RAF Typhoon fighter jets have taken off from a regular road in a drill to test if they can outmanoeuvre the enemy.
Two frontline jets took off and landed on the single lane road in Tervo, Finland, on Wednesday.
The strip is usually used for normal road traffic but had been designed for an emergency landing to sustain aircraft activity.
Vladimir Putin declaring war on Ukraine in a show of ‘Russian aggression’ in Eastern Europe was one of the reasons given for the test as it shows the ‘need to be able to disperse our aircraft and be more unpredictable’.
The RAF is currently focusing on ways to outmanoeuvre an adversary, to survive an attack, disperse to remote locations and continue operating with minimal support.
It was the first time RAF jets have flown during the Finnish Air Force’s annual flying training, Exercise Baana.
The Officer Commanding of 41 Test and Evaluation Squadron was one of the two pilots to take part.
He said: ‘This is an opportunity to work with one of our newest NATO partners on an exercise in Agile Combat Employment.
‘The Finnish have worked hard for decades on disparate operations should they be attacked and need to disperse their aircraft.
‘Once we landed on the strip we stopped to refuel before taking off again, I couldn’t help but look around and think “I am sitting in a jet on a road in the middle of a forest in Finland”.
‘That was pretty crazy and definitely a first.’
The second pilot, Jim, declared it as ‘a great step forward for RAF Typhoon capability’.
‘What is great about this is it a novel way of employing the jet, improving our survivability against modern threats and operating from dispersed locations, and also doing that while working closely with our allies who are absolutely critical to future operations,’ he said.
The Norwegian Air Force was also taking part for the first time, and tested its F-35A Lightning aircraft, a 5th generation fighter jet also operated by the UK and 15 other allied countries.
The RAF Typhoons were operating out of Rissala Air Base and Tervo Road Base for these trials.
UK defence attache in Finland wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘First ever RAF Typhoon operating from a Finnish road strip. Thanks to Karelia Air Command for sharing your expertise. RAF Agile Combat Employment in action.’
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