In the conflicts of the near future, the US armed forces may face difficulties due to the growing arsenals of neighboring countries. To eliminate the risk of losing most of their forces in a single strike, American pilots learn to disperse their forces. Practicing take-off and landing from the highway is a preparation for war with Russia and China, according to the authors of Business Insider.
"In a conflict with close states, such as China and Russia, the US armed forces will face difficulties due to the size of their rivals' arsenal and the range of their weapons, " writes the author of the material Stavros Atlamazoglou.
In his opinion, the scale of the arsenals of geopolitical competitors requires a "reasonable distribution of forces". This will reduce the risks for the troops in the event of a strike. Therefore, the Air Force is preparing to disperse to improvised airfields.
The US Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC) plays a key role in dispersal operations. The special forces have a variety of platforms at their disposal, including AC-130 Spooky ground support aircraft, CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor planes and MQ-9 Reaper drones.
"In August, AFSOC aviation conducted the Northern Strike 21 exercise in northern Michigan. During the maneuvers, the pilots carried out the first landing of a modern aircraft on a public road in the United States, " Atlamazoglu emphasizes.
The purpose of the exercise was to prepare pilots for actions at improvised airfields. Special forces practiced training and flight support on improvised runways. During Northern Strike 21, the pilots practiced the take-off and landing of A-10 attack aircraft and C-146A short-haul aircraft.
Earlier, the authors of the Defense Blog, citing an unnamed source, told about the working out of a strike by Russian troops against NATO troops. The interlocutor of the publication noted that as part of the Zapad-2021 exercise, Tu-22M3 aircraft simulated an attack on the US military in Poland.
Daniil Irinin
