British F-35Bs To Bring Vertical Landing Abilities To Highways

[Seahornet1]

A1(M) around Peterborough looks a possibility as a runway.

...And part of the M5 near Gloucester used to be a runway!

[Philly1971]

Too many potholes

Is that part still concrete. Used to be many areas 20 or 30 years ago
With concrete dual carriage ways and motoways.
Since the end of the cold War most have been tarmacadam over them.
As been said thou, still lots of dissused airfields about.the last
Dispercial exercise I can recall was about 20 years ago.
Harriers from wittering and Cottesmore useing North Luffenham.

Erm didn't check if it was a concrete surface still when I went up & down it on Sunday but it's always seemed to me that it's massively over engineered compared to a lot of our recent roads (A1 up past Thirsk & Leeming for example). 4 lanes on each carriageway + a proper hard shoulder, very flat, very straight & not many bridges. OK there's a lot of overhead gantries & lighting in the centre but that could quickly be removed if the need arose. Lots of the regional airports I suspect could host Aircraft as well, Newcastle for example is quite sleepy traffic wise for much of the day (Also being local I'd love some nearby fast jets)

Using regional airports would make sense. Runways capable of supporting day and night operations, plus already have security fencing and safe areas to store equipment. Also, taking jets off a motorway or similar may work, but if you then had to re-fuel or re-arm them you are stuffed. Regional airports will already have the fuel, and can also take an A400 which could bring in weapons/ spares and other people and equipment needed.

[Sparts99]

Think you've hit the nail on the head there. The Harrier force had a logisitics system as part of the original concept for operations in Germany and it was part of the package. Dispersed operations (to my knowledge) weren't part of the concept for Typhoon and Lightning although it was touted for the Jaguar. In the seventies the Soviet air force regularly exercised dispersed operations. I have no idea what's involved support wise for modern operations but an RAF Typhoon squadron operating off a strip in France just after D Day required 100+ tons of supplies a day, admittedly 12 aircraft but even so.

[Thunder]

You just have to look at the amount of and size of the aircraft to support 4 Typhoons to any given NATO exercise. It takes weeks to plan then deploy all the support before you even think of getting the jets out there. Then you have to factor in the support to support the support, it all adds up.

Regional airports are one suggestion but how many ex military airfields would still be capable of operating jets on a semi austere basis?

Kinloss
Linton
Cottesmore
Honington
Coltishall( I see on GE that the runway hasn’t been crossed out?)
Woodbridge
Bentwaters

I’ll add these although still operational they no longer routinely maintain fj ops
Leuchars
Wittering
Yeovilton

[Vulcanone]

Leuchars does have the odd Typhoon every now and again, Wittering has fairly regular visits from Atlas and C-17s, Yeovilton has had some jets from memory

[punkmonkey22]

You just have to look at the amount of and size of the aircraft to support 4 Typhoons to any given NATO exercise. It takes weeks to plan then deploy all the support before you even think of getting the jets out there. Then you have to factor in the support to support the support, it all adds up.

Regional airports are one suggestion but how many ex military airfields would still be capable of operating jets on a semi austere basis?

Kinloss
Linton
Cottesmore
Honington
Coltishall( I see on GE that the runway hasn’t been crossed out?)
Woodbridge
Bentwaters

I’ll add these although still operational they no longer routinely maintain fj ops
Leuchars
Wittering
Yeovilton

Missing Shawbury there. One of the most underused resources the RAF has. Enough parking and shelter for multiple squadrons, one short runway that is still largely concrete and one longer. And all we have there is the helicopter school and the scrapyard. Apart from Valley, I think it may even be the furthest from mainland Europe too.

[Steven]

RAF Syerston is pretty big too

[adderman]

Northolt, already seen Tiffies operating from here. Brought the A40 to another halt when a couple went off.

[gamecock]

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/f ... st-highway

[roger4]

And two Typhoons operated from Benson for two days in April. Benson's press release at the time stated "The reason for the Typhoon activity is for training, for both the pilots and base itself to practise sustaining fast jet operations.".