The Royal Netherlands Air Force also joined the Baana exercise for the first time, with Dutch F-35A Lightning II conducting touch-and-go landings and take-offs on the highway strip. Meanwhile in Sweden, C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Swedish and Norwegian Air Forces, and the Germany-France Binational Air Transport Squadron (BATS) unit conducted short strip landings on closed public roads. Photo courtesy of the Swedish Air Force, Finnish Air Force, and the Royal Netherlands Air Force.
RAMSTEIN, Germany - NATO Allies conducted highway operating exercises in Finland and Sweden, showcasing Agile Combat Employment (ACE) tactics that enhances operational flexibility and resilience in contested environments.
ACE is a key capability, which we would employ to defend Europe in any Article 5 confrontation
In Finland, the Finnish Air Force's base operations exercise, or JPH, held from May 26 to 30, involved more than 20 Allied aircraft and nearly 2,000 conscripts, reservists and active-duty personnel. For the first time, the biannual JPH exercise also included the Baana highway strip exercise. Finnish F/A-18 Hornet fighter jets, Hawk jet trainers and other types of aircraft operating from a section of Highway 4, or European route E75, near Tikkakoski Air Base in Jyväskylä.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force also joined the Baana exercise for the first time, with Dutch F-35A Lightning II conducting touch-and-go landings and take-offs on the highway strip, rehearsing dispersed flight operations. Additionally, the Dutch F-35As integrated with Finnish F/A-18 Hornets during their deployment to Finland, further enhancing the cooperation of Allied 4th and 5th generation fighter jets.
The exercise forms part of Finland's mobile battle concept, designed to ensure aircraft can operate from remote road bases if conventional runways are compromised. Highway operations have been a regular feature of Finnish military training since the 1960s, providing valuable expertise and instruction to the Alliance’s focus on ACE.
"Readiness to operate out of a dispersed base network is part of the Finnish Air Force’s mobile battle concept, and operating at highway strips is part of the flight training for all Finnish fighter pilots," says Colonel Tomi Böhm, Assistant Chief of Staff, Finnish Air Force.
Meanwhile in Sweden, C-130 Hercules aircraft from the Swedish and Norwegian Air Forces, and the Germany-France Binational Air Transport Squadron (BATS) unit conducted short strip landings on closed public roads. The training focused on enabling flight crews to launch and recover aircraft from temporary, austere airstrips.
These exercises underscore NATO's commitment to ACE: An operational approach that promotes the rapid movement and redeployment of forces to complicate adversary targeting and increase operational endurance. By operating from unexpected locations and strengthening regional ties, Allied forces enhance their deterrence and readiness.
“ACE is a key capability, which we would employ to defend Europe in any Article 5 confrontation,” Air Marshal Johnny Stringer, Deputy Commander of NATO Allied Air Command, emphasised on the importance of ACE in modern warfare. “ACE brings together Air Forces from across the Alliance and has them operate from many different air bases, ensuring the credibility and capabilities that underpin our deterrence posture.”
The Finnish and Swedish exercises in May demonstrate NATO's collective ability to adapt and respond quickly to emerging threats.
These exercises underscore NATO's commitment to ACE: An operational approach that promotes the rapid movement and redeployment of forces to complicate adversary targeting and increase operational endurance. Photo courtesy of the Swedish Air Force, Finnish Air Force, and the Royal Netherlands Air Force.