Summary and Key Points: The Swedish Air Force's JAS 39 Gripen multirole jet fighters successfully landed on a civilian highway as part of a training exercise, highlighting the jet's capability to operate from remote and austere locations.

-Designed for such scenarios, the Gripen features reinforced landing gear and low maintenance requirements. This marks Sweden's first remote landing operation since joining NATO, continuing a long tradition of agile combat deployment.

-Similar operations have been conducted by the U.S. Air Force and the UK's Royal Air Force, showcasing the strategic flexibility of modern fighter jets to operate from unconventional airstrips during emergencies or conflicts.

Sweden's JAS 39 Gripen Demonstrates Agile Combat Deployment on Highway

The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) has released video footage of the Swedish Air Force's JAS 39 Gripen multirole jet fighters landing on a civilian highway a few months back. This wasn't an emergency landing and was rather part of a training operation.

In fact, the Swedish fighter was designed to operate from remote airbases and austere locations, and can even employ civilian roads and highways as an airstrip during an actual emergency including times of war. The Gripen – which remains the NATO member's premier multirole fighter – is equipped with reinforced landing gear that positions the airframe high above the ground to prevent any debris from being sucked into the jet engine's air intake. The JAS 39 was also developed with low maintenance requirements.

"If airbases, airports or auxiliary landing strips are damaged or otherwise unavailable, the JAS 39 Gripen fighters can land on roads that have been deliberately engineered to accommodate landings by fighter jets. Once on the ground, the Gripens make use of a mobile forward arming and refuelling point (FARP), gassing up in a matter of minutes before taking off again," the report from DVIDS noted.

Remote Operations for JAS 39

This is reported to be the first remote landing operation conducted since Sweden formally joined NATO earlier this year. However, it is hardly new – and Sweden's aviators have been employing roads and highways for decades.

"Three months into our NATO membership, I'd say Sweden is stronger and safer. And the Alliance is also stronger with us as an Ally, especially here in northern Europe," said Brig. Gen. Tommy Petersson, deputy commander of the Swedish Air Force. "This is a very long tradition. Today, we call it agile combat deployment or dispersed ops. For us, I call it normal operations. We started in the 60s to design the system. You must remember Sweden, non-Allied country, neighbour to the Soviet Union. We have always perceived the threat from the east, that we have to be able to leave our air force bases very rapidly. And this is a part of that. So, I say it's a part of our DNA."

Sweden is hardly alone in conducting such operations.

The United States Air Force's 354th Fighter Squadron and Michigan Air National Guard's 127 Wing employed a state highway as part of its Northern Strike 21 large-scale training exercise in August 2021, where four A-10 Thunderbolt IIs were able to purposely land modern aircraft on a civilian roadway in the U.S.

In addition, the UK's Royal Air Force (RAF) carried out a landing of its Eurofighter Typhoons on a single-lane road in Tervo, Finland. That test was to determine if the aircraft could survive an attack and continue operating from a remote location with minimal ground support. Though it was the first time that the RAF participated in the drills, landing on the remote roads is an established part of Finnish Air Force pilot training.

The RAF is also exploring how the Lockheed Martin F-35Bs could also land and be resupplied from highways around Europe.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].

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