Swiss fighter jet landings on the A1 are not science fiction: how the Ukrainians fool the Russians thanks to highways

They repeatedly attack Russian positions, sometimes with great success. At the end of 2023, the Ukrainian air force destroyed the Russian Black Sea Fleet landing ship Novocherkassk in the port city of Feodosiya.

The only requirements for using roads as a ramp are a straight stretch of approximately three kilometers in length with sufficient clearance. There are a number of such sections in Ukraine, because even in the times of the Soviet Union, Moscow always developed roads and other infrastructure with a war scenario in mind – this was also the case in Ukraine.

A video from April 2023 shows Ukrainian SU-27s and MiG-29s using a road as a runway. It remains unclear where and when the video was recorded. Observers assume the launches were carried out from the road in the Donbass region. Russian media also confirmed that the Ukrainians used alternative take-off and landing sites near the front line.

Also train other countries

Denis Trubetskoy (30), political correspondent in Kiev, told Blick: “Since Russia has the means to reach targets in a few minutes, for example with Kinschal missiles, the need for spontaneous, flexible solutions may become acute. Under such circumstances you don’t necessarily have the luxury of flying to the nearest airport.”

Ukrainian airfields remained one of Russia’s main targets. “In particular, the important military airfield in the western Ukrainian district of Khmelnytskyj is under repeated and massive attacks – the last time was on January 6,” Trubetskoy said.

As Russia’s immediate neighbors, the Poles and Finns have also intensified highway training. Britain and other countries also plan to resume such maneuvers.

The most famous attack on air bases occurred during the Six-Day War in 1967. To prevent an attack from the Arab states, Israel carried out a surprise pre-emptive strike on Egyptian air bases. Most of the 385 aircraft were destroyed on the ground and the airport’s runways were severely damaged.

German praise for Switzerland

During the Cold War, Germany also practiced highway landings. The last such exercise took place in 1984. Ralph D. Thiele (70), chairman of the German Political-Military Association and president of EuroDefense Germany, told Blick: “The German air force has not practiced emergency landings on the highway for decades, but has identified suitable sections.”

The former education director of the Bundeswehr’s leadership academy acknowledges the Swiss plans. “The Swiss would do well to prepare for eventualities. It is a sign of professionalism in an increasingly harsh world.”

Because it is clear that the enemy’s airfields were among the first and most important targets in the war. Thiele: “If the battle is successful, the expensive planes and highly trained pilots will be useless and our own offensive operations will be much more promising.”