Indonesia wants to transform part of its highway network into a kind of network of “aircraft carriers on land”, using sections of toll roads as landing and take-off strips for military aircraft.
According to CNN Internationalthe strategy is to create, throughout the archipelago, several operating points for air force fighters, reducing costs and increasing response capacity in conflict scenarios.
The goal is for each of the country’s 38 provinces to have at least one stretch of highway adapted to function as an emergency lane, although there is still no detailed schedule.
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The selected sections must be around 3,000 meters long, with pilots trained to operate on narrower runways than those at traditional airports.
In a demonstration in the province of Lampung, in the south of the island of Sumatra, an F-16 fighter and a Super Tucano attack aircraft successfully landed and took off from an expressway, in an operation considered a milestone for the national defense system.
The country is the largest archipelago in the world, with more than 6,000 inhabited islands along approximately 5,000 km of east-west extension. Maintaining and operating an aircraft carrier to cover this area would be extremely expensive, while “spreading” aircraft across multiple roads reduces risks and costs.
Although Indonesia has disputes with China in the South China Sea, officials emphasize that the plan is not specifically aimed at any country.
In a statement, the Indonesian Air Force said the use of highways as alternative runways aims to strengthen operational readiness “without reducing the primary function of roads as public transport infrastructure.”
