Iron Eagle on the Attack

During a routine F-16C patrol west of Alaska, Doug and his wingman test g-forces and accidentally cross into Soviet airspace. One Soviet pilot locks a missile and Doug is shot down. He ejects safely but is captured by Soviet soldiers.

Doug, haunted by his captivity, works as a crop duster back in the United States. He is recruited by his old friend General Charles 'Chappy' Sinclair to join his flight school as an instructor. The recruitment marks his transition from prisoner to mentor for troubled teens.

Chappy runs a flight school that uses Harvard IV trainers to rehabilitate teenagers with run-ins with the law. The school emphasizes flying as a path to discipline, sometimes with risky safety practices. Doug joins as an instructor to help manage the unruly students.

During an exhibition, the misfit teens clash with trainees from the Air Force. Wheeler scams a drug dealer by disguising sugar as cocaine, prompting a dangerous chase. Doug pursues Wheeler to an abandoned air force base where armed men threaten everyone, and he reports the incident to Chappy.

Chappy and Maj. Gen. Brad Kettle investigate a storage bunker that is revealed to hold chemical weapons. The discovery links the school’s activities to a broader national-security threat. This leads to the investigation into Operation Pandora.

Chappy receives a notice from the State Patrol that his flight program is terminated immediately. The students are sent back to juvenile hall, ending the rehabilitation project for the time being. The action shifts focus to the growing conflict surrounding the weapons plot.

Wheeler steals one of the school's trainer planes to create a diversion. The distraction allows the students to hijack a bus and return to the school. The bold move escalates the danger around the school and its mission.

Chappy organizes the students to infiltrate the Air Force airbase and gather enough resources to stop the convoy carrying the chemical weapons. The operation requires careful planning and teamwork from Doug's team. This marks a shift toward direct action against the weapon operation.

Inside the airbase, Kitty Shaw and Chappy discover Operation Pandora's intent to deploy chemical weapons. They print out the data and hand it to Maj. Gen. Kettle, hoping to expose the plot. The act informs subsequent actions and alliances.

Dana Osborne and Rudy Marlowe attempt to stop the convoy but are shot down. Rudy is wounded by Major Pierce, and Doug, Chappy, and the others head for Craig Air Force Base as Kettle’s plan unfolds, revealing Kettle as the ring-leader behind the capture.

Kitty hacks the computer to trigger fire extinguishers, buying time for Chappy’s team to escape. A stray shot ruptures a chemical canister, contaminating the chamber and killing Dr. Francis Gully and everyone inside.

Kitty and Peter Kane sneak into the cargo plane carrying the chemical weapon. Peter opens the cargo door, causing soldiers to fall out. Peter then jettisons all of the canisters into the ocean, ending the immediate threat.

Seeing his mission fail, Kettle prepares to kill Chappy. Doug arrives with a fierce attack on the airbase, giving Chappy time to escape. Kettle enters the contaminated chamber, his fate left unknown.

Days later, Wheeler tells Doug she intends to head to Mexico, but he convinces her to stay. The Iron Eagle Flight School prepares for a new batch of students freshly released from juvenile hall. The team looks forward to a new chapter after the crisis.