Road to war: Finland closes motorway so fighter jets can practice landings

In another sign of growing tensions in Europe, Finland shut down a section of one of its main motorways, which connects the capital Helsinki to the north of the country, to allow fighter jets to practice landings.

The Nordic country, which is applying for Nato membership, neighbours Russia.

The reserve road runway, one of several in the country, had not been used for decades due to its importance in linking up parts of the country.

The Finnish Air Force took only a few days to clear the road and prepare the site for the exercise in which some 200 staff and Finland’s F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, older Hawk Mk 51 trainer planes and other military aircraft participate, the head of Finnish Air Force Academy, Colonel Vesa Mantyla said.

Exercises are expected to last five days.

“Mainly I believe all the roadbases are in quite good condition so easily taken into the operations in a couple of days,” Colonel Mantyla said.

In order to protect its fleet, the Finnish Air Force can rapidly disperse all its aircraft across the country and therefore it rehearses on the road bases annually.

“The threat from Russia or the actions from Russia with the cruise missiles and ballistic missiles (in Ukraine) proves that the concept of dispersed operations is right,” Colonel Mantyla said.

Hundreds of locals gathered on the roadside in Joutsa to follow the drill where pilots practise landing on a two kilometre (1.2 mile) stretch of road, while ground staff rehearsed “hot refuelling” a fighter jet with its engines running.

open image in gallery

Veikko Haapala, a local pensioner who had come to spot planes, said he trusted the Finnish defence forces to be capable of defending the country, especially with the help of Nato allies.

“I do feel somewhat anxious, given how the world situation has gotten, over how we defend ourselves,” Haapala, 79, said.

Another local, Seija Viinikainen, 57, welcomed the exercise amid the Ukraine war turning the situation “dubious”.

“Finns too need to be awake and count in even these small countryside runways so that the military is prepared to use them and the conscripts can exercise on them as well,” she said.

Meanwhile, Finland’s government said on Wednesday it would consider building a fence on the border with Russia.