waves of Japanese aircraft bombarding the Hawaiian facilities.

It's a slow burn to get to the fateful climax of "Tora! Tora! Tora!," but it's a heck of a payoff for patient viewers. The production doesn't hold back in displaying the carnage wrought by the Japanese bombers and fighters on the unsuspecting Americans, as well as their relative inability to regroup in time. Its creatives also built replicas of Japanese warplanes for the movie and seeing them soar is exhilarating, even when portrayed in a catastrophic light from the perspective of the United States. A deliberately paced account of Pearl Harbor with an explosive finale, one can only wonder how "Tora! Tora! Tora!" would've been if Fox had fully recruited Akira Kurosawa to direct as planned.

As far as World War II films go, few have a more original premise than 1980's "The Final Countdown" and its sci-fi take on the genre. The movie follows a modern American nuclear-powered aircraft carrier being mysteriously transported nearly 40 years into the past. Realizing that they've arrived just prior to the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the carrier's crew debates if they should intervene and change history. Things are only further complicated when the crew then proceeds to shoot down two advancing Japanese fighter planes and rescue a U.S. Senator who was supposed to die shortly before the assault.

Seeing F-14s take on Japanese Zeroes from the '40s is the real appeal to "The Final Countdown" when it comes to its time-bending action. The obvious generational differences between the aircraft provides a unique spin on WWII aerial action, with nothing else quite like it on film. And though a "Final Countdown" remake was considered back in 2010, the original movie's pre-"Top Gun" depiction of the U.S. Navy and its aviation wing holds up. A solid sci-fi wartime thriller, as long as one doesn't think too hard about it, "The Final Countdown" works best when it focuses on its flyers.

If there was one film that firmly cemented Tom Cruise as one of the biggest names in Hollywood, it was 1986's "Top Gun." The movie follows hotshot pilot Pete "Maverick" Mitchell (Cruise) and his radar intercept officer Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards) as they attend Top Gun, an elite training program for naval pilots. As Maverick's reckless flying techniques ruffle his superior officers overseeing the program, he strikes up a romance with its civilian instructor Charlie Blackwood (Kelly McGillis). Though tragedy strikes the pilots, Maverick decides to complete his training, just in time to participate in a combat mission against an unspecified enemy, putting his skills to the test.

It wouldn't be completely inaccurate to describe "Top Gun" as a lie told with style, but the truth is that it also inspired a generation to look to the air. From its iconic score and soundtrack, notably including Kenny Loggins' "Danger Zone," the movie contains some of the coolest aerial sequences in modern cinema. This is immediately apparent from the moment Maverick flies out in the movie's opening and is only further reinforced by his initial showboating at Top Gun and, of course, the film's climactic airplane battle. Bringing a self-assured swagger to match its too-cool-for-school protagonist, "Top Gun" matches its own confidence in its stylized execution.

The B-17 Flying Fortress carried out some of the most dangerous American bombing missions in World War II, with its larger size compared to other aircraft resulting in heavy losses. This distinction serves as the focal point for 1990's "Memphis Belle," loosely based on an actual B-17's exploits during WWII. The titular bomber is captained by Dennis Dearborn (Matthew Modine), who prepares the crew to join the squadron for its final combat mission. This involves the Memphis Belle destroying a weapons factory deep in Germany without the support of friendly fighters escorting the bomber squadron.

Running for a little over 100 minutes, "Memphis Belle" moves briskly and centers more on its deadly mission than overarching character development. That keeps the movie's narrative focus airtight, really emphasizing the immense peril B-17 crews endured throughout the war through Dearborn's perspective. When the story's big mission gets underway, the film is a taut ride, full of harrowing spectacle as aircrafts explode and collide around our protagonists, with death a constant presence. While the contemporary response to the movie was mixed due to its emphasis on combat over character, "Memphis Belle" is one critically panned war film that you should give a chance.

Yes, we are acutely aware of the infamous reputation "Pearl Harbor" garnered upon its release in 2001, and a fair amount of the criticism is on point. But we're here to talk about airplane battle scenes, and Michael Bay's World War II epic at least delivers on that score, especially with its eponymous centerpiece battle sequence. The movie follows fighter pilots Rafe McCawley (Ben Affleck) and Danny Walker (Josh Hartnett), both of whom fall for nurse Evelyn Johnson (Kate Beckinsale). However, their love triangle is interrupted by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, with Rafe and Danny managing to fight the enemy before leading a raid on Japan five months later.

For all of its well-documented flaws, the Pearl Harbor sequence is genuinely a well-crafted extended battle scene that almost feels like it's from a different movie. Compared to the more stylized and glossy depictions of the Battle of Britain and Doolittle Raid bookending the movie, the attack on Pearl Harbor feels visceral and urgent. In some ways, the sequence plays like a modern update of "Tora! Tora! Tora!," replicating the assault with even more ambitious production values. A standout sequence that elevates a bloated, overly stylized film, "Pearl Harbor" at least gets one entertaining airplane battle to compensate for, well, everything else.

Arguably the most offbeat entry on this list is 2005's "Sky Fighters," a French action thriller (as opposed to the various American war films included here). Adapting the Franco-Belgian comic book series "Tanguy and Laverdure," the movie follows French Air Force pilots Antoine Marchelli (Benoît Magimel) and Sébastian Vallois (Clovis Cornillac). The two face terrorists determined to steal a Mirage 2000-10 fighter jet and use it to attack Bastille Day celebrations in Paris. This comes as the two pilots are ordered to perform a test flight over hostile territory around the Horn of Africa, putting them on a collision course with the enemy.

"Sky Fighters" has a fairly simple plot, as long as one doesn't think too hard about the narrative logic driving it. What does stand out are the aerial sequences, which were filmed in cooperation and coordination with the French Air Force. That means the flying scenes are intense and authentic, highlighted in the dogfights bookending the movie and its centerpiece test flight. A solid aerial actioner overlooked outside of Europe, "Sky Fighters" is definitely worth checking out for any aviation enthusiast.

World War I was really the global conflict that cemented airplanes' importance as a functional modern military organization. The early days of combat aviation are explored in the 2006 WWI movie "Flyboys," starring James Franco as American pilot Blaine Rawlings. Joining the French Air Service before the United States enters the war, Rawlings quickly becomes embroiled in deadly aerial duels above a war-torn Europe. Given the more personal nature of aerial combat during the era, Rawlings forms a feud with a merciless German ace pilot known as the Black Falcon (Gunnar Winbergh).

Though historical accuracy is thrown right out the window, anyone coming to "Flyboys" looking for a history lesson misunderstood the assignment. Instead, the flick is a high-flying take on World War I aerial combat and its uniquely harrowing qualities. Franco is an amiable enough lead actor, but whenever the movie is on the ground, it feels thoroughly moribund. The airplane battles are, fortunately, exciting in their delivery, particularly the ones between Rawlings and the Black Falcon, even for something rendered in 2006-era CGI.

One of the most notable World War I pilots was German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen, better known by his nickname as the Red Baron. Richthofen's exploits are chronicled in the 2008 war movie "The Red Baron," with Matthias Schweighöfer playing the young pilot in the final years of WWI. A prodigy in the air, Richthofen tries to keep his squadron from treating the enemy without respect or mercy when they're downed. This is compromised by the war escalating, with Richthofen gravely wounded and his unit growing more violent as the conflict carries on.

Like "Flyboys," "The Red Baron" is a World War I movie that's overly concerned with maintaining an underlying sense of historical accuracy. Schweighöfer is earnest enough in playing the title character, but the real appeal to the film isn't its compassionate depiction of Richthofen but its aerial combat. Fortunately, there's plenty of high-flying action to spare, with the movie really delving into the German war effort in the air. Part filmmaking schmaltz but with the airplane battles to back it up and keep things entertaining, "The Red Baron" offers a fresh perspective on a forgotten war.

The last movie produced by Lucasfilm prior to its acquisition by Disney later that year was 2012's "Red Tails." The film details the exploits of the Tuskegee Airmen during World War II, given the dangerous task of escorting Allied bombers on missions across Europe. Though the squadron's aerial talents are on full display, they continue to face racism from many of their white American counterparts. The squadron earns its nickname from the brightly red colored tails of their P-51 Mustangs as they drive back intense German opposition in the final years of WWII.

Unfortunately, "Red Tails" failed to connect with audiences at the box office, ending Lucasfilm's pre-Disney era with a whimper. But it's still a fun popcorn war movie featuring one of the most under-appreciated squadrons from WWII. With that said, there are some factual discrepancies in the ensemble's depiction, but the film isn't positioned as a history lesson. Instead, "Red Tails" is a flick that's meant to be enjoyed for its numerous engaging aerial battles, all while it shines a light on an unsung element of the conflict.

After helming everything from hard sci-fi blockbusters to superhero movies, Christopher Nolan turned to a pivotal World War II moment for his 2017 film "Dunkirk." The movie focuses on amassed British troops trying to evacuate from the titular French coastal town in the face of an unstoppable advancing German army. Its story involves three perspectives: a young British soldier (Fionn Whitehead), an English civilian flotilla assisting with the evacuation, and a British fighter pilot (Tom Hardy) warding off German bombers. These characters' paths intersect throughout the mass evacuation as an increasingly harried British military tries to retreat intact while under constant attack.

The flying sequences in "Dunkirk" are among the most grounded and straightforward on this list, but that keeps in line with the rest of the movie. Though not a huge part of the film, Hardy's character, Farrier, provides the movie with its most cathartic and exciting scenes. Compared to the besieged characters on land and sea, Farrier's high-flying defense takes the fight back to the Germans, offering a welcome change of pace. "Dunkirk" is a feast of a film worth revisiting, in no small part to the genuinely and authentically executed aerial battles punctuating the movie.

Coming out over 35 years after the original, there was a huge level of expectation riding on "Top Gun: Maverick" ahead of its 2022 premiere. Of course, never count out Maverick, because the action drama soared to critical and commercial success as Tom Cruise seamlessly reprised his star-making role. The movie focuses on an older Maverick being reassigned as an instructor at Top Gun after disobeying orders to prevent a test flight program from being scrapped. As Maverick trains a new generation of fighter pilots, he becomes involved in a high-stakes mission to destroy a uranium enrichment plant in a hostile country.

"Top Gun: Maverick" is one of those legacy sequels that has no business being this good, completely shattering expectations like Maverick breaking the speed of sound. Cruise takes audiences on a satisfying trip back to the danger zone like he never left at all, playing an older and wiser Maverick, but one that's no less recklessly defiant. The aerial sequences have similarly leveled up, with everything from Maverick's opening test flight to the movie's climactic combat mission all surpassing those in the original film. A sequel far better than its predecessor, "Top Gun: Maverick" is one of the best aviation-oriented movies of all time.