The F-35 fighter lands and takes off from a highway, proving to be more robust than expected and suitable for being “dispersed”
On September 4, 2024, something unexpected happened in the world of aviation: two United States Air Force (USAF) F-35 Lightning II aircraft, assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing of Royal Air Force Lakenheath in the United Kingdom, they managed to successfully land on a highway in Finland during an exercise, something you wouldn't expect from a fighter with a reputation for delicacy like the F-35.
It was the first time U.S. fifth-generation fighters operated from a road instead of a runway in Europe. The landing was part of the annual ground-based road exercise in Finland, BAANA 2024, organized by the Finnish Air Force. Here is the video of the exercise:
The exercise is designed to prepare participating forces for rapid dispersal of aircraft across the country in the event of conflict, enabling operations from unconventional locations. BAANA 2024 started on August 31st and will run until September 6th.
The participation of the F-35s in the exercise highlights the growing cooperation between the United States and Finland, with both nations focusing on interoperability between allied forces . It also reveals that the fighter, F-35, which normally takes off and lands only from carefully prepared surfaces, can, if necessary, take off from emergency runways, thus proving suitable for dispersal.
General James Hecker, commander of US Air Forces Europe – Air Forces Africa, underlined the importance of this event.
“The successful first-ever landing of our fifth-generation F-35 on a highway in Europe is a testament to the growing relationship and close interoperability we have with our Finnish allies,” he said.
Hecker added: “The opportunity to learn from our Finnish counterparts enhances our ability to rapidly deploy and employ air power from unconventional locations and reflects the collective readiness and agility of our forces.”
The landing further highlights the U.S. Air Force's Agile Combat Employment (ACE) strategy, which focuses on conducting operations from widely distributed sites with limited infrastructure to counter growing global threats.
In 2023 there was a highway landing of a Norwegian F-35. Furthermore, it is known that vertical take-off and landing F.35Bs can land on non-specific surfaces, but in this case we were talking about the A version, a fighter, and not vertical take-off.
Two US Air Force F-35 Lightning II aircraft assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing, RAF Lakenheath, UK, make history by landing on a highway strip during the exercise BAANA 2024, Sept. 4, on Hosio Highway Strip, Ranua, Finland. (US Army photo by Sgt. Scyrrus Corregidor)
A practice in the process of being revitalized
The dispersal of air forces, that is, the provision of their distribution outside the bases to prevent the planes from being destroyed on the ground by surprise attacks, was a widespread practice during the Cold War. In the 1990s, with the end of the USSR, the practice had lost popularity and fighters took off and landed only from the few air bases, using perfectly prepared surfaces.
However, with the resurgence of Russian aggression, particularly the large-scale invasion of Ukraine, NATO is reviewing road operations. The threat of Russian belligerence also contributed to Finland and Sweden's decision to join the Alliance.
The problem is that even decentralized bases are easily identifiable via satellites, so they can be hit with a surprise attack. On the contrary, taking off and landing on straight stretches of motorway allows the vehicles to be effectively distributed in areas where surprise attacks would be difficult to organise.
However, a dispersion with take-off and landing on a motorway base requires a flexible and widespread logistics and maintenance system which must be set up ad hoc and which the USA defines as " Agile Combat Employment ". Finland and Sweden, on the other hand, were traditionally prepared to operate from improvised surfaces, and the Swedish Gripen fighter is known for being able to easily take off from road surfaces.
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The article The F-35 fighter lands and takes off from a highway, proving to be more robust than expected and suitable for being "dispersed" comes from Economic Scenarios .
This is a machine translation of a post published on Scenari Economici at the URL https://scenarieconomici.it/il-caccia-f-35-atterra-e-decolla-da-unautostrada-rivelandosi-piu-robusto-delle-attese/ on Fri, 06 Sep 2024 09:59:50 +0000.