2 US Air Force F-35A Lightning II Fighter Jets Land On Finnish Highway

Two US F-35As have landed and taken off from special stretches of Finnish highways designed for the country’s fleet of F/A-18 Hornets in case of war. An often-stated criticism of US-made fighter jets is that they can’t operate from unprepared runways. While it may be true that US jets can’t operate in as austere environments as their Russian and Swedish (the Saab Gripen) counterparts, they apparently can operate off Finnish highways. Finland is one of NATO’s newest members and joined the alliance in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Finland is not alone in the roads-to-runways idea. Switzerland recently turned a highway into a runway and back again.

US Air Force F-35A Lightning II fighters land on Finnish highway

According to an Air Force statement, for the first time, the US Air Force operated two F-35As from a European road. This is part of the US Air Force’s broader push to use less infrastructure as developments render traditional airbases increasingly vulnerable.

Photo: US Air Force

“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. The opportunity to learn from our Finnish counterparts improves our ability to rapidly deploy and employ airpower from unconventional locations and reflects the collective readiness and the agility of our forces.” Gen. James Hecker, commander, U.S. Air Forces in Europe – Air Forces Africa

The two F-35s are assigned to the 48th Fighter Wing based at RAF Lakenheath in the United Kingdom. These joined German Eurofighter Typhoons as part of the Finnish Air Force’s annual Baana exercise. The aircraft used the Norvatie highway in the northern region of Rovaniemi as well as the Hosio highway in Ranua as runways.

The Air Force is demonstrating and implementing Agile Combat Employment, operating from non-traditional and dispersed airfields. With China’s rise, the Air Force has stated it no longer feels safe using fixed forward bases in the Pacific.

Finland’s roads are built for national defense

Finland was part of the Russian Empire for hundreds of years and managed to secure independence when the Empire collapsed in 1917. It had to fight an existential war to retain its independence in 1940 (called the Winter War), and since then, the ever-looming Russian threat of invasion has been at the forefront of Finnish military planning.

Much of the Finnish infrastructure is planned around countering a hypothetical Russian invasion of the Nordic country. Reportedly, bridges are built with emergency demolition in mind, while stretches of highway across the country are built to double up as runways in case of a war with Russia. The thinking goes that in the event of war, Finnish airbases would come under Russian attack, and the Finnish Air Force would need to disperse in order to survive. Finland’s aging fleet of Hornets is planned to be replaced by 64 F-35As (which will be, in turn, expected to operate on highways).