In the morning of August 5, 2021, a Fairchild Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II
suddenly took off from the modest local Michigan State Highway M-32 in the state's lower peninsula.
Several more Thunderbolts followed, and then came the C146A Wolfhounds.
The highway had now become an aircraft runway. The unusual sighting captured on several videos
was actually part of a training exercise to oversee how pilots can work without the support
of a nearby base in the case of conflict. The United States armed forces
are frequently tested with different combat operations and scenarios to keep them fresh
and ready to answer the call of duty at any time and anywhere in the world.
It was said that this US Air Force exercise became the first time in history
that their aircraft intentionally landed on a civilian roadway within the United States.
And after the ordeal was over, even the Michigan State Police joked with the media that: (QUOTE)
"No speeding citations were issued during the exercise."
Northern Strike
In July of 2021, the Michigan National Guard, the Michigan Department of Transportation,
and other partners announced that a portion of the Michigan State Highway M-32 near Alpena would be
closed off for five hours early the next month. The reason behind the unexpected closure
was to test the National Guard pilots' abilities to land military aircraft on
highways designed for cars and trucks. For the first time in recent history,
the United States Air Force was going to land some of its aircraft
on American highways for a one-of-a-kind exercise. The 127th Wing of the Michigan Air National Guard,
the Air Force's 355th Wing, the Davis-Monthan Air Force Base from Arizona, and the Air Force
Special Operations Command announced they would land two C146 and four A10 aircraft.
The aircraft were going to take part in road-landing drills to demonstrate how
active duty and reserve units could integrate to project combat airpower in austere environments.
According to the Michigan National Guard, the drills were part of Exercise Northern Strike,
a multi-national large-scale military training event hosted by them.
The organization also described Northern Strike as a: (QUOTE) "National Guard Bureau sponsored,
joint accredited exercise that is a tailorable, scalable, and cost-effective readiness producer.
At the collective training level, Northern Strike maintains, improves, or exceeds directed training
by providing a venue for units to minimize variances in achieved training proficiency
and reduce/validate post-mobilization training requirements. This system of
training areas is the premier location to replicate the future operating environment,
offering integrated training across all domains."
State Highway M-32 was chosen for its proximity to the Alpena Combat Readiness Training Center,
where naval, ground, and air training is conducted in an area covering over 17,000 square miles.
US Air Force Colonel James Rossi, the commander of the Alpena Training Center,
said to the media: (QUOTE) "This is believed to be the first time in history
that modern Air Force aircraft have intentionally landed on a civilian roadway on US soil.
Our efforts are focused on our ability to train the warfighter in any environment across the
continuum so our nation can compete, deter, and win today and tomorrow."
Agile Combat Employment
The exercise on August 5 specifically focused on two types of aircraft:
the A10C Thunderbolt II and the C146A. The C146A Wolfhound is a twin-engine, high-wing
aircraft equipped with a cabin that can be modified for several cargo combinations, basically
a militarized DOrnier Do 358 that can carry up to 27 personnel and 6,000 pounds of cargo.
Although not much is known about the aircraft, it can operate from austere
locations and is used to discreetly deploy special forces teams across the world.
The Air Force has said that the Wolfhounds´ primary mission is to: (QUOTE) "Provide US
Special Operations Command flexible and responsive operational movement of small teams and cargo
in support of Theater Special Operations Commands. Airlift missions are conducted by Air Force
Special Operations Command aircrews to prepared and semi-prepared airfields around the world."
As for the A10C, it was chosen for this rural highway test because it is the first US Air
Force aircraft specifically designed for close air support of ground forces and as a quick-response
aircraft during the Cold War era. It is also optimized for short takeoffs and landings.
The landing gear of the A10 comprises low-pressure tires that can operate from
rougher surfaces besides highways. In addition, thunderbolts offer excellent maneuverability at
low airspeeds and altitude while maintaining a highly accurate weapons-delivery platform.
This aircraft can operate under 1,000-foot ceilings with 1.5-mile visibility. Pilots can
also conduct operations under pitch-black darkness without any issues using night vision goggles.
Equipped with precision-guided missiles, A10s are known to be genuinely lethal aircraft
that can handle themselves in any type of weather or combat scenario.
Furthermore, Thunderbolts are enhanced by their excellent structural sections
that can survive direct hits from armor-piercing and explosive projectiles up to 23 millimeters
thick. This Cold War-era aircraft has stood the test of time and has fulfilled its
objective of taking off from austere locations to enhance NATOs quick-air response operations.
In June of 2018, several A10s from the Michigan National Guard 127th Wing 107th
Fighting Squadron went to Estonia as part of the multi-national Saber Strike exercise.
During the effort, which simulated a cyber attack on a friendly forward operations center,
the A10s performed several highway landings without problems.
Although no information was given as to how the A10s and Wolfhounds will operate together,
rumor has it that the C146s will be used to deliver maintenance personnel for the A10s
or serve as tankers for setting up refueling points.
Highway Aircraft
The takeoff and landing exercises captured in the videos align with the US Air Force’s
Agile Combat Employment or ACE, a concept designed by the Air Force to force its
aircraft to operate far from its support bases. Some of these exercises also include teaching
pilots how to refuel aircraft rapidly when they are miles away from airfields
or how to conduct an emergency landing where there are no appropriate runways.
Air Force Colonel Jared Hutchinson, commander of the 35th Operations Group at Misawa Air Base in
Japan, said that ACE is: (QUOTE) "A warfighting concept that the Pacific Air Forces is trying
to operationalize. The basic concept behind it is that we use our agility to disperse
our main operating bases. Then we execute in a decentralized or more autonomous manner,
which allows us to be much more resilient in a contested environment."
The tensions in Asia and the Pacific are the focal point of this new warfighting concept for the US
military in the region, and pilots must learn to handle themselves in areas with no friendly bases
where they can safely land and resupply. However, even though the footage shows
the National Guard’s A10s getting ready to take off from Michigan State Highway M-32,
this is not the first time an aircraft has landed on an American highway.
In August of 2020, Interstate 40 in rural North Carolina became a runway for a civilian
aircraft that had to conduct an emergency landing after suffering engine problems.
It appears that the A10s at Michigan performed the exercise with the very
same purpose yet in different continents and regions, such as Asia and the Pacific.
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to find more exciting historical content. And let us know in the comments below
what you think of these types of exercises conducted by the United States armed forces.
Do you think the National Guard will ever have to make use of aircraft to solve internal problems?