Summary and key points: The Swedish Air Force’s JAS 39 Gripen multi-role fighter jets successfully landed on a civilian highway as part of a training exercise, underlining the jet’s capabilities to operate from remote and inhospitable locations.

– The Gripen is designed for such scenarios, with reinforced landing gear and low maintenance requirements. This is Sweden’s first remote landing operation since joining NATO, continuing a long tradition of agile combat deployment.

-Similar operations have been conducted by the United States Air Force and the British Royal Air Force, demonstrating the strategic flexibility of modern fighter jets to operate from unconventional airstrips during emergencies or conflicts.

Swedish JAS 39 Gripen demonstrates Agile Combat deployment on highway

The Defense Visual Information Distribution Service (DVIDS) has released video footage of Swedish Air Force JAS 39 Gripen multirole fighter jets landing on a civilian road a few months ago. This was not an emergency landing, but rather part of a training operation.

In fact, the Swedish fighter is designed to operate from remote air bases and austere locations, and can even use civilian roads and highways as runways in a real emergency, including wartime. The Gripen – which remains the NATO member’s best multirole fighter – is equipped with a reinforced landing gear that raises the aircraft high above the ground to prevent debris from being sucked into the jet engine’s air intake. The JAS 39 is also designed with low maintenance requirements.

“If air bases, airports or auxiliary airstrips are damaged or otherwise unavailable, the JAS 39 Gripen fighters can land on roads deliberately designed to allow landings by fighter jets. Once on the ground, the Gripens utilise a mobile forward armament and refuelling point (FARP), where they are refuelled within minutes before taking off again,” the DVIDS report said.

Remote Operations for JAS 39

This would be the first remote landing operation since Sweden formally joined NATO earlier this year. But it’s not new – and Swedish pilots have been using roads and highways for decades.

“Three months after our NATO membership, I would say that Sweden is stronger and more secure. 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 distributed ops. For us, I call it normal operations. We started designing the system in the 1960s. You have to remember Sweden, a non-allied country, neighboring the Soviet Union. We always perceived the threat from the east, that we had to be able to leave our air bases very quickly. And this is part of that. So I say it is part of our DNA.”

Sweden is not the only country carrying out such operations.

The U.S. Air Force 354th Fighter Squadron and the Michigan Air National Guard 127 Wing used a state highway as part of their large-scale Northern Strike 21 exercise in August 2021, which saw four A-10 Thunderbolt IIs intentionally land modern aircraft on a civilian road in the U.S.

In addition, the British Royal Air Force (RAF) conducted a landing of its Eurofighter Typhoons on a single-lane road in Tervo, Finland. The test was to determine whether the aircraft could survive an attack and continue to operate from a remote location with minimal ground support. Although it was the first time the RAF participated in the exercises, landing on remote roads is a standard part of Finnish Air Force pilot training.

The RAF is also investigating how Lockheed Martin F-35Bs could land and be supplied via motorways in Europe.

Author Experience and Expertise: Peter Suciu

Peter Suciu is a writer from Michigan. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with more than 3,200 published pieces in a two-decade career in journalism. He writes frequently about military equipment, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance jobsYou can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: (e-mail address).

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