Tom Cruise stuns crowds with ageless appearance and helicopter at Top Gun premiere

Tom Cruise looked ageless at the premiere of the highly-anticipated Top Gun sequel this week, despite it being more than 30 years since the release of the iconic original film.

The actor, 59, may be close to a milestone 60th birthday but he still has a fine head of hair as he did when the first film came out in 1986 - with him having been just 23 at the time.

He attended a screening of sequel Top Gun: Maverick recently, which was held on a retired aircraft carrier USS Midway in San Diego - where he waves at fans in the crowd.

And in keeping with the aerial theme, Tom - who reprises his role as Pete 'Maverick' Mitchell in upcoming action film - flew himself to the red carpet event in a helicopter.

Tom Cruise attended the premiere of Top Gun: Maverick recently (AFP via Getty Images)

The actor didn't look much different from his appearance at the premiere of Top Gun in 1986 (Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images)

Crowds cheered as he arrived for the screening, with the actor - who is said to have been a producer on the new film - joking that arriving in an Uber would have been "too simple."

The £125 million film had been due for release in July 2019 but was pushed back to shoot complicated flight scenes. Discussing the project, Tom said: "The movie means a lot to me."

He arrived at the sequel's launch in a helicopter (Getty Images)

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He insisted on performing his own stunts in the film, which included flying jets. Its director Jerry Bruckheimer, 79, said: "Every time you see him flying, that's him in that jet."

The cast of the film - which is due to be released in the UK later this month - were given three months of training for the flights, with co-star Jay Ellis, 40, admitting: "We were all terrified."

He appeared in the first film alongside the likes of Kelly McGillis (Getty Images)

He's joined in the new film by actors including Jennifer Connelly (WireImage,)

And fellow cast member Glen Powell, 33, said that Tom had ordered the training so they "wouldn't be passing out or puking" in flight whilst filming the highly-anticipated project.

Others in the film include Jennifer Connelly, 51, who is said to play the love interest of Tom's character. Val Kilmer reprises his role from the first film, returning as Tom 'Iceman' Kazansky.

Top Gun: Maverick opens in cinemas on May 27.

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