SwAF Gripen pilots train on national highway

SwAF Gripen pilots train on national highway.

Last week, a section of the national highway 44 between Lidköping and Grästorp, Sweden, temporarily became a runway to allow training for the Swedish Air Force combat aircraft. During the day, the Swedish JAS 39 Gripens conducted several take-offs and landings there.

"Our goal is to increase our operational readiness, and flexibility to be able to take-off and land at places that do not have fixed installations helps us do that," Colonel Malin Persson, 7th Air Base Wing Commander, says. "By practicing take-offs and landings at unexpected places, you enable the fleet to operate quickly in any given situation that may arise."

One by one, the Swedish Gripens landed on the highway, while traffic was diverted to an alternative route.

"The key to maximise operational effect is to make the fighters ready at all times. This is why Gripen was designed with STOL (Short Take-off and Landing) capabilities which allows the fighters to be airborne even during harsh conditions with a road strip of only 16x800 meters," Saab says.

The exercise was conducted despite the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.

"Of course, we take into consideration the crisis and make sure we don't spread the infection and stay healthy so we can do our job. We are also ready to support the community where needed," Persson says. "We have to carry out our exercises despite Coronavirus. Sweden must be able to count on our service even now. Our main task is to always be able to operate even during difficult times."

Written by Matteo Sanzani

Images: Swedish Air Force