BLUF

Western air forces, including Britain's Royal Air Force, plan to use highways as makeshift runways for their jets. This strategy, reminiscent of the Cold War, is designed to disperse operations and circumvent enemy attacks. Similarly, the US military is also adopting these tactics.

Summary

​KEY POINTS:
  1. The British air force will test Typhoon and F-35B jets on highways in the next year.
  2. RAF plans to land Typhoons on Finnish highways and F-35Bs on UK roads using aluminium mats.
  3. F-35B stealth fighters' short-takeoff-and-vertical-landing capability is ideal for highway operations.
  4. Finland, experienced in highway operations, is assisting the RAF in identifying operational shortcomings.
  5. Under the Agile Combat Employment (ACE) concept, the US Air Force is dispersing aircraft across bases, complicating enemy targeting.
READ: Air forces are ditching runways to prepare their jets to keep operating when enemies aim for their bases

References