Another European country is flying fighter jets off highways like NATO has been doing to protect its warplanes
Switzerland flew fighter jets from a highway for the first time in more than 30 years.
It's part of the country's effort to practice decentralization of its air power.
"The war in Ukraine demonstrates the urgency of the situation," Switzerland said.
A European country watching the war in Ukraine just operated its fighter jets off a highway for the first time in more than three decades, following similar missions carried out by NATO militaries as they increasingly look for better ways to protect their aircraft.
On Wednesday, four Swiss F/A-18 fighter jets took off from and landed seven times on a highway in the western part of the country. The exercise, which examined whether the combat aircraft were suitable for operations from improvised sites, occurred "successfully and without incident," Switzerland's government said.
It marked the first time since 1991 that the Swiss air force has operated from a highway. During the Cold War, aircraft in Europe trained to operate from non-traditional airstrips and improvised runways to reduce vulnerability. Switzerland said that it was "necessary" to restart such practices as it looks to keep pace with Europe's rapidly changing geopolitical dynamics, sparked by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
"The Swiss Army is adapting to the evolving security situation and future threats," Switzerland said. "The war in Ukraine demonstrates the urgency of the situation."
The exercise this week reflects a push by Switzerland's military to strengthen its air-defense capabilities through the concept of decentralization, which means distributing troops and equipment beyond fixed locations, the Swiss government said in a statement.
Switzerland currently has combat aircraft stationed at three air bases around the country. To reduce their vulnerability to long-range strikes, the air force is focusing on disaggregating and using improvised runways to conduct operations. The effort includes pilots and group forces managing security and logistics.
Switzerland, which is neutral, is the latest country to push its aviation forces to train on non-traditional airstrips as a way to practice force dispersal. NATO allies and partners have been working on flexible solutions for years to ensure that their combat aircraft can still operate freely without having to be dependent on fixed bases that are vulnerable to enemy strikes.
These activities have involved a range of aircraft. In September, for instance, Norway landed F-35 stealth fighter jets on a highway for the first time during a training exercise with Finnish F-18 aircraft. The fighter aircraft were quickly refueled while their engines were running — a tactic known as hot-pit refueling — before they took off again.
"This is a milestone. Not only for the Norwegian Air Force, but also for the Nordic countries, and for NATO," Chief of the Royal Norwegian Air Force Maj. Gen. Rolf Folland said in a press statement at the time.
"This demonstrates our ability to execute a concept of dispersal," he added. "Being able to use small airfields — and now motorways — increases our survivability in war."
The US military has been operating its military aircraft on highways and other unconventional runways for a while as part of its Agile Combat Employment doctrine, a post-Cold War operational scheme of maneuver that seeks to make American airpower more versatile in the event of a great-power conflict.
Demonstrating this capability, the US has, over the past few years, landed A-10 Thunderbolt II attack planes on a Michigan highway, MC-130J Commando II supply planes on a Wyoming highway, and MQ-9 Reaper drones on dirt patches in Texas. They've also conducted exercises in Europe.
Switzerland, meanwhile, has said that it will continue to train on decentralization, but it doesn't have any further tests planned for the near future.
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