Lockheed F-35A Fighter Jets Land on Freeway in ‘World First’

Two Lockheed Martin F-35A multi-role fighter jets have efficiently landed on a freeway in a historic first.

Piloted by Royal Norwegian Air Pressure (RNoAF) personnel, the 2 planes touched down on a motorway in central Finland as a part of a navy train.

The plane instantly underwent “hotpit refueling” after touchdown, receiving the correct amount of gas whereas the engines have been nonetheless working.

In accordance with RNoAF chief Main Basic Rolf Folland, the milestone was an necessary step in rising the F-35A’s survivability throughout conflicts.

He defined that fighter jets are weak when on the bottom, so with the ability to use highways leaves them much less uncovered to airfield assaults.

“It is a milestone. Not just for the Norwegian Air Pressure, but in addition for the Nordic nations and for NATO,” he harassed. “This demonstrates our means to execute an idea of dispersal.”

Right here’s a video of the primary touchdown 🛫@FinnishAirForce @NATO pic.twitter.com/M3zDlXrPzR

— Norwegian Armed Forces | Forsvaret (@Forsvaret_no) September 21, 2023

Concerning the F-35A

Lockheed’s F-35A is a fifth-generation fighter plane produced to exchange the US Air Pressure’s getting old fleet of F-16s and A-10 Thunderbolts.

It’s a versatile, high-performance multi-role jet that mixes stealth, sensor fusion, and unprecedented situational consciousness.

The plane can even attain Mach 1.6 (1,975 kilometers/1,227 miles per hour) and has an operational vary of 1,200 nautical miles (2,222 kilometers).

By mid-2023, the F-35 had collected a complete of 650,000 flight hours.

First for Plane Sort

The US has beforehand carried out freeway landings utilizing different variants of the F-35.

Earlier this yr, the US Marine Corps landed an F-35B Joint Strike Fighter on a 50-foot-wide freeway in Southern California.

Nonetheless, the plane featured brief takeoff and vertical touchdown functionality, permitting them to land on plane carriers and roads.

In distinction, the F-35As utilized by the Royal Norwegian Air Pressure solely possess typical takeoff and touchdown functionality, much like most passenger plane.