Belarusian pilots have landed aircraft on a motorway in the evening and at night for the first time ever

A unique training for Belarusian Air Force pilots took place on 18 May. As part of a tactical flight exercise the pilots landed several aircraft on a motorway in the evening and at night.

Belarusian military have been using parts of motorways as backup airfields since 2007. The pilots regularly train in special conditions. However, the latest training session was the first of a kind in many aspects.

For the first time Yak-130 combat and training aircraft and MiG-29 fighter jets have been landed on the Minsk-Mogilev motorway in the evening. During the exercise the pilots hit all targets and intercepted all the aerial enemy targets. A more complicated thing was accomplished late at night, in the dark when a Su-25 attack aircraft landed on the motorway.

It was a difficult trick even for seasoned veterans since the four-lane motorway is narrower than an airfield runway while the aerodynamic qualities of the motorway’s surface noticeably differ from those of the concrete surface of the runway. Apart from that, the motorway was not fitted with navigation systems.

Belarusian attack aircraft Su-25 lands on motorway at night first time ever