Russian Air Force Su-34 Fullbacks Operate From An Under Construction Highway In Central Russia

I don't much believe in coincidences.
The Russians chose to publicly disclose this exercise and capability, no doubt to demonstrate their ability to disperse aircraft and operate anywhere a suitable roadway exists. That is a message to anyone seeking to strike and destroy Russian air defenses.

Great looking aircraft.

The headline is a bit misleading. Watching the video, you’ll see a bunch of aircraft operating from a legitimate airfield.

“During the exercise 12 Su-34 Fullback bombers and two An-26 Curl cargo aircraft landed on the highway strip, where the entire airfield support infrastructure was deployed along with at least three Mi-8 helicopters. An aerial view provided by a drone shows the strip equipped with full runway markings and support equipment....The new Europe-Western China highway under construction in Tatarstan was designed with provisions for a special section capable of supporting flying operations of military aircraft if needed, as done for many highways during the Cold War.”

Essentially, portions of the new highway are being built as mini-airfields. (Or convertible in a pinch). And this demonstration was done on a completed mini-airfield that was converted, staged, and ready to handle air traffic. Reading the headline, you’d think this thing was barreling down the road, asphalt all tore up, kickin up dust.

Is it impressive? Sure. But like a lot of media headlines these days, this one is a bit misleading.