NATO Fighter Jets Practice Arctic Highway Landings
F-35A jets belonging to the 48th Fighter Wing stationed at Lakenheath practice highway landings in Europe for the first time. (Photo Courtesy of USAFE-AFAFRICA)
For the first time, US Air Force fifth-generation fighter jets and German Eurofighter jets have proved their ability to use European highways as runways. The jets practiced landing on a strip of road of about 30 metres wide in the region of Lapland, Finland, as part of exercise Baana 24, making defence history.
The Baana 24 exercise ran from 31 August to 6 September 2024 and featured the participation of personnel and assets from NATO allies Finland, Germany and the United States.
The Norvatie highway strip in Rovaniemi and the Hosio highway strip in Ranua, both in Finnish Lapland, became the landing strip during the Finnish led annual exercise, taking place outside main operating bases to increase expeditionary capability and dispersed operations drills.
Main participants in Baana 24 were the Finnish Air Force’s F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, Hawk jet trainers, as well as transport and liaison aircraft.
Historic landing
Germany participated with Eurofighter jets and the United States with the F-35A enhancing both Allies’ Agile Combat Employment or ACE tactics, techniques and procedures. This was the first time German and American fighter jets practiced highway landings in Europe, let alone the Arctic.
Both cities is situated about 200 kilometres from the Russian border.
A testament to a growing relationship
The fighters landed on a strip of road of about 30 metres wide as part of the exercise. The Finnish Air Force routinely uses reinforced highways as backup runways, enhancing their ability to operate in the event of a conflict.
Close relationship
“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,” said General James Hecker, commander of U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa and NATO’s Allied Air Command, according to a NATO press release.
“The opportunity to learn from our Finnish counterparts improves our ability to rapidly deploy and employ air power from unconventional locations and reflects the collective readiness and the agility of our forces,” he added.
The Finnish led exercise allowed allies to improve their ability to rapidly deploy and employ airpower from unconventional locations.
Refining the ability
Since Finland has joined NATO, allied air forces have increasingly refined their ability to land on roads, strengthening their coordination with their Finnish counterparts in case of a crisis.
In 2023, Norway's F-35A fighters landed for the first time on a Finnish highway.
After almost 30 years of close partnership with NATO, Finland joined the Alliance as a new member in April 2023.
