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.