Military Weakness: The United States Is in a Coffin Corner

In the penultimate scene of this year’s theatrical hit Top Gun: Maverick, after Tom Cruise’s Maverick and his intrepid flight of attack pilots hit their target and climb out of the steep valley in which it was located, the commanding admiral, played by Jon Hamm, announces, “Now we’re in coffin corner,” and upon hearing those words, the heart of every aviator in the audience sinks.

“Coffin corner” has a very specific meaning to flyers. It’s the place on any aircraft’s performance chart where g-forces, airspeed, and the weight of the aircraft work against each other, causing the aircraft to stall and become uncontrollable. It’s a position of profound vulnerability for any pilot. Even if they recover control of their aircraft, they will have lost altitude and velocity.

About the Author

Jerry Hendrix

Jerry Hendrix is a retired Navy captain and a senior fellow at the Sagamore Institute.

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In the penultimate scene of this year’s theatrical hit Top Gun: Maverick, after Tom Cruise’s Maverick and his intrepid flight of attack pilots hit their target and climb out of the steep valley in which it was located, the commanding admiral, played by Jon Hamm, announces, “Now we’re in coffin corner,” and upon hearing those words, the heart of every aviator in the audience sinks.

“Coffin corner” has a very specific meaning to flyers. It’s the place on any aircraft’s performance chart where g-forces, airspeed, and the weight of the aircraft work against each other, causing the aircraft to stall and become uncontrollable. It’s a position of profound vulnerability for any pilot. Even if they recover control of their aircraft, they will have lost altitude and velocity.