NATO forces have demonstrated Agile Combat Employment (ACE) tactics in a series of recent highway landing drills in Finland and Sweden, with aircraft operating from austere locations to simulate operations under contested conditions.
The Finnish Air Force’s biannual JPH base operations exercise, held from 26 to 30 May, included over 20 Allied aircraft and nearly 2,000 military personnel.
For the first time, it also incorporated the Baana highway exercise, during which Finnish F/A-18 Hornets and Hawk trainers conducted take-offs and landings on a closed section of Highway 4 (E75) near Tikkakoski Air Base.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force joined Baana for the first time, flying F-35A Lightning IIs on touch-and-go landings and rehearsing dispersed operations alongside Finnish jets. “Readiness to operate out of a dispersed base network is part of the Finnish Air Force’s mobile battle concept, and operating at highway strips is part of the flight training for all Finnish fighter pilots,” explained Colonel Tomi Böhm, Assistant Chief of Staff of the Finnish Air Force.
Meanwhile, in Sweden, C-130 Hercules aircraft from Sweden, Norway, and the Germany-France Binational Air Transport Squadron (BATS) performed short-strip landings on closed public roads, further testing NATO’s ability to project and sustain airpower from temporary locations.
These drills form part of broader ACE implementation across the Alliance. ACE emphasises rapid redeployment, unpredictable basing, and increased survivability in the face of high-end threats. “ACE is a key capability, which we would employ to defend Europe in any Article 5 confrontation,” said Air Marshal Johnny Stringer, Deputy Commander of NATO Allied Air Command. “It brings together Air Forces from across the Alliance and has them operate from many different air bases, ensuring the credibility and capabilities that underpin our deterrence posture.”
Finnish highway operations have been in practice since the 1960s and are a cornerstone of the country’s mobile airpower strategy, offering NATO valuable expertise in dispersed basing.
Shame we let that capability sunset.
Places that were prepared now have the wrong type of road surfacing and crash barriers etc for rolling t/o landing.
Then Harrier with its austere ability….
Now we have F35B that needs the full Gucci store to operate…would pilots cope with the local Travel Lodge or Premier Inn….it isn’t 5* you know?
Harrier and jaguar had this capability in cold war. Now Finland may still have quiet stretches of roads but not uk. Not sure closing section of M1 motorway would be very achievable these days.
It was planned for parts of the A1(M) close to Wyton and Alconbury I recall? Road lights removed?
There are plenty of runways around, the RAF needs the people to support the dets.