“Our adversaries have advanced weapons systems and advanced technology that they can use against us, so we need to be able to operate efficiently in austere situations and gain proficiency in those operations.”-Lieutenant Colonel Brian Wyrzykowski, 127th Wing, Michigan Air National Guard

Claiming to be a first, intentionally operating combat aircraft from a U.S. state highway (such operations having been done in Europe since the Cold War), the U.S. Air Force (USAF) and Michigan Air National Guard conducted operation Thunder LZ (Landing Zone), beginning on 05AUG2021. Thunder LZ involved Michigan Air Guard A-10Cs, U.S. Air Force A-10Cs from Arizona, and USAF C-146As from Florida.

Notice how close the A-10C touched down to the police and fire vehicles.

Michigan Air National Guard cockpit video of Alpena (aka M32) Highway landing, 05AUG2021:

It is part of wargame Exercise Northern Strike.  The highway is M-32, and involved the Michigan Department of Transportation, and a local electricity utility which had to take down some lines so the aircraft could safely land and take-off.  Local police were on scene, as well as fire fighters just in case.  But first, the M-32 had to be ‘taken’ (secured) by Special Tactics Airmen assigned to the 24th Special Operations Wing.

Michigan Air National Guard video explainer, by Staff Sergeant Drew Schumann:

More Michigan Air National Guard video, by Staff Sergeant Drew Schumann, of A-10Cs landing on the highway:

What if you were driving down the highway when you saw this coming at you? More video from by Staff Sergeant Drew Schumann:

Landings and take-offs:

The USAF says using highways is part of its ‘near peer threat’ Agile Combat Employment (ACE) tactic. The aircraft used are C-146As (Dornier 328) and A-10Cs: “The A-10 allows us to land a lot more places to get fuel, weapons and other armaments so we can operate anywhere, anytime. This will allow us to get away from using built-up bases that our adversaries can target, by moving much more rapidly.”-Captain John Renner, 354th Fighter Squadron, Davis–Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona

Staff Sergeant Andrew Schumann shows what it looks like to see a C-146A land on the highway:

Notice that the U.S. military’s C-146A Wolfhound (Dornier 328) wears a ‘silly-vilian’ (civilian) paint scheme. More video of A-10Cs and the C-146A:

It’s not the first time using a highway for A-10Cs from Michigan’s 127th Wing.  In June 2016, 127th A-10Cs used a highway in Estonia, during wargame Saber Strike.

Since the days of the undeclared Cold War, NATO and ‘enemy’ forces have practiced using highways for impromptu air bases.  The use of Michigan’s M-32 is supposedly the first time a highway within the U.S. was used for such operations.  Sounds like the Cold War never went away.

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