NATO drills in Finland: Jets land on highways amid russian tensions

    
• NATO fighter jets are practicing highway landings in Finland.
• The manoeuvres aim to prepare for a potential conflict with Russia.
• The exercises are part of the Agile Combat Employment doctrine.

Intensive NATO exercises are underway in central Finland, involving Dutch F-35 and Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighters. The pilots are practising landings on closed sections of highways to prepare for a potential conflict with Russia. These manoeuvres are part of the annual Baana exercises organized by the Finnish Air Force.

The exercises in Finland are a practical implementation of the modern military concept of Agile Combat Employment. This approach involves the dispersed deployment of combat forces, increasing their chances of survival during attacks on large air bases. This enables pilots to operate from smaller, mobile locations, such as highways.

Dutch pilots arrived in Finland to gain experience in these types of manoeuvres, which were last conducted in the Netherlands 41 years ago. Brigadier General Marcel van Egmond of the Royal Netherlands Air Force emphasized the importance of these manoeuvres. "The glide path is steeper and different for every highway. It is kind of a rush. The automatic landing system is switched off, this was all on manual. It was a rush. They were very excited, very happy and glad to do it," he told The Times.

The Finnish Air Force regularly organizes manoeuvres using roads as temporary runways. Lieutenant Colonel Sami Nenonen, the exercise director, noted, “We are very proud of what we do. We are training how to fight in a situation under constant surveillance and kinetic threat.” Soon, Finnish pilots will switch from Hornets to modern F-35s, which is expected to significantly increase their capabilities.