Taiwan Trains Pilots to Takeoff and Land on Highway

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Taiwan has recently staged a unique set of military exercises designed to simulate a war scenario where the country’s military air bases have been destroyed by enemy fire. The military has closed down a stretch of the country’s highway so that fighter jets can take off and land on the makeshift runway. The exercise shows the country’s ability and determination to maintain combat even under harsh circumstances.

The wargames took place on the Sun Yat-Sen Freeway, a freeway that runs from the north to the south along the country’s west coast. The highway is apparently one of five stretches of road that Taiwan has designated as emergency runways. In order to ensure aircraft safety during landing and take off, over 1,300 barriers, 77 road signs, and 111 street lights were removed from the highway.

Popularmechanics.com reports that several different types of aircraft have been used as part of the exercise. A F-16V Fighting Falcon, a Mirage 2000-5, and the Taiwanese Defense Fighter. All fighter jets took part of the exercise with weapons onboard. Among the fighter jets, an E-2K Hawkeye AWAC aircraft took off and landed on the highway. An E-2K Hawkeye can assist Taiwan’s Air Force with detecting enemy aircraft from afar, allowing defending forces to better coordinate their defenses.

Over 1,600 soldiers took part in the exercise, including aircraft technicians that practiced refueling and rearming the jets.

Taiwan is a relatively small country with a limited amount of military airfields. In case a conflict arises, it is very likely that the country’s airfields will be heavily bombarded in an attempt to cripple the country’s air force. If this were to ever happen, Taiwan will still be able to maintain and support an air force due to exercises such as this one.