G1 Patch Leather Jacket - Brown

The G-1 leather jacket is perhaps the most iconic of Maverick's clothing, and it has become synonymous with Naval Aviators. This jacket, however, is not just limited to the Navy; it is also issued by the Marine Corps and the Coast Guard to both officers and enlisted aviation personnel on flying status. With its distinctive fur-lined collar, the G-1 is easily distinguishable from its Army/Air Force counterpart, the A-2 leather flight jacket. The roots of the G-1 can be traced back to the M-422 jacket introduced by the Navy in the 1930s and standardized in 1940. In 1942, the jacket was replaced with the more economical M-422A due to wartime material shortages. However, both versions remained visually similar to the G-1 we know today.

During WWII, naval personnel rarely adorned their leather jackets with more than a single patch on the left breast, depicting their name, qualification, and service. Sometimes, a single squadron patch was worn on the right breast. However, personalization with patches did not become widespread until after the war. As depicted by Maverick in Top Gun, G-1 jackets are often personalized with patches that mark deployments, aircraft flown, and significant milestones, such as carrier landings and flight hours.