MINSK, 25 August (BelTA) – Military aircraft landed on the Minsk-Mogilev motorway on 25 August, BelTA has learned.
For the first time ever an An-26 transport aircraft has landed on a highway strip. With ten-minute intervals it was followed by pairs of Su-25 attack aircraft, Yak-130 combat and training aircraft, and MiG-29 jet fighters of the Belarusian army, which needed two passes to finally land. The airfield-grade part of the Minsk-Mogilev motorway is 24 meters wide and 3.1km long. Using parts of motorways as backup airfields was practiced as part of the tactical air force exercise in the run-up to the Belarusian-Russian strategic army exercise Zapad 2017.
In line with the scenario of the exercise Air Force units were instructed to spread to dispersal airfields in order to preserve their combat ability in the face of the enemy's possible missile strikes. Logistics command units of the army prepared the necessary number of highway strips for aircraft and helicopters. The necessary materials and ammunition were stocked as well. Before the engineer teams arrived, infantry units and special operations units swept the area in order to find and destroy ammunition and explosives. The engineer teams carefully checked and prepared the highway strip for landing aircraft. Weather service units of the army were tracking weather conditions in real time.
Landing on a highway strip is difficult for Air Force units because a motorway is not equipped with the standard guidance systems. Such an exercise improves skills of the pilots and makes them psychologically ready to perform combat tasks during air force dispersal.
Every pilot was thoroughly trained before the landing operation. The first aircraft landed on a highway strip in 2007. The relevant instructions and guidelines have been worked out since then.
Igor Kayelo, commanding officer of the combat and training wing of the combat and training squadron of the 116th Guards Attack Airbase, landed his Yak-130 on a highway strip for the first time. The pilot explained: “Unlike an airfield I could see the highway strip only from a close range. When I touch the road with my aircraft, I see no navigation references. And the motorway is a bit narrow. This is why it is difficult to land on a highway strip.” However, both Yak-130 aircraft landed on the first try.
After landing the aircraft were refueled, rearmed, and prepared for takeoff. The military aircraft took off from the same highway strip.
Major-General Alexander Karev, Second in Command of the Belarusian Air Force and Air Defense, stressed that it was the first time these crews had landed their military aircraft on a road runway. According to the source, new pilots are used for such landings every time in order to get more pilots trained to do it.
The officer spoke in glowing terms about results of the landing operation and the training levels of the pilots. He underscored the importance of arranging such exercises. “Airfields will be first on the enemy's target list. Events in Syria clearly demonstrated it. The exercises allow us to practice flying Air Force units from highway strips and performing combat tasks. There are plenty of road runways in Belarus. Our roads are magnificent,” summed up Alexander Karev.
